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RWS shares plummet as full-year revenues miss forecasts
Shares in tech group RWS dropped by a fifth on Wednesday morning after the company cited "reduced activity" in a number of markets as it missed revenue expectations for the year to 30 September.
China approves £110bn sovereign bond issue
Beijing has backed a major sovereign bond issue as the authorities look to boost China’s faltering economy.
London open: Stocks edge lower; Lloyds drops after results
London stocks edged lower in early trade on Wednesday as investors mulled the latest stimulus measures announced by China and mixed reactions to results from Microsoft and Google owner Alphabet overnight.
Europe open: Shares lower despite China stimulus moves
European shares opened lower on Wednesday, despite upbeat trading in Asia overnight on news of China's new stimulus measures, as the latest Middle East conflict continued to weigh on sentiment.
James Nichols steps down after 18 years at Vimto maker
The great grandson of the founder of Nichols has left the company after 18 years, the Vimto maker announced on Wednesday.
Oxford Metrics revenue, profit to top market forecasts
Sensing technology company Oxford Metrics said in a trading update on Wednesday that it was set to report total revenues of £44m for the year, surpassing current market expectations.
Virgin Wines full-year revenue, earnings fall as expected
Direct-to-consumer wine retailer Virgin Wines UK reported annual results in line with expectations on Wednesday, as group revenue fell to £59m from £69. 2m year-on-year.
Lloyds Bank Q3 profits surge despite lower lending
Lloyds Bank reported a massive jump in third quarter profits as it continued to cash in on higher interest rates, despite a reduction in lending to customers amid tough macroeconomic conditions.
Bytes Technology profits jump as H1 billed income surpasses £1bn
Bytes Technology, the FTSE 250-listed software, security and cloud services group, hiked its interim dividend by 12. 5% after a strong first half, with revenues and profits rising by double-digits and billed income jumping by over a third.
Frasers Group lifts Boohoo stake to 16.5%
Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group lifted its stake in fast fashion retailer Boohoo again on Wednesday.
Halma makes two acquisitions worth up to £47m
Halma announced two strategic acquisitions with a combined maximum consideration of £46. 5m on Wednesday.
Ibstock holds guidance despite lower brick demand in Q3
Brick and building materials maker Ibstock maintained annual guidance despite lower volumes as higher prices and cost controls offset weaker demand in the housebuilding market.
Essentra sees FY profit at lower end of expectations
Essentra said on Wednesday that full-year adjusted operating profit was set to be "towards the lower end" of its expectations due to a "softer" trading environment.
GSK hails success in US RSV vaccine trial
Pharma giant GSK has announced positive preliminary results from a trial of its Arexvy vaccine to treatment respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) disease for a younger patient population in the US.
London pre-open: Stocks seen muted as investors mull Microsoft, Alphabet results
London stocks were set for a fairly muted open on Wednesday despite solid US and Asian sessions, following mixed reactions to results from Microsoft and Google owner Alphabet.
Serco appoints Andrew Head as Asia-Pacific CEO
Government contractor Serco said it had appointed Andrew Head as chief executive of its Asia Pacific operations, effective immediately.
Halma makes two acquisitions, Fresnillo says production on track
London open The FTSE 100 is expected to open seven points lower on Wednesday, having closed up 0. 2% on Tuesday at 7,389. 70.
Fresnillo output falls in Q3, but full-year guidance unchanged
Precious metals miner Fresnillo said it remains on track to hit full-year production targets despite both silver and gold output falling in the third quarter.
Wednesday newspaper round-up: AI laws, Microsoft, AstraZeneca
Scammers were responsible for nearly 1. 4m cases of fraud in the UK during the first half of 2023 – the equivalent of one every 12 seconds – with romance scams and ID theft among the fastest growing categories. Overall, criminals stole £580m in the first six months of the year, according to the banking trade association UK Finance, suggesting households are set to lose more than £1bn to fraudsters during 2023. – Guardian.