11:48 AM EDT, 09/28/2026 (MT Newswires) -- British equities started the week muted, with the FTSE 100 up 0.05% on Monday's close, as the UK government confirmed plans for a new equity loan program called Your First Home to support first-time buyers. To be detailed in the October Budget, the scheme will facilitate first-time buyers with 2.5% deposits, backed by government equity loans of 20% and an initial interest-free period. Expecting the policy to target affordability and new housing demand, shares of homebuilder Persimmon plc (PSN.L), residential developer Barratt Redrow (BTRW.L), kitchen and joinery products company Howden Joinery (HWDN.L), and home improvement retailer Kingfisher (KGF.L) closed 15.05%, 12.30%, 3.16%, and 1.13% higher, respectively. In the global market, oil prices rose after US President Donald Trump dismissed an Iranian proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days in exchange for the US lifting its blockade of Iranian ports and meeting other conditions. In corporate news, Entain (ENT.L) declined 5.09% after lowering its full-year 2026 guidance for online net gaming revenue growth to account for the provisional ban on online sports betting and gaming in Brazil. The sports betting and gambling company now expects online net gaming revenue to rise 4% to 6% on a constant currency basis, compared with its previous outlook of 5% to 7%. TotalEnergies (TTE.L) outlined a 4% annual energy production growth target through 2030, covering oil and gas production and electricity generation. The board also adopted a policy to increase the dividend by more than 5% per year until 2030. The French energy company gained 4.05% following its capital markets day. "TTE's plans confirm growth across upstream, [liquefied natural gas] and Integrated Power, while the company continues to balance higher shareholder returns against further de-leveraging in this up-cycle, perhaps avoiding the sugar rush we are seeing from some peers. On the growth front, investors will need to be confident on execution given a number of challenging projects in the hopper, while Power looks set to contribute to dividend sustainability from 2027," RBC Capital Markets said. Bodycote (BOY.L) fell 3.12% after CVC Advisers said it would not make an offer for the thermal processing and heat treatment specialist. "CVC has announced that it does not intend to make an offer for Bodycote as we reached the end of the window for it to counter bid after the recommended GBP9.4 Veritas offer. This offer is not generous in our view at 13x27E EBITA, in line with Bodycote's 10-year average EV/EBITA, but is now likely to succeed as it is the only bid available," RBC said in another note.

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