DS Smith, down 4.4%, in its AGM trading statement, announced that the market and business trends described in the outlook statement contained in its financial results for the year 30 April 2024 have continued, with overall trading for the current financial year in line with its management expectations.
Darktrace, down 0.4%, announced that Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Poppy Gustafsson would step down with immediate effect.
Johnson Matthey, down 4.3%, today, announced that it has appointed Sinead Lynch as an independent Non-Executive Director, with effect from 1 January 2025. Hilton Food Group, down 8.6%, in its interim results, announced that revenues fell to £1.94b from £2.12b recorded in the same period of the previous year.
Kier Group, down 5.1%, announced that it has started the construction of a new house block in collaboration with the UK’s Ministry of Justice (MoJ) at a Category B men’s prison, His Majesty’s Prison (HMP) Bullingdon, near Bicester, Oxfordshire.
Sareum Holdings, up 5.4%, announced that it has received a notice of allowance from the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for a patent on SDC-1801, a dual TYK2/JAK1 kinase inhibitor.
Checkit, unchanged at 23.5p, announced that it would release its interim results for the six months ended 31 July 2024 on 12 September 2024. Nexteq, unchanged at 99.0p, announced that it expects to release its interim results for the six months ended 30 June 2024 on 10 September 2024.
GetBusy, down 15.1%, in its interim results, announced that revenue rose to £10.74m from £10.52m recorded in the same period of the previous year.
Tristel, down 9.4%, announced the appointment of Matt Sassone as the CEO of the company.
Bango, down 3.3%, announced that it has signed a contract with Disney to expand the reach of Disney+ subscriptions service through select consumer offers via its product the Digital Vending Machine (DVM).
Feedback, down 0.9%, announced that it has received further funding to extend the delivery of its Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) pathway pilot at the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust (NCA) site in Oldham.
UK markets ended lower last week, led by losses in personal goods and automobile sector stocks. On the data front, the UK construction PMI dropped more than expected in August. Meanwhile, the UK manufacturing PMI rose as expected in August, while the nation’s services PMI climbed at its fastest pace in 4 months in August. Moreover, the UK Halifax house prices advanced more than expected in August, amid a drop in the borrowing costs, while the nation’s BRC like-for-like retail sales rose in August. The FTSE 100 index declined 2.3% to settle at 8,181.5, while the FTSE AIM 100 index fell 4.4% to close at 3,558.6. Additionally, the FTSE techMARK 100 index lost 4.2% to end at 6,688.6.
US markets ended lower in the previous week, as disappointing US jobs reports raised concerns over economic growth. On the macro front, the US ISM manufacturing PMI advanced less than expected in August. Moreover, the US JOLTS job openings unexpectedly declined in July, while the nation’s ADP employment rose at its slowest since January 2021 in August. Also, the US nonfarm payrolls rose less than expected in August. Meanwhile, the US ISM services PMI unexpectedly rose in August, while the nation’s factory orders rebounded more than anticipated in July, amid the rise in defense aircraft and parts orders. Additionally, the US unemployment rate fell as expected in August, while the nation’s weekly jobless claims fell more than expected in the week ended 30 August 2024. Separately, the US Beige Book indicated that the economic activity grew slightly in three districts, while the number of districts that reported flat or declining activity rose from five in the prior period to nine in the current period. The DJIA index fell 2.9% to end at 40,345.4, while the NASDAQ index lost 5.8% to close at 16,690.8.
