News Archive

Imperial Leather maker PZ Cussons posts rise in half-year profits

6th Aug 2026 08:19

(Sharecast News) - Imperial Leather and St Tropez maker PZ Cussons reported a rise in first-half profit on Thursday as it hailed growth across each of its four lead markets.

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Persimmon sees FY completions at upper end of guidance, warns over inflationary pressures

6th Aug 2026 08:04

(Sharecast News) - Housebuilder Persimmon said on Thursday that full-year completions were set to be at the upper end of guidance, as it reported a rise in first-half profit and completions but warned over inflationary pressures.

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Europe open: Shares nudge towards record on Wall St, Hormuz hopes

6th Aug 2026 07:55

(Sharecast News) - European shares edged towards record territory again on Thursday after a mixed Wall Street performance overnight, as investors weighed rising optimism about a US-Iran deal with poor jobs data.

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German factory orders rise in June, but May data revised sharply lower

6th Aug 2026 07:41

(Sharecast News) - German industrial orders rose in June driven by a surge in large scale orders and helped by a downwards revision to May's readout.

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London pre-open: Stocks to nudge up amid Hormuz reopening hopes

6th Aug 2026 07:34

(Sharecast News) - London stocks were set to nudge higher at the open on Thursday amid hopes of a US-Iran deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

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Thursday newspaper round-up: AI models, bank taxes, AstraZeneca

6th Aug 2026 07:24

(Sharecast News) - Advanced artificial intelligence models have stunned the UK's AI Security Institute (AISI) by carrying out a hacking campaign against real people during a cybersecurity test. The institute said the incident was unprecedented and involved sending targeted emails to software developers in an attempt to pass a cyber challenge. - Guardian

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Wizz Air profits slump on higher fuel prices

6th Aug 2026 07:14

(Sharecast News) - Wizz Air reported a sharp drop in first‑quarter profits as a 39% surge in fuel costs due to the Iran war offset strong passenger and capacity growth.

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Admiral shares rise despite H1 profit decline

6th Aug 2026 07:11

(Sharecast News) - Insurance giant Admiral Group posted a sharp drop in first‑half profits on Thursday, with both pre-tax earnings and earnings per share dropping 18% year-on-year, reflecting lower earned premiums in UK Motor after last year's rate cuts and higher quota‑share reinsurance charges

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US close: Markets mixed but Dow still hits new record

5th Aug 2026 23:36

(Sharecast News) - Wall Street stocks were mixed on Wednesday, with the Dow hitting another all-time high but the S&P 500 and Nasdaq erasing earlier gains to finish lower, as investors weighed rising optimism about a US-Iran deal with poor jobs data.

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Bodycote confirms takeover approaches from CVC, Veritas Capital

5th Aug 2026 16:27

(Sharecast News) - Bodycote surged on Wednesday as the provider of heat treatment and specialist metallurgical technologies confirmed it had received takeover offers from private equity firms CVC and Veritas Capital.

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Europe close: Stocks mixed amid US-Iran uncertainty

5th Aug 2026 16:17

(Sharecast News) - European stock markets finished in mixed fashion on Wednesday, with many indices teetering at record highs as investors awaited signs of tangible progress in US-Iran peace talks.

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US open: Stocks hit fresh highs as earnings strength fuels ongoing rally

5th Aug 2026 15:20

(Sharecast News) - Both the S&P 500 and Dow Jones pushed to fresh record highs on Wednesday morning, extending their recent rally as investors digested another round of upbeat earnings and grew more optimistic about a near‑term reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

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Shawbrook reiterates maiden dividend plans as H1 profits, loan book grow

5th Aug 2026 15:18

(Sharecast News) - Shawbrook reported double-digit profit and loan-book growth in the first half on Wednesday, as the specialist lender reiterated its plans to pay its maiden ordinary dividend for this year.

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RBC Capital downgrades Rotork to 'sector perform'

5th Aug 2026 15:07

(Sharecast News) - RBC Capital Markets downgraded Rotork on Wednesday to 'sector perform' from 'outperform' as it suggested that Swiss engineering firm ABB may be paying too little for the company.

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US private‑sector growth hits nine‑month high

5th Aug 2026 14:58

(Sharecast News) - US private‑sector growth accelerated sharply in July, with both S&P Global's services and composite purchasing managers' indexes hitting nine‑month highs as stronger demand, firmer business confidence and rising employment signalled a solid start to the second half of 2026.

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