British apparel defies European weakness

Thursday Index closure was at 1122.91, falling slightly by

11.4 points. It closed in 1134.31 points on Wednesday. European stock markets have turned negative yesterday, losing early gains after the September euro-zone purchasing managers' indexes came in weaker than expected. In the same vein, the September euro-zone manufacturing PMI came in at 53.6, below the 54.8 forecast and August's 55.1. The services PMI also came in at 53.6, below the 55.5 forecast and August's 55.9.

Across Asian markets Thursday, shares were mixed in holiday-thinned trade, with markets in Japan, South Korea, China and Hong Kong all shut for public holidays. In India, Koutons fell by 5.9 points.

However, and apparently still under the benefactor shadow of the London Fashion Week, the UK based companies performed quite positively, exception made once more of JD Sports Fashion. If the athletic firm was outstanding the rest of the week as the leader of the winners, yesterday it went all way down to the very end of the list, by losing 1.5 points. Within the gains chapter, NEXT offered an spectacular sprint, adding 19 points by the end of the trading session, while Burberry gained 2.5 points and Mark & Spencer’s soared by 3.5 points. Another outstanding performance was the one thrown by Asos, which climbed 12 points. Ted Baker and Triumph also won, 5 points each one. Losses were for IC Companys, dropping 1 point.

Still in Europe, H&M would be the center of many conversations from today on, as the Swedish brand has just announced that it will reveal its results for the first nine months of the year on next Wednesday, the 29th of September. Hennes & Mauritz is proving to be a favorite not only at high street but in the stock market, as their investors are already benefiting from its continuous growth. Yesterday, the value closed 2 points up from its previous position.