Fidelity Top Stories
Electrocomponents unveils £150m in acquisitions, £180m placing
Industrial and electronics products group Electrocomponents on Thursday unveiled two acquisitions worth £150m and a £180m share placing.
Inchcape lifts guidance, considers reinstating dividends
Automotive retailer Inchcape said full-year profits would be “materially ahead” of expectations and was considering reinstating its dividend after a better-than-expected performance in November.
Balfour Beatty reinstates dividends, to start £50m share buyback in Jan
International infrastructure group Balfour Beatty said it planned to resume paying dividends and would start a £50m share buyback from January as it guided for a “significantly higher” year-end order book driven by the UK’s HS2 rail project.
Vistry to reinstate 'modest' final dividend
UK house builder Vistry said it would consider reinstating a “modest” final dividend, citing strong cash performance.
G4S rejects GardaWorld offer after accepting rival Allied Universal bid
Security firm G4S on Wednesday rejected an increased offer from Canada’s GardaWorld, just hours after accepting a rival higher bid from US firm Allied Universal.
Ferguson Q1 profits, revenue up on cautious outlook for 2021
Plumbing and heating products supplier Ferguson reported a rise in first quarter core earnings and revenue driven by a strong performance in the US and Canada as home improvements increased with the lifting of Covid-19 curbs.
Frasers confirms talks on potential Debenhams rescue bid
Mike Ashley's Frasers Group confirmed it was in talks with administrators of retail chain Debenhams on a potential rescue, but warned “time is short” to do a deal.
US preparing fresh sanctions on Chinese officials - report
Washington is looking to impose further sanctions on a number of Chinese officials over the political crackdown in Hong Kong, it was reported on Monday.
Chinese exports surge amid global PPE boom
Chinese exports have surged following strong global demand for pandemic-related products, official customs data showed on Monday.
Kingfisher halves cost savings as it pays back £130m in Covid rates relief
B&Q owner Kingfisher became the latest firm to repay Covid-19 business rates relief and added that projected full-year cost savings would more than halve as a result.
SSE lifts earnings forecast after £202m windfarm stake sale
SSE said it had sold a 10% stake in the first two phases of Dogger Bank Wind Farm to Eni for £202. 5m as it lifted guidance for the 2020/21 fiscal year.
Pets at Home to take £35m hit after rate relief repayment
Pets at Home said it would take a full £35m hit from Covid-19 after deciding to repay £28. 9m in government business rates relief received during the pandemic.
ISM services gauge dips slightly in November
Activity in America's services sector slowed slightly in November as businesses try to cope with the recent surge in Covid-19 infections, the results of a closely-followed survey revealed.
Initial US jobless claims drop sharply, but some economists cautious
US jobless claims for the previous week surprised sharply to the downside, although at least one top-ranked economist was expecting the improvement to be short-lived.
IBM raises alarm over hackers targeting Covid-19 vaccine distributors
IBM warned on Thursday of hackers targeting companies critical to the distribution of Covid-19 vaccines that ensure the ‘cold chain’ is maintained.
Asda joins growing list of grocers to repay rates relief cash
Asda is to repay the £340m it received in business rates relief, the latest supermarket chain to do so, the retailer confirmed on Thursday.
Norwegian Air unveils emergency plan in survival bid
Struggling carrier Norwegian Air on Thursday unveiled an emergency plan to ride out the Covid-19 pandemic as it proposed a fleet reduction, debt-to-equity swap and rights issue.
Sainsbury's to repay more than £400m in business rates relief
Sainsbury's on Thursday became the latest supermarket to bow to pressure and repay more than £400m in business rates relief received from the government to help cope with the coronavirus pandemic.
Paragon slashes dividend as profits fall on Covid impact
Lender Paragon Bank paid a reduced dividend as it set aside £48m for bad debts due to the Covid-19 pandemic and reported lower in annual profits.
Bonmarche collapses for second time as Covid batters retailers
Fashion retailer Bonmarche fell into administration on Wednesday, threatening 1,500 jobs and becoming the third High Street casualty in as many days as the Covid-19 pandemic continued to batter the economy.