Hilton Food Group, up 0.2%, in its preliminary results, announced that revenues fell to £3,988.3m from £3.989.5m recorded in the previous year. Profit before tax widened to £41.6m from £38.0m.
Kier Group, up 6.3%, announced that it has commenced construction on the Haverfordwest Public Transport Interchange (HPTI) in partnership with Pembrokeshire County Council.
Aferian, up 22.2%, in its annual results, announced that revenues dropped to $19.15m from $26.56m recorded in the previous year. The board is not proposing a final dividend for this financial year (2023: nil).
Bango, up 17.2%, announced that it is providing the technology behind Telenet's next-generation entertainment marketplace.
Tristel, up 14.5%, announced that it has submitted the additional information requested by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Tristel OPH, a high-level disinfectant foam for use on ophthalmic medical devices, including reusable tonometers, pachymeters and lenses that contact the cornea.
Checkit, up 3.8%, announced the implementation of a comprehensive strategic plan to enhance operational efficiency and accelerate profitability.
CyanConnode, up 2.0%, today, announced that its Indian subsidiary, DigiSmart Networks Pvt. Ltd. (DigiSmart), has been issued a letter of intent (LOI) for a total contract worth approximately £70m from the Government of Goa's Electricity Department to deploy approximately 750,000 smart metres.
Cambridge Cognition, up 1.5%, announced that it has been chosen by a major pharmaceutical company to offer digital cognitive assessments for a large Phase 3 autoimmune disease clinical trial.
Quartix Technologies, up 1.3%, in its trading statement, announced that it has progressed well at the start of the year, with new subscriptions, customer acquisition and growth in ARR showing very strong progress.
Oracle Power, unchanged at 0.02p, announced the assay results from the final four angled reverse circulation (RC) drill holes of an 11 hole, 1,289 metre programme recently completed at the Northern Zone Intrusive Hosted Gold Project located 25 km east of Kalgoorlie in Western Australia. A further 1,303 samples from a 1,805m vertical drill programme have been submitted to the assay laboratory, with results expected over the coming weeks.
UK markets ended mostly lower last week, amid worries over rising US-China trade tensions. On the data front, the UK Halifax house prices unexpectedly fell in March, while the nation’s RICS housing price balance index rose less than anticipated in March. Meanwhile, the UK gross domestic product grew more than expected in February. Additionally, the UK manufacturing production climbed more than expected in February, while the nation’s industrial production advanced in February. The FTSE 100 index declined 1.1% to settle at 7,964.2, while the FTSE techMARK 100 index lost 2.4% to end at 5,888.9. Meanwhile, the FTSE AIM 100 index rose 1.1% to close at 3,112.4.
US markets ended higher in the previous week, after US President Donald Trump paused tariffs for several countries for 90 days. On the macro front, the US consumer price inflation rose less than expected in March, while the nation’s producer price index advanced less than expected in March. Also, the US Michigan consumer sentiment index dropped more than anticipated in April, while the nation’s weekly jobless claims advanced as expected in the week ended 04 April 2025. Separately, the US FOMC minutes indicated that the US economy faces the risk of concurrently higher inflation and slower growth. However, some policymakers cautioned that the central bank may encounter "difficult tradeoffs" in the period ahead. The DJIA index rose 5.0% to end at 40,212.7, while the NASDAQ index gained 7.3% to close at 16,724.5.
