Pound Could Recover Further Vs Dollar if Risk Appetite Improves

0728 GMT - Sterling could extend its recovery against the dollar after rising above the key 1.15 level, led by investors shifting away from safe-haven assets, ING says. A break above this level could see the correction extend to GBP/USD 1.1750, ING analyst Chris Turner says in a note. "Such a correction would more likely be driven by a global re-assessment of risk (dollar negative) than a further re-rating of U.K. prospects." For EUR/GBP, 0.8650-0.8750 looks to be the near-term trading range, Turner says. GBP/USD rises to its highest in nearly six weeks at 1.1540, according to FactSet. EUR/GBP falls 0.2% to 0.8673. (renae.dyer@wsj.com)


 
Companies News: 

WPP 3Q Revenue Rose; Updates 2022 Guidance

WPP PLC said Wednesday that its third-quarter revenue rose on year and it updated its guidance for the year.

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Barclays 3Q Pretax Profit, Total Income Rose Ahead of Market Views

Barclays PLC said Wednesday that its third-quarter pretax profit and total income rose ahead of market views, and that it achieved income growth in all three of its businesses.

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LSEG's Planned Acquisition of Quantile Officially Cleared by UK Regulator

The U.K. Competition and Markets Authority said Wednesday that it has cleared the London Stock Exchange Group PLC's planned 274 million-pound ($314.3 million) acquisition of Quantile Group Ltd., following an in-depth review of the deal.

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Reckitt Benckiser 3Q Revenue Rose on Currency Effects; Expects Inflation in High Teens

Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC said Wednesday that third-quarter revenue rose as it benefitted from foreign-exchange tailwinds of 8.5%, and that continues to expect inflation on its cost of goods sold to remain in the high teens for the year.

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Bloomsbury Publishing 1H Pretax Profit Rose on Strategy Execution, Digital Revenue

Bloomsbury Publishing PLC on Wednesday reported a rise in first-half pretax profit thanks to its strategy of publishing for the consumer and academic markets and its digital revenue growth.

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FirstGroup Expects Around $85 Mln From First Transit Earnout Consideration

FirstGroup PLC said Wednesday that it expects the earnout consideration related to the disposal of First Transit by EQT Infrastructure V to be around $85 million.

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Elementis Revenue Grew in 3Q; Backs Full-Year Guidance

Elementis PLC said in an update Wednesday that underlying revenue grew in the third quarter driven by sales growth at its personal-care and coatings units, as it backed its full-year outlook.

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Ecora Resources 3Q Portfolio Contributions Rose Significantly

Ecora Resources PLC said Wednesday that contributions from its portfolio rose significantly on year in the third quarter, and commodity prices have begun to rise at the start of the fourth.

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REACT Sees FY 2022 Earnings Missing Expectations After Increased Costs at Fidelis

REACT Group PLC said Wednesday that fiscal 2022 earnings are anticipated to fall short of market expectations after costs rose in its Fidelis hygiene-and-maintenance division.

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SysGroup 1H Revenue, Adjusted Ebitda Rose; Sees Full Year in Line With Views

SysGroup PLC said Wednesday that revenue and adjusted Ebitda for the first half of fiscal 2023 rose, and that the board was confident the company will meet market expectations for the year.

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Blencowe Resources Raises GBP750,000 via Placing With Shareholders

Blencowe Resources PLC said Wednesday that it has raised 750,000 pounds ($860,400) after securing investment from three existing shareholders, with proceeds to be used to fund the delivery of a 100-metric-ton bulk sample from the Orom-Cross graphite project to China and for general working capital.

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Deepmatter Sees Higher 2022 Revenue, Signs New Collaborations; Shares Rise

Shares in Deepmatter Group PLC rose after the company said it expects to report a rise of more than 50% in 2022 revenue, and that it has signed three strategically-important collaborations which bring future revenue visibility.


 
Market Talk: 

Barclays' 3Q Results Tick All the Right Boxes, Jefferies Says

0657 GMT - Barclays' third quarter results suggest there's strength in the U.K. banking sector, with better-than-expected pretax profit and higher revenue--particularly in the U.S. cards and payments business, which rose 54% on-year, Jefferies analysts Joseph Dickerson and Aqil Taiyeb say in a research note. The FTSE 100 bank's corporate and investment banking performance was strong, and the overall business is showing positive operating leverage, the analysts say. "CET1 was in-line with consensus at 13.8% and we would have preferred to have seen a reload on the buyback, but that was not the market expectation coming into the print," the U.S. bank says. Jefferies retains its buy rating on Barclays' stock and 299.0 pence price target. Shares closed Tuesday at 150.22 pence. (joseph.hoppe@wsj.com)

Reckitt Benckiser's 3Q Shows Underlying Performance is Improving

0656 GMT - Consumer-goods company Reckitt Benckiser's 3Q update was solid, beating expectations across all three of its divisions versus company-compiled consensus, RBC Capital Markets analysts Emma Letheren and James Edwardes Jones say in a note. The nutrition unit, where net revenue was up 7.4% to GBP675 million, was the biggest one as the company continued to benefit from the problems besetting peer Abbot in the U.S. and pointed to its strong execution in that market, the analysts say."Increased R&D spend, the absence of negative one offs and market share momentum adds conviction that underlying performance is improving at Reckitt," the analysts say. (anthony.orunagoriainoff@dowjones.com)


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

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

10-26-22 0347ET