JD Sports has 'totally refuted' claims the company breached corporate governance rules after its executive chairman was pictured meeting the boss of Footasylum in a car park near Bury.

The company said the Competition and Markets Authority had already been informed of the 'content' of the meeting between Peter Cowgill and Barry Bown on 5 July and 'the reasons for it'.

AJ Bell investment director Russ Mould comments on the markets this morning:

The FTSE 100 was flat on Monday, with strength in commodity producers being offset by weakness in financials. Oil, gas and miners typically sell their products in dollars and their share prices will benefit from continued weakness in sterling after the Bank of England’s surprise decision to keep interest rates on hold last week.

A drop in the pound is typically good news for the broader FTSE 100 index given this boosts the relative value of its dominant overseas earnings.

While there could still be an UK interest rate increase before Christmas – this would be the equivalent of a soggy bunch of service station flowers to a market which has already dubbed Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey an ‘unreliable boyfriend’.

Some of the excitement which greeted Pfizer’s anti-viral Covid pill has fizzled out and Asian markets were mixed as attention turns to the coming week of economic releases where US inflation looms large on Wednesday. It doesn’t appear as if there is an easy cure in the short term for rising prices.

America has finally eased its Covid travel ban for fully vaccinated UK tourists today, as thousands jet off for long-awaited reunions with family and friends for the first time in 20 months.

Rival airlines British Airways and Virgin Atlantic operated synchronised departures at 8.30am from London Heathrow to New York JFK to celebrate the end of the travel ban imposed by Donald Trump in March last year as Covid spread across the planet.  

Electric car manufacturer Tesla’s Frankfurt-listed shares have fallen by around 9 per cent in early trading on Monday, following CEO Elon Musk’s proposed sale of approximately 10 per cent of his stake.

World’s richest person Musk tweeted on Saturday that he would offload 10 per cent of his stock if users of the social media network approved the proposal.

There are more delegates at the Cop26 climate conference with links to the fossil fuel industry than from any single country, according to an analysis by eco-campaigners.

World leaders have gathered in Glasgow to set out the action they are taking and commit to end funding for fossil fuels abroad, cut methane emissions, curb deforestation, and phase out coal.

The FTSE 100 has nudged 0.1 per cent higher in early trading, led by energy and mining stocks, while online gambling firm Playtech jumped after receiving a takeover bid from its second-biggest shareholder.

Banking shares dropped 0.6 per cent and limited further gains in the FTSE 100, with benchmark 10-year bond yields hovering near their one-month lows on a dovish central bank policy last week.

The FTSE 250 has opened flat.

British Airways is set to announce the launch of its new short-haul airline at Gatwick within weeks after reaching a key agreement over pay and conditions for cabin crew with trade union bosses. 

The Mail on Sunday can reveal that BA finalised negotiations late last week with the Unite union, which represents more than 10,000 of the airline's cabin crew as well as engineers and ground staff. 

Responding to reports of its potential acquisition of interactive investor, Abrdn told investors this morning: 

'The Company notes recent media speculation and confirms that it is currently in discussions with J.C. Flowers & Co regarding a potential acquisition of Interactive Investor.

There can be no certainty that these discussions will result in a transaction and a further announcement by the Company will be made as and when appropriate.'

Steve Webb replies: As you may know, a new state pension system was introduced from 6 April 2016.

As you reached pension age after this date, you come under the new system and your late husband would have come under the old system...

Superdry is battling delays of up to six weeks in dispatching stock in its wholesale business.

The fashion brand warned that supply chain woes were affecting its deliveries to department stores and online retailers which have Superdry clothes.

The UK's stock market rules do not need to be relaxed to attract more cutting-edge firms, according to one tech boss.

The requirements a company must fulfil to list are under review by the Government, which wants to see more fast-growing firms on the London Stock Exchange.

A UK firm developing technology to recycle electric car batteries plans to list on the London Stock Exchange in the coming weeks.

Technology Minerals aims to be the first British company to recycle, recover and re-use the batteries on an industrial scale by reclaiming metals and materials used in their production.

LV members have blasted an offer of just £100 each to sell the 178-year-old insurer to an American private equity firm.

The 'paltry' payment would let Bain Capital seize LV, formerly Liverpool Victoria, stripping it of its mutual status.

This would mean the firm would no longer be owned by its members but run by a profit-hungry investor.