Market Pulse
FD Technologies agrees £230m sale of First Derivative business
FD Technologies announced an agreement to sell its First Derivative business to EPAM Systems on Monday, for £230m.
Consumer veteran Shapland to replace Boddy as Hollywood Bowl chair
Hollywood Bowl Group, the UK and Canada’s largest ten-pin bowling operator, announced on Monday that Peter Boddy would retire as chairman and step down as a director at the end of its annual general meeting on 30 January, after 10 years with the company.
3i Infrastructure gets binding offer for Valorem stake
3i Infrastructure said on Monday that it has received a binding offer for its circa 33% stake in Valorem, an independent European renewable energy developer and power producer, from funds managed by AIP Management P/S and from certain other co-investors.
Sirius Real Estate rent roll grows in first half
Germany and UK-focussed business park owner and operator Sirius Real Estate reported a 5. 5% like-for-like increase in rent roll for the six months ended 30 September on Monday.
Petra gets approval to sell Koffiefontein mine holding company
Petra Diamonds has secured unconditional consent under South Africa’s Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act for the sale of its entire issued share capital of Blue Diamond Mines to Koffiefontein Holdings, an affiliate of the Stargems Group, it announced on Monday.
Assura makes 'strong strategic progress'
Property business Assura said on Monday that it has made "strong strategic progress" to start the first half of the trading year, with its annualised rent roll growing as the group hiked its quarterly dividend.
London open: Stocks nudge lower amid Middle East woes; house prices tick up
London stocks nudged lower in early trade on Monday, with investors remaining cautious as the conflict in the Middle East escalated, although there was some good news on house prices.
Shell shares rise slightly on third-quarter outlook
Shell released its third-quarter 2024 outlook on Monday, reporting that in the integrated gas segment, it expected production to range between 920,000 and 960,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, with LNG liquefaction volumes between 7. 3 million and 7. 7 million tonnes.
Grainger reports solid end to financial year
Grainger, the UK’s largest listed provider of private rental homes, flagged a robust full-year performance in an update on Monday, supported by portfolio expansion and strong rental growth.
House prices rise again in September, near record highs - Halifax
UK house prices rose in September for the third month in a row and were close to record highs amid cheaper mortgage rates, according to figures released on Monday by Halifax.
London pre-open: Stocks seen up as investors mull Halifax house prices
London stocks were set to rise at the open on Monday following an upbeat session in Asia, as investors mulled the latest house price data from Halifax.
Monday newspaper round-up: Retailers, Telegraph, pension funds
More than 70 retailers, including Tesco, Marks & Spencer and Ikea, are lobbying the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, for a 20% cut to business rates, warning that the property tax could force tens of thousands of shops to shut. In a letter to Reeves coordinated by the British Retail Consortium (BRC), executives are pushing the Treasury to introduce a “retail rates corrector” on the levy, which is a property-based tax charged by local councils and imposed on businesses including retailers, pubs, factories and company offices.