FTSE 100 news tone: Computacenter on top, Antofagasta at the bottom

The average daily score across companies with coverage started at +3.3 on Tuesday and reached +4.2 on Wednesday, its high for the week. It slipped back to +3.3 on Thursday, then fell to +2.4 on Friday. Saturday came in at +2.8, Sunday at +2.4 and Monday at +3.3. The tone stayed modest and positive throughout. These are scores of the news, not of the shares, on a scale from −10 to +10 where anything beyond ±6 is strong and rare. Sunday and Monday also covered fewer companies (49 and 56), so those days rest on thinner coverage.

Computacenter led with an average of +10.0 over 8 stories. Tuesday's coverage focused on a record first half and a raised profit outlook, helped by AI demand, with JPMorgan setting a 6,000p price target.

Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust averaged +8.7 over 7 stories. Wednesday's score of +10.0 came from coverage of its share price climbing to a record high.

Segro averaged +7.3 over 5 stories. Coverage on Tuesday centred on Prologis agreeing to acquire it, plus a new Paris data centre venture with Pure DC and a further phase at its Berlin airport park.

Next plc averaged +7.1 over 5 stories. On Saturday, coverage focused on Next lifting its profit outlook again after Christmas trading beat expectations.

IHG Hotels & Resorts averaged +6.9, but over a far bigger pile of 47 stories. Most of it was brand expansion, led by Hotel Indigo reaching 200 hotels.

Antofagasta had the weakest week, averaging −6.0 over 22 stories. Saturday hit −10.0, with coverage centred on the first-ever strike at the Centinela copper mine. JPMorgan warned the output impact could be quite significant.

3i averaged −3.6 over 8 stories. Sunday's −9.7 followed coverage of a 7.4% share price fall, linked in one headline to French unrest and concentration risk in Action.

Haleon averaged −3.0 over 17 stories. On Wednesday, coverage noted JPMorgan cutting its price target to 295p and the shares slipping on growth worries ahead of the company's update.

EasyJet averaged −2.7 over 104 stories, the most of anyone here. On Sunday, coverage focused on cuts of up to 1.4 million winter seats because of high fuel costs, with a warning about flight prices.

Associated British Foods averaged −2.2 over 64 stories. Saturday's coverage was dominated by a profit warning, with Primark asbestos warnings adding reputational pressure. Smaller positive items only partly offset it.

Four companies moved most, each with at least three stories on both days.

• Anglo American: from −5.0 to +5.3. Tuesday's coverage centred on Chinese regulators demanding supply concessions and copper guarantees over the Anglo Teck merger. By Monday, it centred on the proposed $54B Teck merger and the Brazilian nickel sale to MMG, which are big strategic moves.
• Barclays: from +7.0 to −3.3. Tuesday's high score came mostly from analyst ratings Barclays issued on other companies, so little of it concerned the bank itself. Monday's coverage was dominated by a report that its shares are down 17% with investors selling.
• EasyJet: from +4.5 to −5.2. Tuesday leaned positive on new routes from Bristol and Newcastle and another 400,000 seats from easyJet holidays. Monday centred on another 700,000 winter seats being cut.
• International Airlines Group: from −0.5 to +7.0. Tuesday was split between an emergency descent on a British Airways Chicago flight and news of new A380 cabins and Heathrow lounges. Monday was dominated by British Airways unveiling its refurbished A380, including the world's largest business class cabin.

The most common themes, counted in company-days, were share buybacks (22), analyst ratings (13), half-year results (8) and interim dividends (7). Analyst price targets and dividend appeal each appeared 5 times. Raised outlook and profit growth each came up 4 times.

It was a week of routine corporate news on the surface. But the biggest swings came from two sources: strategy announcements and airline capacity decisions.