In a trading update for the quarter ended 30 April, building materials group Marshalls (MLSH) said its domestic end market experienced a sharp 8% fall in like-for-like sales. Management blamed the reduction on reduced installer capacity in March and April due to tough comparatives in 2021 when the country was in lockdown. Although the firm said it expected things to normalize over the rest ...

Stock prices were higher and the dollar slightly lower at midday in London on Wednesday, as market participants await a US inflation reading that could influence the monetary policy tightening path being followed by the Federal Reserve. ‘European shares followed the Asian bullish trend overnight, pushing benchmarks higher alongside Treasuries, as risk aversion eased overnight. Today's bullish ...

- Content costs remain a concern for investors - Recession impact on ads revenues also a worry - Analyst still sees ‘strategic value’ in production arm A reassuringly strong first quarter performance for advertising revenue at free-to-air broadcaster ITV (ITV) has helped stem losses in the share price but investors remain cautious. The company reported total external revenue was up ...

- Stock down more than 80% since IPO - Users and volumes plunge with no sign of let-up - Q1 $1.98 loss per share versus $0.05 earnings forecast So much for Coinbase (COIN:NASDAQ) being the stable way to play bitcoin and cryptocurrencies. Since its IPO (initial public offering) 15 months ago, the stock flopped badly, losing more than 80% and sending many speculative investors running for ...

- Fierce competition smashes profits - Talk of ‘new strategy’ fails to convince investors - Seeking long-term solution on capital structure and funding First quarter sales and earnings slumped at Dignity (DTY) as the funeral services provider was hurt by a drop in the number of deaths as well as the need to combat increased competition through price cuts. Shares in the Sutton ...

Foodservice firm Compass (CPG) dished up an impressive set of first half results and unveiled a big share buyback as business returned to pre-pandemic levels. Shares jumped almost 10% to £17.32 on the news, with analysts likely to increase their full year forecasts. GROWTH INTACT Underlying revenues for the six months to March were up 37.9% to £11.6 billion thanks to strong growth in ...

Wednesday is inflation day in markets, with readings from three of the world's biggest economies being watched for clues about future monetary policy. After reports of surging prices in China and Germany, the US is next, publishing the consumer price index for April at 1330 BST. In the meantime, stock prices were firm, with Compass cheering investors with the announcement of a restored ...

European markets made modest gains on Tuesday, attempting to recover the steep losses the day prior when fears of an economic slowdown had spooked investors. Stoking global inflationary pressures are lockdowns in dozens of locations across China - from the manufacturing hubs of Shenzhen and Shanghai to the breadbasket province of Jilin - wreaking havoc on supply chains over recent ...

Europe and the UK were leading a rebound in stock prices on Tuesday after a bleak close on Wall Street and mostly negative Asian trading. ‘After yet another miserable session in the US yesterday, Europe and pockets of Asia managed to avoid the rout and push ahead on Tuesday. This is unexpected given market sentiment is weak and the VIX 'fear' index yesterday jumped to its second-highest ...

Commercial cell-engineering company MaxCyte (MXCT:AIM) increased full-year revenue guidance on Tuesday after reporting a strong first quarter to 31 March 2022. Based on expectations for the core business which generates revenue from instrument and disposables sales to cell therapy and drug discovery customers, management anticipates ‘at least’ 25% growth for the full year. The company ...