Key events
TikTok to strengthen age-verification technology across EU
Mark Sweney
TikTok will begin the rollout of new age-verification technology across the EU in the coming weeks, as calls for an Australia-style social media ban for under-16s grow in countries including the UK.
ByteDance-owned TikTok, and other major platforms popular with young people such as YouTube, are coming under increasing pressure to better identify and remove accounts belonging to children.
The system, which has been quietly piloted in the EU over the past year, analyses profile information, posted videos and behavioural signals to predict whether an account may be belong to a user under the age of 13.
TikTok said accounts flagged by the system will then be reviewed by specialist moderators rather than face an automatic ban, and may then be removed. The UK pilot led to the removal of thousands of accounts.
There aren’t many dramatic movers on the FTSE 100 this morning, but over on the mid-cap FTSE 250 index, shares in the biotech business Genus have shot up by as much as 10% this morning.
The animal genetics company beat expectations for its half-year trading update, forecasting about £50m in actual currency for its adjusted pre-tax profit.
The £1.8bn company, which is headquartered in Basingstoke, helps farmers breed animals with certain traits such as disease resistance and faster growth.
Analysts at the broker Peel Hunt credited its earnings beat to strong performance in its pig breeding business.
Copper prices sink after reports of Chinese clampdown on trading
Copper prices are falling by about 2% this morning after reports Chinese regulators have ordered exchanges to remove servers operated by high frequency traders from their data centres.
The Shanghai Futures Exchange, a major metals trading platform, has told brokers they need to get equipment for high-speed clients out by the end of the month, according to a report by Bloomberg. Other clients will need to do so by the end of April, it reported.
The news has taken the wind out of some of the metals rally this week, which has seen both precious metals such as gold and silver, as well as industrial metals such as tin and copper, all rise.
It is weighing on the FTSE 100 too, with London’s listed miners among the worst performers in the City this morning. Shares in Endeavour Mining, Antofagasta, Fresnillo, Rio Tinto and Anglo American are all down by more than 1%.
Introduction: UK’s housing stock hits highest level in 8 years, Zoopla says
Good morning and welcome to our rolling coverage of business, the financial markets and the world economy.
The stock of homes for sale in the UK has hit its highest level in more than eight years, the property portal Zoopla has found.
The average estate agent started the year with 32 homes for sale, the highest level in early January in Zoopla’s research, which dates back to 2018.
The greatest growth in housing for sale is in London, up 16% compared with last year, followed by the south east, up 9%.
Not all the properties however are “brand new” to the market, Zoopla added – 33% were previously listed in 2025, with sellers coming back to the market after some of the uncertainty around the budget starting to fade.
But the growth is evidence that appetite in the property market is starting to improve, Richard Donnell, a director at Zoopla, said.
Growing numbers of homes for sale is evidence of a strong underlying appetite to move home for many households.
Across much of southern England, there is a much greater choice of homes for sale. Buyers are price-sensitive and have more choice, so achieving the best result depends on setting a competitive asking price and attracting early interest. Homes priced too high often take longer to sell and at the risk of achieving a lower price. It is important that homeowners price carefully and seek the advice of agents to plan the right strategy for their home sale.
Across the rest of the country there is a degree of scarcity, but sellers need to remain realistic over pricing. The market is stable rather than booming. Buyers are active but careful, which means pricing correctly from the outset is crucial. Homes that are well-presented and realistically priced continue to sell, while those priced optimistically will take longer and may need price reductions to attract interest.”
Elsewhere this morning, the FTSE 100 has slipped 0.15% as the commodities market starts to pull back. Copper, nickel and tin prices are down this morning, as well as gold, although it is still trading above $4,600 per ounce.
Oil prices are however rising slightly as investors continue to consider risks around supply, even after the US said it would hold off on any attacks on Iran. Brent crude rose by 0.2%, to $63.92 per barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate rose 0.2% to $59.37 per barrel.
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