News And Announcements
Barrick begins talks with Tanzania over Acacia Mining
Acacia Mining's Canadian parent company Barrick Gold Corporation has confirmed that it has begun talks with the Tanzanian government over its five-month-long dispute.
Bonmarche sales underpinned by solid online performance
Women's value clothing retailer Bonmarche reported a jump in sales for the 13 weeks to 1 July as a solid online performance lent a hand.
Surgical Innovations acquiring Elemental Healthcare in £9.4m deal
Medical technology designer and manufacturer Surgical Innovations Group is planning to acquire specialist medical products distributor Elemental Healthcare, it announced on Thursday, in a deal worth £7. 5m in cash and £1. 875m in consideration shares.
Ruling against Ofcom welcomed by CityFibre
CityFibre said it was “pleased” with a ruling from the Competition Appeal Tribunal this week, which found unanimously against Ofcom’s market definition rules in the regulator’s 2016 Business Connectivity Market Review (BCMR).
Gama Aviation adds Gulfstream G550 to Hong Kong venture
Gama Aviation’s Hong Kong-based joint venture with CK Hutchison, Gama Aviation Hutchison Hong Kong, has added a Gulfstream G550 business jet to its fleet, it announced on Thursday.
Improved upstream performance, asset disposals boost profits at Shell
A better performance at its upstream division, together with continued asset disposals, buoyed Royal Dutch Shell's bottom line during the second quarter of 2017.
Diageo FY operating profits up on forex, organic growth
Drinks company Diageo served up a strong shot of revenue and earnings growth for the year to 30 June, beating expectations as it was boosted by favourable exchange rates and accelerated organic growth.
CMC Markets hits seven month high thanks to 'premium' focus
CMC Markets reported higher revenues for the first quarter of its financial year as a 1% drop in active spread-betting and CFD client numbers was offset by a 9% increase in revenue per client.
Glencore first half copper production falls 9%
Mining conglomerate Glencore said first half own-sourced copper production fell 9% to 642,900 tonnes.
Artificial intelligence 'Albert' to tackle marketing challenges down under
Albert Technologies has entered a strategic partnership with an unnamed “leading business services group”, it announced on Thursday, in a bid to make its artificial intelligence-based marketing platform ‘Albert’ available in the Australia and New Zealand markets.
Intu Properties net rental income fall but seen levelling off
Intu Properties, the shopping centre owner, maintained its first-half dividend as it reported a flat net asset value and a fall in net rental income.
Countryside Properties house completions and selling prices surge
Housebuilder and urban regeneration specialist Countryside Properties reported strong growth in its third quarter of its financial year, though its shares were caught up in renewed angst about the housing sector.
Retailers enjoy sales boost from weather in July - CBI
Further survey data emerged to support reports that UK retailers are enjoying the summer, the CBI's Distributive Trades Survey said on Thursday.
Anglo American resumes dividend payments early as net debt falls
Anglo American said on Thursday that it was resuming its dividend payments early after it managed to reduce its debt to well below its year-end target, as it reported a 68% jump in earnings.
Just Eat lifts FY revenue guidance after strong first half
Just Eat bumped up its revenue guidance for this year on Thursday as it posted a 44% jump in revenue for the first half.
Weir Group misses second quarter profit forecasts, confident on full-year
Weir Group saw a sharp improvement in top-line growth driven by its Oil & Gas division - together with a favourable tailwind from foreign exchange rates - with management sounding a confident note on the full-year outlook.
Ladbrokes upgrades Coral deal synergies, posts small rise in H1 revenue
FTSE 250 bookmaker Ladbrokes said on Thursday that group revenue nudged higher in the first half as it announced that synergies from the Coral Group deal would be bigger than initially estimated.
Lloyds hikes dividend and margin guidance but PPI marrs first half
In the first set of results since returning to full private ownership, Lloyds Banking Group reported underlying first-half profits ahead of forecasts, hiked the dividend and upped its net interest margin guidance for the full year.
Greencoat breaks wind generation budget in first half
Renewable infrastructure fund Greencoat UK Wind reported total generation of 626. 6GWh from its investments in the first half of the year on Thursday, which it claimed was 2% above budget.
Monitise revenue drops amid absence of FINkit contracts
Monitise reported a drop in revenue for the year to the end of June as it said current trading remains challenging.