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Property Franchise Group performs 'very well' in 2020
British property franchisor Property Franchise Group said on Wednesday that the group as a whole had "performed very well" in 2020 despite it being "a volatile year" for the estate and lettings agency industry.
Softcat hikes interim dividend, lifts full-year expectations
IT infrastructure company Softcat reported “strong” income growth in its first half on Wednesday, as it upped its interim dividend by 18. 5% to 6. 5p per share.
London open: Stocks fall amid third wave worries; inflation data in focus
London stocks fell in early trade on Wednesday amid ongoing concerns about a third wave of coronavirus, as investors digested the latest UK inflation data.
HG Capital manager agrees to sell investment in Trace One
Private equity company HG Capital said on Wednesday that its manager had agreed to sell its investment in Trace One, a retail business platform for consumer-packaged goods, to Symphony Technology Group, a Californian private equity firm focused on the software, data analytics, and software-enabled technology services sectors.
Carrefour to buy Brazilian food retailer in €1.1bn deal
French supermarket chain Carrefour has agreed to buy Brazilian food retailer Grupo BIG from Advent International and Walmart in a €1. 1bn deal.
UK inflation unexpectedly falls in February
UK inflation unexpectedly fell in February as the price of clothes and second-hand cars declined, according to figures released on Wednesday by the Office for National Statistics.
London pre-open: Stocks seen lower as inflation unexpectedly falls
London stocks were set to fall at the open on Wednesday as investors mull the latest UK inflation data, amid ongoing worries about a third wave of Covid-19.
Diploma beats expectations in first half
Diploma said first-half performance beat expectations as underlying revenue matched the pre-Covid-19 period a year earlier.
Bellway reinstates its dividend, Halma to beat profit expectations
London open The FTSE 100 is expected to open 37 points lower on Wednesday, having closed down 0. 4% on Tuesday at 6,699. 19.
Wednesday newspaper round-up: Robinhood, online sales tax, fossil fuel companies
The world’s biggest 60 banks have provided $3. 8tn of financing for fossil fuel companies since the Paris climate deal in 2015, according to a report by a coalition of NGOs. Despite the Covid-19 pandemic cutting energy use, overall funding remains on an upward trend and the finance provided in 2020 was higher than in 2016 or 2017, a fact the report’s authors and others described as “shocking”. - Guardian .
Halma annual profit to beat expectations
Halma said annual profit would beat expectations after revenue continued to improve and rose in all its major regions.