S4 Capital shares surge as profit guidance improves Business Digital advertising company S4 Capital shares jumped in early morning trading after reporting that activity during the final quarter was ahead of its revised guidance. Shares surged 40.6 per cent to 27.2 pence as the company defied the challenging backdrop for advertising groups, but reported a fall in revenue. The company anticipates full year net [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Gold surges past $5,000, S4 Capital shares rocket Markets Good morning from the City AM liveblog team. While brokers and stock exchange managers are hoping for an IPO comeback in 2026 after a four-year drought, some investors are less keen to see a flood of fresh companies hitting the market. Speaking at an Innovate Finance panel discussion chaired by City AM, James Codling, managing [...]
Big Tech cashes in on £1 trillion ad market boom The global ad market is booming, with spend forecast to reach $1.19 (£1.04) trillion in 2025, up 8.9 per cent from last year, according to WARC’s recent report. Growth is projected to accelerate to $1.30 trillion in 2026 and $1.40 trillion by 2027, a doubling in size since the pandemic. But while the market is [...]
Advertising giants’ share prices tumble as Big Tech swallows up ad spend November 24, 2025 The scale of the difficulties facing the advertising market was laid bare on Monday after two London-listed industry titans saw their share prices plummet after they slashed profit and sales expectations. M&C Saatchi’s share price tumbled a staggering 11.9 per cent to 111p, with shares down 36.9 per cent this year to date, while shares [...]
UK infrastructure funding set to break record highs September 8, 2025 UK infrastructure financing deals are on track to reach a record high this year as investors compete to secure assets while the government signs off on a number of major new projects. According to analysis from data provider Infralogic, roughly $38bn (£28.13bn) of debt was issued in the first eight months of this year on [...]
Private equity deals bounce back after sluggish start to the year September 5, 2025 UK private equity deals bounced back in the later stage of the first half of 2025, as investors became increasingly optimistic about growth opportunities. The total deal value for UK private equity deals dropped 5.3 per cent to £55.7bn, broadly mirroring the rest of Europe, according to new analysis from financial data platform PitchBook. However, [...]
Martin Sorrell’s S4 Capital confirms merger talks August 11, 2025 S4 Capital has confirmed it has received a proposal from MSQ Partners for a possible combination, following weekend media reports linking the London-listed digital advertising group to the US private equity-backed agency network. In a statement published on Monday, the company said the talks were “at a very preliminary stage” and stressed there was “no [...]
Wealth tax: City bosses warn Labour of entrepreneur exodus July 8, 2025 A wealth tax would spark a fresh exodus of entrepreneurs from the UK, according to City grandees as calls mount from within Labour to explore the policy. Sir Martin Sorrell, Sir Rocco Forte and Sir Philip Hampton warned in The Telegraph that business owners could flee Britain en masse. Hotelier Sir Rocco said: “Labour has [...]
Red Bull diluted: Energy drink giant reduces stake in Leeds United May 21, 2025 Red Bull’s stake in Leeds United has reduced to below 10 per cent after the German energy drinks company declined the opportunity to invest in the issue of £120m of new shares ahead of the club’s return to the Premier League. The new funding has been provided by members of the 100-strong consortium of investors [...]
Sir Martin Sorrell: Clients ‘cautious’ as S4 Capital’s income tumbles May 8, 2025 S4 Capital, Sir Martin Sorrell’s advertising giant, recorded a sharp drop in revenue in its first-quarter trading update as geopolitical tensions weighed. The firm posted a 11.4 per cent slump in net revenue to £148.3m, which it said reflected the “continuing technology client caution” and headwinds from one “key client”. Takings from marketing services reduced [...]