Sector movers: PZ Cussons, Burberry lift personal goods sector higher

11th Apr 2013 14:08

Decent gains by PZ Cussons and Burberry lifted the personal goods sector to the top of the pile on Thursday.PZ Cussons, the company famous for its Imperial Leather, Carex and Original Source brands, saw shares rise 2.4% to 396.2p in afternoon trade after saying that it still expects a return to profitable growth this year despite a "challenging" environment.The firm said that trading conditions have been tough in most markets with consumer disposable incomes remaining under pressure. Nevertheless, it said that its performance in the third quarter has been in line with management expectations and cash generation remains strong. Luxury fashion group Burberry meanwhile, has extended its recent strong performance over the last few days, rising a further 2.55% to 1,312.65p today ahead of a fourth-quarter trading update next week.Since the start of the week, the stock has gained over 5.0% as the outlook for the Chinese economy has improved. A dramatic slowdown in Chinese consumer-price inflation revealed on Monday lifted hopes that the People's Bank of China would refrain from any policy tightening soon. Meanwhile, data yesterday showed a strong rebound in imports in March, painting a better picture of domestic demand.China is an important growth market for Burberry, one that has continued to deliver double-digit comparable store sales growth over recent quarters. The firm classes Mainland China as one of its "under-penetrated" regions and has continued to invest heavily. It currently has 68 stores in 35 cities. Top performing sectors so far todayPersonal Goods 21,054.62 +2.30%Electronic & Electrical Equipment 4,115.02 +2.27%Industrial Engineering 9,487.13 +2.08%Financial Services 6,661.53 +2.02%General Retailers 2,167.33 +1.81%Bottom performing sectors so far todayIndustrial Metals & Mining 2,023.38 -7.82%Mining 17,624.94 -1.22%General Industrials 3,762.19 -0.58%Industrial Transportation 2,649.07 -0.51%Health Care Equipment & Services 4,208.46 -0.48%BC