Aldi, the privately owned German discounter, boosted optimism in the sector this morning by reporting a busy Christmas Peter Nicholls/ReutersSupermarket chains were on the rise this morning as investors prepared their positions ahead of a week of results from Wm Morrison, J Sainsbury, Tesco and Marks & Spencer. Christmas sales data from Aldi, which reported its “busiest ever” week of trading in the UK, helped to boost optimism around the sector. J Sainsbury gained 8p, or 3.1 per cent, to 268p; Tesco edged up 3p, or 1.5 per cent, to 200½p; Marks & Spencer rose 4p, or 1.5 per cent, to 257p; Wm Morrison added 2¼p, or 1 per cent, to 218p. The FTSE 100 was down 22.80 points, or 0.3 per cent, to 6,814.62 at the approach to midday after continued concerns over the global economy erased earlier gains on the back of…

Source: The Times January 07, 2019 12:00 UTC