The FTSE 100 closed Tuesday down 0.48%, plummeting to one-month lows as the prospect that rate cuts may only come much later in 2024 saw yields rebound from their recent lows. Weakness seen in European markets Monday has persisted as a continued pushback on rate cut expectations from central banks boosted the U.S. dollar and undermined confidence in risky assets, as concerns over the economic outlook grow, CMC Markets U.K. chief market analyst Michael Hewson says in a research note. The main drag on the index from a points view was AstraZeneca, after UBS downgraded the shares to sell, while the biggest faller was Rightmove, where shares slumped after JPMorgan cuts its rating to underweight, Hewson says.


COMPANIES NEWS:

Experian Sees Revenue Growth at Higher End of Range

Experian expects its revenue growth for fiscal 2024 at the higher end of its guided range, the credit-reporting agency said Tuesday.

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Card Factory Sees Adjusted Profit at Top-End of Market Views After Sales Jumped

Card Factory raised it expectations for fiscal-year adjusted pretax profit after sales jumped in the 11 months to Dec. 31.

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Ocado Sees Further Revenue Growth Supported by Volumes

Ocado Group said it expects revenue to further increase in fiscal 2024 supported by volume growth after a record Christmas performance.

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Trustpilot Shareholder Sells 5.2 Mln Shares at GBP1.57 Each

Berenberg said Tuesday that it has sold 5.2 million shares in Trustpilot at 157 pence ($1.27) each on behalf of Northzone VI, as first flagged late Monday.

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Wise PLC Lifts Income Guidance Again

Wise PLC raised its income guidance for fiscal 2024 again as it grew its customer base over the third quarter and benefited from high interest rates.

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Spirent Communications Sees Earnings In Line With Expectations

Spirent Communications said it expects 2023 earnings to be in line with the board's revised expectations despite a challenging environment, while it begins the new financial year with a growing order book.

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McBride's Revenue Rose on Volume Growth, Pricing Actions

McBride said it expects to report a 9.9% rise in revenue for the first half of its fiscal year as it benefited from volume growth and the effect of pricing actions taken in the prior year to recover input cost inflation.

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DP Poland Sales Rise on Higher Volumes

DP Poland said its system sales rose in both its market in 2023, driven by an increase in volumes, and that it expects growth to continue in 2024.

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U.K. Brokers Liberum and Panmure Gordon to Merge

U.K. investment banks Liberum and Panmure Gordon have agreed to merge, creating a company that will advise more than 250 corporate clients.

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Ninety One Assets Under Management Edge Up

Ninety One said that its assets under management rose slightly over the third quarter of fiscal 2024.

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QinetiQ Says Operational Performance Was Good, Plans GBP100 Mln Share Buyback

QinetiQ Group said its operational performance in the third quarter of its fiscal year was good and that it plans a 100 million-pound ($127.3 million) share buyback program in February.

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IQE's Earnings To Be In Line With Expectations

IQE said it expects full-year earnings to be in line with the board's expectations, reflecting a return to growth driven by a diversification strategy despite a challenging environment.

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Johnson Service Sees Higher Revenue, In-Line Adjusted Operating Profit

Johnson Service Group said it will report a rise in revenue for 2023 and that adjusted operating profit will be in line with market expectations.

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CAB Payments Holdings Sees 2023 Income Up 25%

CAB Payments Holdings expects to report a 25% on-year jump in income for 2023.

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Petra Diamonds Output Rises; Revenue Hit By Weak Prices

Petra Diamonds said it produced more diamonds in the second quarter versus the preceding three-months period, but that the low diamond price environment dragged revenue in the period.

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McBride's Shares Slump on Supply-Chain Volatility, Higher Costs

McBride shares fell after the U.K. maker of household cleaning products flagged supply-chain volatility and high costs due to inflationary pressures.

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DP Eurasia Shares Rise After Company Agrees to Improved GBP161.2 Mln Jubilant Takeover

DP Eurasia shares rose as much as 9.9% after the company said that it has agreed to an improved 161.2 million pound ($205.2 million) takeover by Jubilant Foodworks Netherlands.

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Shell to Sell Nigeria Subsidiary for Up to $2.4 Bln

Shell said it agreed to sell Nigerian onshore subsidiary Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria, or SPDC, for up to $2.4 billion.

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Ocado Shares Rise on Record Christmas Performance for Retail JV

Ocado shares lead the FTSE 100 blue-chip index after its retail joint-venture reported a rise in revenue for the fourth quarter and a record Christmas performance.

MARKET TALK:

Deutsche Bank CFO Sees Hurdles to Banking Mergers

1335 GMT - Deutsche Bank CFO James von Moltke sees challenging conditions for mergers and acquisitions in the European banking industry due to the lack of a single banking market in Europe. Synergies of a potential banking merger seem unclear amid unfavorable conditions across Europe, von Moltke says, speaking on Bloomberg TV at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Von Moltke declined to comment on any specific deal considerations after Bloomberg reported last Friday that Deutsche Bank is looking at European banks including Commerzbank and ABN Amro as potential takeover targets. Deutsche Bank, Commerzbank and ABN Amro all declined to comment when contacted by Dow Jones Newswires. (helena.smolak@wsj.com)

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Moneysupermarket.com's Insurance Segment Growth Expected to Slow

1306 GMT - Growth at Moneysupermarket.com's insurance business segment--which represents 50% of group revenue--is expected to have slowed in the fourth quarter of 2023 and throughout 2024, Jefferies analyst Oliver Conroy writes in a note. The U.S. bank expects insurance revenue to have grown by around 20% on year in the fourth quarter compared with 37.5% in the third, citing tough comparatives and car-insurance premium disinflation. The U.K. price-comparison website's "retain and grow" strategy might be the right one but a more cautious approach is recommended, the analyst adds. The U.S. bank cuts its target price on the stock to 265 pence from 305 pence and downgrades its rating to hold from buy. Shares are down 6.9% at 250.20 pence. (najat.kantouar@wsj.com)


Contact: London NewsPlus, Dow Jones Newswires;


(END) Dow Jones Newswires

01-16-24 1219ET