The FTSE 100 closed up 0.6% helped by positive U.K. and German gross domestic product numbers which "added to the cheerier atmosphere," IG analyst Chris Beauchamp says in a note. "So far the Christmas trading statements have been broadly encouraging, and with recession fears capped for the time being the index's blend of global companies seems to offer a promising mix for investors looking for a home where tech stocks do not feature too highly," Beauchamp says. Rolls Royce Holdings, up 4.6%, was the session's biggest riser, followed by Haleon and Airtel Africa, both up 3.6%. Fresnillo led the day's fallers, down 2%, followed by Aviva and British American Tobacco, down 1.7% and 1.5% respectively. 


 
Companies News:

Global Ports Holding Reviewing Capital, Financing Structure

Global Ports Holding PLC said Friday that is reviewing the company's capital and financing structure in light of the "significant and exciting opportunities in its cruise business."

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Premier Miton Group Assets Under Management Rose in 1Q

Premier Miton Group PLC said Friday that its assets under management rose in the first quarter of fiscal 2023.

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Taylor Wimpey 2022 Operating Profit Met Views but Sales Rate Fell

Taylor Wimpey PLC said Friday that its 2022 performance met its expectations with higher operating profit, despite lower completions and a lower sales rate on-year.

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Appreciate Group 3Q Revenue Rose, Outlook Remains In Line With Its Views

Appreciate Group PLC on Friday said its third-quarter revenue reflected normal seasonality trends and that its outlook remains aligned with its expectations.

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Card Factory Appoints Matthias Seeger as CFO

Card Factory PLC said Friday that it has appointed Matthias Seeger as chief financial officer with effect expected from May 22.

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888 Holdings 2022 Revenue, Earnings Were In Line; CFO to Leave

888 Holdings PLC said Friday that 2022 revenue and adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization were in line with expectations and that Chief Financial Officer and Executive Director Yariv Dafna has agreed to step down.

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M.J. Gleeson 1H Homes Sold Slipped 4%, Order Book Fell

M.J. Gleeson PLC said Friday that the number of homes it sold slipped slightly on year in the first half of fiscal 2023 though selling prices remained stable, and its order book fell.

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DFS Furniture 2Q Order Intake Improved; Backs FY 2023 Midpoint Profit Forecast

DFS Furniture PLC said Friday that order intake for the second quarter of the fiscal year rose from the same period a year earlier, but was still down for the first half overall, and backed its midpoint adjusted pretax profit guidance.

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Gulf Marine Services Says 2022 Guidance May Be Adjusted After Client Goes Bankrupt

Gulf Marine Services PLC on Friday said it may need to adjust its 2022 guidance after a client owing it 4 million euros ($4.3 million) for a contract has filed for bankruptcy.

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Alphawave IP 4Q Performance Significantly Improved on Year

Alphawave IP Group PLC said Friday that it booked significantly improved performance in the fourth quarter of 2022, with strong design win momentum and an expanded customer base.

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Wincanton Trades in Line Through 3Q

Wincanton PLC said Friday that it continued to trade in line with expectations in its third quarter, with year-to-date revenue growth of 5.5%.

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Dialight Sees Lower 2022 Core Profit After Weak December

Dialight PLC on Friday lowered its core profit guidance for the year after a weaker-than-expected December revenue.

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Belluscura Sees 2022 Loss in Line With Market Views

Belluscura PLC said Friday that it expects to report an Ebitda loss for 2022 in line with market expectations.

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Celadon Pharmaceuticals CFO To Join Board On Jan. 17

Celadon Pharmaceuticals PLC on Friday said that Jonathan Turner will formally join the group and the board as chief financial officer on Jan. 17.

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Bens Creek Agrees to Take on Second Highwall Miner Unit From Mega Highwall

Bens Creek Group PLC said Friday that it has amended an agreement with the highwall mining contractor Mega Highwall Mining LLC, to confirm the provision and delivery of a second highwall miner unit by the end of January.

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Revolution Beauty Accounts Probe Finds Serious Issues, Affecting FY 2022 Results

Revolution Beauty Group PLC said Friday that an independent investigation into its fiscal 2022 accounts has identified a number of serious issues, which it expects to materially affect financial results.

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Applied Graphene Says Talks Over Sale of Business, Main Operating Subsidiary Continue

Applied Graphene Materials PLC said Friday that discussions with various parties for either the sale of the group's business or of the shares in the company's main operating subsidiary continue.

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ValiRx Targets Up to GBP1.5 Mln via Discounted Placing, Broker Offer

ValiRx PLC said Friday that it seeks to raise up to 1.5 million pounds ($1.8 million) via a discounted share placing and broker offer, and that proceeds will be used to establish a new internal research facility. 


 
Market Talk:

Strong Demand for UK Long-Dated Gilts Drives Down Yields

1152 GMT - Strong demand for U.K. long-dated gilts has pushed up their prices and caused yields, which move inversely to prices, to drop, says Barclays fixed income strategist Moyeen Islam in a note. "Demand for the long end of the curve has been very strong, with long-dated yields 30bp lower than the end 2022 levels," he says. The yield on the U.K. 30-year gilt is roughly 26bps down to last trade at 3.694% from 3.952% on December 30, the last day of trading in 2022 according to Tradeweb. (miriam.mukuru@wsj.com)

DFS Furniture's FY 2023 Narrowed Guidance Beats Market Views -- Market Talk

1117 GMT - DFS Furniture's narrowed its FY 2023 adjusted pretax profit guidance to GBP36 million, which was 8% above market expectations despite a hard-to-predict macroeconomic and consumer outlook, Shore Capital analysts Eleonora Dani and Clive Black say in a note. "Today's statement echoes the recent positive updates from the sector, particularly multichannel offers," they say. The furniture retailer's outlook assumes that 2H will benefit from the continued momentum, given that DFS' pretax profit is second-half weighted, they add. Shares are up 1.5%, at 162.0 pence.


Contact: London NewsPlus; paul.larkins@wsj.com


(END) Dow Jones Newswires

01-13-23 1301ET