BOE Unlikely to Deliver Emergency Rate Rise as Pound Plunges, Says ING
0844 GMT - Sterling's slide has led to some calls for the Bank of England to deliver an emergency interest rate rise but ING says that looks unlikely. "We think that the BOE is too psychologically scarred from the events of 1992 to try defensive FX-related rate hikes--e.g. what happens if the BOE hikes 300-500 basis points and GBP/USD ends up trading lower," ING analyst Chris Turner says in a note. Given that fiscal concerns are the core factor undermining sterling, a suspension to the BOE's plans to sell U.K. government bonds, or gilts, in October would be welcomed by gilts and sterling, he says. Foreign exchange intervention is another option but the U.K. doesn't have enough currency reserves, he says. (renae.dyer@wsj.com)
Companies News:
Unilever CEO Alan Jope to Retire at End of 2023
Unilever PLC said Monday that Chief Executive Officer Alan Jope has decided to retire from the company at the end of 2023 after five years in the role.
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Anglo American Begins Copper Operations at Peru Site; Revises Production Guidance
Anglo American PLC said Monday that it has started commercial copper operations at its Quellaveco project in Peru, and narrowed 2022 guidance for copper from Chile.
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GSK PLC Names Julie Brown as New CFO; Iain Mackay to Retire in May
GSK PLC said Monday that it has appointed Julie Brown as its new chief financial officer, replacing Iain Mackay, from May 2023.
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Pendragon Gets 29 Pence/Share Takeover Offer From Hedin Mobility
Pendragon PLC said Monday that it has received a 29-pence-a-share takeover offer from Hedin Mobility Group AB.
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Babcock International Five-Month Performance in Line With Views
Babcock International Group PLC said Monday that its performance for the first five months of fiscal 2023 was within the board's expectations, and that the market backdrop remains dynamic.
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Sainsbury's Talks with LXI REIT Over Sale of 18 Stores Collapse
J Sainsbury PLC said Monday that it is no longer in discussions with LXI REIT PLC over the sale and leaseback of a portfolio of 18 supermarket stores, due to LXI's market volatility concerns.
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Next Fifteen Swung to 1H Pretax Loss as Costs Increased
Next Fifteen Communications Group PLC said Monday that it swung to a first-half pretax loss as costs increased.
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Christie Group 1H Pretax Profit Rose on Strong Demand; Increases Dividend
Christie Group PLC said Monday that its first-half pretax profit and revenue rose amid strong demand, and raised its dividend.
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RPS Agrees to New $690.1 Mln Takeover by Tetra Tech; Withdraws WSP Recommendation
RPS Group PLC said Monday that it has agreed to a 636 million-pound ($690.1 million) offer from Tetra Tech Inc. and has withdrawn its recommendation for the previously agreed WSP Global Inc. takeover.
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Likewise 1H Pretax Profit Fell as Costs Increased
Likewise Group PLC said Monday that pretax profit for the first half fell as costs increased.
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Emmerson to Place $6.0 Mln in Shares, Extends Investment for Khemisset Potash Project
Emmerson PLC said Monday that it has agreed with Global Sustainable Minerals Pte and Gold Quay Capital Pte to extend its loan notes commitment period and that it will place shares for further funding of its Khemisset potash project development.
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Finsbury Food FY 2022 Pretax Profit Fell on Higher Costs; Revenue Up on Pandemic Recovery
Finsbury Food Group PLC said Monday that fiscal 2022 pretax profit fell after booking higher costs, and that although there wasn't any certainty yet regarding the real effect of the inflationary environment the company remained confident in its strategy.
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MusicMagpie Shares Plunge on Lowered 2022 Profit Views Amid Worsening Economic Outlook
Shares in MusicMagpie PLC plunged 40% on Monday after it said in a performance update that it now expects profit for the year to be below expectations due to the worsening economic outlook and increasing cost-of-living pressures in the U.K.
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Vast Resources to Raise GBP656,000 in Discounted Placing, Shares Fall
Shares in Vast Resources PLC fell Monday after it said that it will raise 656,000 pounds ($711,760) via a discounted share placing, and that it will use the funds to support company operations over the next weeks after an exporting delay.
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Tavistock Investments FY 2022 Pretax Profit Rose Significantly; Shares Jump
Shares in Tavistock Investments PLC rose Monday after the company said that its fiscal 2022 pretax profit increased significantly on the disposal of its wealth division.
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CPPGroup Swung to 1H Profit; Suspends Dividends Amid Strategy Review
CPPGroup PLC said Monday that it swung to a pretax profit for the first half after booking strength in its Indian and Turkish operations, and that it is suspending dividend payments pending the completion of a strategy review.
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Frenkel Topping 1H Pretax Profit Fell On Higher Costs, Assets Under Management Rose
Frenkel Topping Group PLC said Monday that pretax profit for the first half of 2022 fell slightly, but in line with the board expectations, as the company booked higher finance costs, while assets under management remained resilient despite the challenging backdrop.
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Gemfields 1H Net Profit More Than Doubled as Normal Auction Schedule Resumed
Gemfields Group Ltd. said Monday that it expects to report a net profit of $56.7 million for the first half compared with $23.8 million a year earlier as it returned to its normal auction schedule.
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SpaceandPeople 1H Pretax Loss Widened on Higher Costs
SpaceandPeople PLC said Monday that its first-half pretax loss widened after booking higher costs, and that it anticipates that higher energy costs and inflation will have an effect on discretionary spending in the run up to Christmas.
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Eckoh's Five-Month Performance in Line With Views
Eckoh PLC said Monday that its performance in the first five months of fiscal 2023 was in line with market expectations.
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Concurrent Technologies Shares Drop After 1H Profit Fall, Dividend Suspension
Shares in Concurrent Technologies PLC fell 22% on Monday after the company said that pretax profit and revenue fell in the first half of 2022, and that it was suspending the interim dividend amid component supply issues.
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Xpediator Shares Fall on Lower 1H Pretax Profit Despite Higher Revenue
Xpediator PLC shares fell Monday after it said first-half pretax profit fell despite an increase in revenue, and didn't declare a dividend.
Market Talk:
Pound's Slide Signals Loss of Confidence in UK Policy
0849 GMT - Monday's steep slide in the pound and sharp rise in U.K. gilt yields following Friday's expensive tax cuts, on top of measures to cap energy prices, signal that investors are losing confidence in domestic economic policy, MUFG currency analyst Lee Hardman says in a note to clients. With comments from U.K. finance minister Kwasi Kwarteng over the weekend that more tax cuts are on the way, the Bank of England will need to act quickly to restore confidence, Hardman says. "Without timely policy action this week cable could quickly fall below parity." GBP/USD falls 1.3% to 1.0681, having dropped as low as 1.0349 overnight, according to FactSet. (jessica.fleetham@wsj.com)
UK Fiscal Stimulus Looks Unlikely to Revive Economy Next Year
0834 GMT - The measures outlined by the U.K. government on Friday aren't likely to revitalize the economy, Pantheon Macroeconomics' chief U.K. economist Samuel Tombs says in a note. Tax cuts are expected to disproportionately benefit the top 1% of earners and are thus unlikely to boost demand significantly, while many households are set to be worse off because the depreciation of the sterling could raise price levels by 1.5%, he says. "The outlook for growth next year hasn't been enhanced by these tax cuts," Tombs says. "The government will have to focus much more on initiatives to boost labour supply to have even a remote chance of hitting its target of raising the trend rate of GDP growth to 2.5% a year," he says. (xavier.fontdegloria@wsj.com)
Contact: London NewsPlus; paul.larkins@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
09-26-22 0529ET
