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Great Portland Estates snaps up Central London site, GSK gives positive clinical trial update
By Benjamin Chiou
Date: Wednesday 07 Jan 2026
(Sharecast News) - LONDON PRE-OPEN
The FTSE 100 is expected to open around 32 points lower (-0.32%) on Wednesday as the benchmark index retreats after a 1.18% surge the previous session to a record closing high of 10,115.50.
STOCKS TO WATCH
Great Portland Estates has boosted its West End portfolio after agreeing to buy a building from the City of London Corporation for £51m, it was announced on Wednesday. The FTSE 250 property firm has acquired a 155-year leasehold interest in 10 South Crescent, WC1, a 72,605sq ft building off Tottenham Court Road. The price reflects a net yield of 6.8%, and a projected running yield of 7.1% once the vacant retail unit is let.
GSK said its potential chronic hepatitis B treatment had met primary endpoints in two trials that covered 1,800 patients from 29 countries. The drug, called bepirovirsen, produced functional cure rates that were "significantly higher" when combined with standard care compared with standard of care alone, the company added. "CHB is a major health challenge affecting over 250 million people worldwide and is the leading cause of liver cancer. The current standard of care ... often requires lifelong therapy and the functional cure rates remain low, typically only 1%."
NEWSPAPER ROUND-UP
Donald Trump has said Venezuela will be "turning over" $2bn worth of Venezuelan crude to the United States, a flagship negotiation that would divert supplies from China while helping Venezuela avoid deeper oil production cuts. "This Oil will be sold at its Market Price, and that money will be controlled by me, as President of the United States of America, to ensure it is used to benefit the people of Venezuela and the United States!" Trump said in a post online. - Guardian
Tougher rules on drink-driving, eye tests for older motorists and automatic emergency braking in new cars will be mandated by the government in an attempt to significantly reduce casualties on Britain's roads. The first road safety strategy in more than a decade aims to save thousands of lives with a range of measures, from training and technology to stiffer penalties for offenders. - Guardian
A billionaire hedge fund boss who became a champion of climate change campaigners paid himself £60m last year after a surge in performance at his investment fund. Sir Chris Hohn, one of Britain's most successful money managers, received the cash through an annual dividend payment from his Mayfair-based investment group The Children's Investment Fund Management (TCI). - Telegraph
An artificial intelligence (AI) business that helped provide crucial data to Dominic Cummings' Vote Leave campaign has been sold in a $1bn (£740m) deal. Faculty, a London technology business that provides AI tools for the public sector and businesses, said it had agreed to be acquired by Accenture, the US-listed consulting giant. - Telegraph
The business behind a flawed Post Office IT system that led to the wrongful convictions of hundreds of sub-postmasters has been accused of being a "parasite" on British taxpayers. Fujitsu, architect of the Horizon computer system, is under pressure from MPs over its refusal to say how much it would contribute to the £1.8 billion cost of providing redress for the scandal, even as it continues to benefit from public sector contracts. - The Times
The rival bidder for Heathrow's third runway has accused the airport of "taking people for a ride" by "gold plating" the planning costs for its £49 billion expansion project. Surinder Arora, founder and chairman of the eponymous hotels and property group, pointed to the vast difference in early planning expenses for the two schemes. - The Times
US CLOSE
US stocks rose for the third straight day on Tuesday, pushing both the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 to new heights, as investors continued to assess the fallout of Donald Trump's ousting of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro.
The Dow gained 1.0% to 49,462.08, ending above the 49,000 mark for the first time, registering its second record in as many days. The S&P 500 finished 0.6% up at a new closing high of 6,944.82, topping an earlier peak of 6,932.05
The Nasdaq closed 0.7% higher at 23,547.17, its highest since 26 December and just 1.7% away from its all-time closing high of 23,958.47 reached on 29 October.
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