MARKET REPORT

OIL prices were hit yesterday after Donald Trump took aim at a cartel of oil-exporting nations.

The US President tweeted the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), a group representing oil-producing countries, was keeping prices artificially high and their actions “will not be accepted”.

Following the tweet, Brent crude was down 0.32% to $73.33 a barrel.

Against the dollar, sterling fell 0.35% to 1.403. The pound was broadly flat against the euro at 1.14.

Meanwhile, by the market close, London’s blue chip index had risen 39.35 points to 7,368.17.

In UK stocks, shares dipped despite Japan’s

upping its bid for the pharmaceutical giant.

Takeda said its new proposal is worth £47 per share, £21 of which is cash and £26 in new Takeda shares.

It values Shire at £42.8bn, a slight advance on its last offer.

Takeda’s announcement came after Botox maker

confirmed it would not make a bid for the Shire, just a day after saying it was weighing up an offer.

Shire’s shares were down 3.86% or 153.5p to close the day at 3,821.5p.

Shares in consumer goods giant also slipped when its sales missed analysts’ expectations.

Sales were up 2% on a likefor-like basis at the company, which owns a suite of household brands including

and Analysts had been expecting a rise of 2.6%.

The company was hit by “significant underperformance” from The footcare brand brought down sales in Reckitt Benckiser’s health division, more than offsetting gains from and sales.

By the market close, Reckitt Benckiser’s share price was down 161p to 5,625p. Value womenswear retailer

suffered a drop in sales in the first three months of the year, which analysts pinned on the Beast from the East. Sales fell by 11.1% on a like-for-like basis in the three months to the end of March, with online sales up by 31.2%. Shares closed the day down 0.5p at 90p.

The top risers on the FTSE 100 were up 99p at 2,525p, up 46.5p to 1,618.5p,

up 19.10p 764.4p, and

92p to 3,688p.

The biggest fallers on the FTSE 100 were down 153.5p to 3,821.5p, down 161p to

down 9.7p to 5,625p, 467.9p, and down 52p to 3,136p. to up