Hilton Food Group, up 1.8%, announced that Robert Watson has stepped down from the board and been replaced as Chair by Mark Allen OBE with immediate effect.
Bango, up 2.2%, announced that Luisa Muneratti has been promoted to Chief Commercial Officer and will expand her oversight to other regions where the company operates.
Sareum Holdings, down 11.1%, announced an update on the status of SRA737. It has been notified by CPF that it received notice of termination of the SRA737 licence from the US-based licensee on 26 December 2024. The notice period runs for 90 days and Sareum will meet the team from CPF to discuss what steps, if any, are appropriate to seek an alternative licensee once the asset has returned to CPF on 27 March 2025.
LPA Group, down 1.5%, announced that further to its announcement of 22 October 2024, Philo Daniel-Tran has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer with immediate effect.
UK markets ended mostly higher last week, boosted by gains in energy sector stocks. On the data front, On the data front, the UK Nationwide housing prices rose more than expected in December. Meanwhile, the UK manufacturing sector dropped at its fastest rate in 11 months in December, amid higher taxes and weak foreign demand, while the nation’s mortgage approvals unexpectedly fell to a three-month low in November. The FTSE 100 index advanced 0.9% to settle at 8,224.0, while the FTSE AIM 100 index rose 1.3% to close at 3,490.5. Meanwhile, the FTSE techMARK 100 index lost 0.3% to end at 6,382.5.
US markets ended lower in the previous week. On the macro front, the US Chicago Purchasing Managers' Index unexpectedly dropped in December. Meanwhile, the US ISM manufacturing PMI rose to a nine-month high in December, while the nation’s pending home sales climbed to a 21-month high in November. Additionally, the US weekly jobless claims fell in the week ended on 27 December 2024. The DJIA index fell 0.6% to end at 42,732.1, while the NASDAQ index lost 0.5% to close at 19,621.7.
