Hays: Recruiter warns on profit amid slowdown in permanent hires January 15, 2025 Recruiter Hays reported another fall in quarterly fees on Wednesday amid an ongoing slowdown in the headhunting market. Group net fees, which are considered an indicator of performance in the industry, dropped 12 per cent in the three months ending 31 December. The downturn was driven by a significant drop-off in permanent hires, down 19 [...]
Chemring: British defence giant wins major US contract for missile radars January 14, 2025 Chemring shares rose this morning after it unveiled a fresh deal with a US-based company for the supply of miniature radars. The four-year contract is valued at £26m, with production commencing at the FTSE 250 firm’s Hampshire headquarters in October. Shares rose around three per cent by mid-morning. Chemring will supply Miniature Radar Altimeters (MRA) [...]
FTSE 250 closes down four per cent in worst week since 2023 January 10, 2025 The FTSE 250 fell almost four per cent this week, experiencing its worst week since August 2023 as fears mount over the stability of the UK economy. With pound sterling sinking and UK gilt yields rising to decade-long highs, investors have begun to panic that the UK economy and government are coming under pressure. “The [...]
Reeves ‘will be forced to hold Spring Budget’ to settle gilt jitters, Abrdn predicts January 9, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves will be forced to hold a spring Budget this year to rein in government spending and settle investors’ nerves, after the cost of government borrowing hit multi-decade highs this week, Abrdn has predicted. Despite ministers insisting the gilt market was functioning in an “orderly” way and no emergency measures would be taken, [...]
Johnson Matthey wades into US activist campaign row January 8, 2025 Johnson Matthey has entered the public spat brewing over an activist campaign from its largest investor, attempting to reassure markets it has been taking concerns over its share price seriously. In a withering letter yesterday, US industrials investor Standard Investments slammed the chemicals group’s board for a “continued lack of urgency and incapacity” over its [...]
Johnson Matthey: US investor ramps up activist campaign January 7, 2025 Johnson Matthey’s largest shareholder has piled pressure on the FTSE 250 chemicals group, calling its response to a demanded strategic review “wholly insufficient”. In an open letter to Johnson Matthey chair Patrick Thomas, today, US industrials investor Standard Investments slammed the group’s “destruction of shareholder value” as part of its activist campaign. Last month, Standard [...]
Wizz Air passengers surge despite engine dispute January 3, 2025 Wizz Air passengers jumped above five million in December 2024, a two per cent increase from last year, even as the company was forced to ground dozens of its planes due to engine issues. The FTSE 250 carrier reported 5.06m customers throughout last month, despite a 3.1 per cent drop in seats from last December [...]
FTSE 100 climbs into the green on the back of weaker pound January 2, 2025 The shaky start comes amid widespread uncertainty about the path for the global economy in the new year.
FTSE 100 records best performance since 2021 December 31, 2024 The FTSE 100 returned just 5.8 per cent in 2024, despite a last-minute selloff in the final weeks of December. Despite hopes of a ‘Santa rally’ in December, the FTSE fell 1.7 per cent in the month. However, this will be its best year since 2021. That year, the blue-chip index returned 14.3 per cent, [...]
Why Raspberry Pi had a FTSE Christmas boost December 27, 2024 Raspberry Pi has held up the FTSE 250 on the first trading day after Christmas, with its stock price surging as much as 18 per cent today, pushing it to become a £1bn company. The Cambridge-based tech firm’s share price had been languishing just below £4 since the firm floated on the London Stock Exchange [...]