Reckitt Benckiser: Dettol, Durex and Gaviscon drive growth but America lags April 23, 2025 Consumer goods giant Reckitt Benckiser has reported an uptick in profit driven by its core brands and emerging markets despite a slowdown in North America. Group revenue at the company rose by 1.1 per cent in the first quarter of the year. This growth was driven by emerging markets China and India, where like-for-like revenue [...]
FTSE 100 sees best winning streak in two years as trade war fears abate April 22, 2025 The FTSE 100 finished in the green on Tuesday for the seventh consecutive day, notching its best run of gains in two years as investor worries over protracted trade wars began to soften. London’s blue-chip index closed on a 0.64 per cent gain at 8328.60. Distribution firm Bunzl ended trading as one of the top [...]
Pound on best run since 1971 as FTSE 100 claws back gains April 22, 2025 The pound and the FTSE 100 continued their strong runs on Tuesday on the back of US instability. Sterling was on track for its 11th day of gains, which would be its longest streak since January 1971 – when the currency switched to the decimal system. It was up 0.6 per cent to $1.34 against [...]
Rentokil: Slow US growth continues to hold pest control giant back April 17, 2025 Pest control giant Rentokil has reported an uptick in revenue despite continued slow growth in North America. Organic revenue grew 3.3 per cent to $1.63bn (£1.23bn) in the three months to March 31, driven by growth in Europe and Asia. The Crawley-based company, which is listed in London and operates across 80 different countries, said revenue growth [...]
Halfords: Sales jump but retailer warns tariffs could hit supply chain April 15, 2025 Motoring and cycling specialist Halfords has reported an uptick in sales but warned US President Donald Trump’s tariffs could push up costs across its supply chain. The retailer and services provider told markets this morning that sales grew 2.3 per cent in the year to March 28. Its share price rose more than 13 per [...]
WPP: FTSE 100 giant offers free-lunch Friday to get staff into office April 13, 2025 The FTSE 100 advertising agency WPP has began offering free lunches to lure employees back into the office on Fridays. From April, WPP’s team of 108,000 people is expected to be in the office at least four days a week. The new rules require employees to work in the office at least two Fridays a [...]
Starmer says UK government must ‘rise to the moment’ on tariffs April 10, 2025 The UK government needs to “rise to the moment”, Sir Keir Starmer said, adding that he would not “pretend” US President Donald Trump’s tariffs are “good news”. Speaking this morning after Trump announced a 90-day pause in his sweeping global tariffs, while raising his tax rate on Chinese imports to 125 per cent, the Prime [...]
Barclays shares explode higher as FTSE 100 rebounds April 10, 2025 Shares in FTSE 100 giant Barclays rocketed in early trading after Trump rolled back his ‘Liberation Day’ levies. The bank’s stock shot up over 20 per cent as markets opened, before falling back to a 15 per cent gain. The firm topped the blue-chip index’s risers. The gains helped reverse the lender’s losses in the [...]
Tesco: Supermarket giant’s profit beats City expectations but ‘trolley wars’ hit outlook April 10, 2025 Supermarket giant Tesco has beaten profit expectations as it continues to speed ahead in the competitive UK grocery market, but it warned that high competition will affect profit next year. Tesco shares slumped more than seven per cent in early deals. The UK’s biggest supermarket told markets this morning that group adjusted operating profit rose [...]
FTSE 100 roars back after Trump pauses tariffs April 10, 2025 The FTSE 100 soared as markets opened this morning after President Donald Trump‘s tariff climb down on Wednesday. London’s blue-chip index gained over six per cent – an increase of nearly 500 points. The FTSE 250 climbed over four per cent. Of the risers, Barclays rocketed over 20 per cent and Melrose 16 per cent. [...]