The FTSE 100 closed 0.22% lower on Thursday as markets tumbled amid rising cases of the Omicron and Delta coronavirus variants. Stocks in the US and Europe have struggled to maintain their bullish trajectory as traders grapple with short-term economic restraints and likely accelerations in monetary tightening, said Joshua Mahony, senior market analyst of IG Group PLC. The UK government’s new restrictions are relatively light given Omicron’s transmission levels, born of growing confidence that the variant will be less lethal than the predecessors, Mr Mahony said. “So while the UK economy may see consumer activity somewhat subdued compared to a regular December, investors should take comfort in the belief that we may soon see the economy running at full speed again.” , said Mr. Mahony.

 
Companies News: 

Cloudcall Group Agrees to £ 39.9million Buyout; Equity leap

Shares of Cloudcall Group PLC rose 70% at the start of trading on Thursday after the company announced it had agreed to a £ 39.9million ($ 52.7million) takeover by Xplorer Capital Management LLC.

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Seraphine supports its forecasts for the 2022 financial year despite the transition to a loss before tax on 1H

Seraphine Group PLC said Thursday it supported its full-year guidance despite announcing a pre-tax loss for the first half of the year due to rising costs.

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Cordel group shares increase on contract extension, growth expected for the year

Cordel Group PLC shares rose on Thursday after the company said it was awarded a contract extension with a major U.S. rail company that has revenues of more than $ 250 million.

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Gresham House sees fiscal 2021 above market expectations

Gresham House PLC said Thursday it expects to exceed market expectations for fiscal 2021 as the group has seen continued strong growth in the fourth quarter.

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Active Energy shares dive into discounted £ 3million fundraiser

Shares of Active Energy Group PLC fell sharply on Thursday after the company offered to raise 3.0 million pounds ($ 4.0 million) through a heavily discounted share issue.

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B90 Holdings chairman Paul Duffen resigns

B90 Holdings PLC said Thursday that Chairman Paul Duffen is stepping down after three years to pursue other opportunities.

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Electra Private Equity is preparing to ask shareholders to approve the change of activity

Electra Private Equity PLC on Thursday announced its intention to ask shareholders to approve the cancellation of its shares from listing and its readmission under the name Unbound Group PLC.

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ConvaTec Group CFO to step down in March

ConvaTec Group PLC said Thursday that CFO Frank Schulkes has agreed to step down as a director of the company.

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Porvair Expects Revenue Increase in Fiscal Year 2021

Porvair PLC said on Thursday that fiscal 2021 revenue is expected to be 8% higher than the previous year.

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Wise PLC Appoints David Wells as New President

Wise PLC announced Thursday that chairman Taavet Hinrikus, who co-founded the company, will step down and senior independent director David Wells will assume the role effective immediately.

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CT Automotive Group will be listed in London at the end of December

CT Automotive Group PLC on Thursday announced its intention to be listed on the London Stock Exchange on December 23, raising an unconfirmed amount.

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LendInvest Achieves Half-Year Pre-Tax Profit on Purchase-Lease Portfolio Expansion

LendInvest PLC said on Thursday that it achieved a pre-tax profit in the first half of fiscal 2022 thanks to the growth of its portfolio of purchases and rentals.

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Directa Plus raises £ 7million through share placement and subscription

Directa Plus PLC on Thursday announced its intention to raise approximately 7.0 million pounds ($ 9.2 million) through a conditional placement and subscription, to fund further commercialization of its products and his growth.

 
Market Talk: 

Balfour Beatty’s trading update was reassuring

1256 GMT – Balfour Beatty shares rise 2.9% after the civil engineering group said it continued to expect underlying profit from 2021 operations in its profit-driven business matches that of 2019. The exchanges were in line with expectations and had completed the £ 150million 2021 buyout, the group said it expected the 2022 buyout to be at least 100million. pounds sterling, according to Numis Securities. “We take this as a reassuring indication that the private sector write-downs in the first half of London were sufficient and that cost inflation / supply disruption is being managed effectively at the group level, and continue to view it as a positive. good recovery, ”said Jonathan Coubrough, analyst at Numis. .

