National Grid, Intertek and Kingfisher drag on FTSE in busy ex-dividend day

A busy ex-dividend day is set to weigh on the FTSE 100, with National Grid the largest single drag — expected to shave about 6.75 index points after going ex-dividend for a 32.14p payout. Other FTSE 100 names to cut into the index include Severn Trent (~0.96 points), Informa (~0.80), Intertek (~0.69) and Kingfisher (~0.61). In total, ex-dividend adjustments are forecast to remove roughly 10.8 points from the blue‑chip index in early trading. A sizeable batch of FTSE 250 stocks are also trading ex-dividend, adding further downward pressure on the market’s open.