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FirstGroup’s exposure to remote work is “overestimated”

12:38 GMT – The UK government’s recommendation for office workers to work from home is unlikely to affect FirstGroup, as UK bus and train operators’ exposure to remote work is “overestimated,” Liberum said. Home-work trips represent 19% of trips and is only the fourth most important reason for travel in regional bus transport, education, leisure and shopping representing nearly 70% of trips, according to the bank British investment. Shares are down 4 pence, or 3.9%, to 97.7 pence.

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Go-Ahead stocks fall after lagging results

12:17 GMT – Go-Ahead Group shares fall 22% to 549 pence after the UK bus and train operator said it expects trading in its shares to be temporarily suspended from January 4, because the publication of its 2021 results was further delayed. Go-Ahead shares have fallen significantly since the UK government took over its rail contract in the southeast, according to RBC Capital Markets. “While we weren’t surprised by the massive sale, over 90% of Go-Ahead’s value is on the bus,” RBC said. “While clarity on the level of income and margins bus operators return to after the pandemic may take some time, longer-term drivers, such as the youth demographics and the national bus strategy appear favorable. . penny price target. ”

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Farfetch needs a boost as luxury brands turn away from platforms, Bernstein says

1201 GMT – “Farfetch needs a white rabbit out of the hat,” as luxury brands increasingly focus on direct-to-consumer sales, Bernstein says. It can be difficult to make money in an industry where the biggest brands sell direct to customers rather than through e-commerce platforms like Anglo-Portuguese Farfetch, Bernstein says. A possible investment in the Swiss Richemont group’s own e-commerce business, YNAP, would see Farfetch become even more of a market, a potential problem as consumers return to stores and boutiques reduce mega-brand inventory, Bernstein warns. Meanwhile, Farfetch’s M&A leverage could be hit if, like in Q3, financial results fall short of expectations and the stock price suffers, the brokerage adds, maintaining its performance rating in the stock market but reducing the target price from $ 42.50 to $ 40.50.

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Farfetch’s potential YNAP deal remains unclear, Bernstein says

11:55 a.m. GMT – For Farfetch, investing in its Yoox Net-a-Porter counterpart could have big benefits, but a deal remains uncertain, Bernstein says. The Anglo-Portuguese luxury e-commerce platform is in talks with the owner of YNAP, the Swiss group Richemont, which wants to cede overall control of the company. However, what a possible merger might look like is unclear, and Richemont may not be willing to give Farfetch too much backing on a deal, such as opening Farfetch dealerships for its brands. of Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels weight jewelry, says Bernstein. Nonetheless, a deal seems close at hand, although some of the hike appears to have already built into Farfetch and Richemont shares, according to the brokerage. Farfetch last closed in New York at $ 36.

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FirstGroup sale in North America masks better bus performance

11:35 GMT – FirstGroup drops 5.4% to 96 pence after the UK bus and train operator posted a widened pre-tax loss in the first half of the year. The group’s divestiture earlier this year of its North American business made results more complicated and, along with the start-up costs of new rail operations, masked an encouraging improvement in the company’s bus operations, according to Liberum Capital. . “While there are potential downside risks to short-term estimates if Covid restrictions continue to tighten, the most recent changes have no material impact on the most important reasons for traveling to bus – education, leisure, shopping, “Liberum analysts say. The brokerage keeps a buy recommendation on the stock and a target price based on the sum of the parts of 123 pence.

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Platform companies could leave some countries after EU workers’ bill

11:17 GMT – Rideshare and delivery companies may decide to leave some countries given the higher costs of hiring passengers, warns Bryan Garnier. The EU on Thursday released a legal proposal that could result in the reclassification of more than 4 million on-demand workers in the bloc, with an associated increase in costs of up to € 4.5 billion per year for platform companies . In Spain, a law came into force this summer ordering delivery platforms to employ their workers, leading the British company Deliveroo to withdraw from the country altogether. Given the need to break even if and when the new proposals are implemented, some players might similarly decide to exit certain markets, Bryan Garnier said in a note released ahead of the bill, adding that costs to consumers could also increase.

Contact: London NewsPlus, Dow Jones Newswires; Write to Sarka Halas at [email protected]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

December 09, 2021 12:15 p.m. ET (5:15 p.m. GMT)

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