The FTSE 100 index closed Tuesday down 0.1% at 7519 points, amid a muted session in the global markets given the U.S. holiday, with falls in the banking sector as they come under pressure to raise savings rates at the same speed that they are increasing their lending rates, CMC Markets U.K. Chief Market Analyst Michael Hewson says in a note. The U.K. specialist engineering company IMI was the index worst performer, closing down 2.2%, followed by Barclays, down 2.0%. Sainsbury's shares slipped 1.8% despite reporting a solid 1Q performance and backing its FY 2024 targets. On the positive side, retailer Ocado outperformed the index closing up 2.2%, following the recent announcement that they have hired Gregor Ulitzka from Amazon, Hewson says.


COMPANIES NEWS:

Cineworld Eyes Cinepolis Americas President as Potential CEO, Sky News Reports

--Cineworld sees Eduardo Acuna, Americas president of Mexico's Cinepolis, as a chief executive candidate after it emerges from bankruptcy proceedings, Sky News says.

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Cairn Homes to Pay Higher 1H Dividend; Backs Full-year Outlook for Growth

Cairn Homes said Tuesday that it plans to pay an increased first-half dividend, and said it was on-course for another year of growth across all key metrics.

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Sainsbury's Backs FY 2024 Guidance After 1Q Sales Rose

J Sainsbury on Tuesday said its like-for-like sales rose in the first quarter of fiscal 2024, driven by growth in its groceries volumes as it kept prices low on popular products.

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Trakm8's FY 2023 Pretax Loss Widened on Higher Costs

Trakm8 Holdings said Tuesday that its pretax loss for fiscal 2023 widened on higher costs, while revenue picked up the pace in the second half of the year.

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Distil FY 2023 Pretax Loss Widened on Lower Sales After Changes in Business Model

Distil said Tuesday that its pretax loss widened for fiscal 2023 as revenue fell due to a decrease in sales following a remodeling, and that it entered fiscal 2024 aware of the economic uncertainty and how it affects consumer spending habits.

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Eurowag Buys Further 18% Stake in JITpay for EUR25.7 Mln

W.A.G Payment Solutions said Tuesday that it has acquired an additional 18.01% stake in JITpay(TM) GmbH for 25.7 million euros ($28 million) after exercising a call option.

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Restore Lowers 2023 Profit Target on Weak Demand; CEO Steps Down

Restore said Tuesday that it has lowered it adjusted pretax profit expectation for the full year due to continued weak demand in its technology unit, and that its chief executive officer will step down with immediate effect.

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Kooth Raises Funds via Premium Share Placing; Lifts Guidance on New California Contract

Kooth said Tuesday that it is planning to raise 10 million pounds ($12.7 million) via a premium share placing and use the money to accelerate platform development and invest in U.S. growth, as part of its international expansion strategy.

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Guild eSports to Make Competitive Simulated Racing Debut; Sees Revenue Opportunities

Guild eSports said Tuesday that it has entered into the 2023 season of the British F4 e-sports championship, its first entry into competitive simulated racing.

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Boku Sees 1H Revenue, Earnings Rising; 2023 Results Ahead of Management Views

Boku Inc. said Tuesday that it expects first-half revenue and earnings to be significantly higher on growth in new payment methods, and its forecast full-year results ahead of management expectations.

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Strix Sees 2023 Profit After Tax In Line With Views After Improved 2Q Performance

Strix Group said Tuesday that its profit after tax for the full year remains in line with market expectations after an improved performance in the second quarter.

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Versarien Says Timing and Proceeds From Any Asset Sale Is Uncertain

Versarien said Tuesday that the timing of any asset sales and the amount of funds which may be received is uncertain despite a number of interested parties.

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Coats Group Agrees to European Zips Business Sale for Around $1 Mln Cash

Coats Group said Tuesday it has agreed to the sale of its European Zips business for around $1 million cash to German private equity investor Aequita.

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Science in Sport Publishes 2022 Accounts; Trading Restored

Science in Sport said Tuesday that it has published its accounts for last year and that trading in its shares has been restored.

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ScS Group Taps Mark Fleetwood as CFO

ScS Group said Tuesday that it has appointed Mark Fleetwood as chief financial officer with effect from Sept. 4.

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Boku CEO Jon Prideaux to Retire, Stuart Neal Named as Replacement

Boku said Tuesday that Chief Executive Jon Prideaux will retire on Dec. 31 and be replaced by Stuart Neal who is rejoining the board.

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Augmentum FY 2023 Pretax Profit Fell on Lower Investment Gains

Augmentum Fintech on Tuesday posted a drop in its pretax profit for fiscal 2023 due to significantly lower gains on investments.

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Mincon Names Tom Purcell as New COO With Immediate Effect

Mincon Group said Tuesday that it has appointed Tom Purcell as its new chief operations officer with immediate effect.

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Aptamer Group Shares Fall on Going Concern Warning

Shares in Aptamer Group fell Tuesday after the company warned that it will require further funding in the short term to continue as a going concern.

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Mercia Asset Management FY 2023 Pretax Profit Fell On Investment Losses

Mercia Asset Management on Tuesday said its pretax profit for fiscal 2023 dropped despite a rise in revenue as it booked heavier administrative expenses as well as losses and lower fair value movements on its investments.

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Naked Wines Shares Fall as 1Q Sales Missed Views

Naked Wines shares fell Tuesday after the company said sales in the first quarter of fiscal 2024 have been below its expectations, and that it will delay the publication of fiscal 2023 results.

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Sainsbury's to Focus on Lowering Prices Strategy Despite Low Margins

J Sainsbury said in an investors call on Tuesday that it is being able to reduce prices ahead of its competition thanks to lower input prices, but that inflation is easing but it is expected to be persistent.

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Haleon Mulls Sale of Nicotinell Brand, Bloomberg Reports

--Haleon is looking to sell its Nicotinell brand of nicotine gum, patches and lozenges, Bloomberg reports citing sources.

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CoinShares CEO: London must fix crypto-tradfi divide to catch up with New York -- Financial News

Jean-Marie Mognetti: 'These two sectors often seem to operate in separate silos and rarely communicate effectively with each other'

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Mode Global Holdings 2022 Pretax Loss Narrowed; In Funding Talks for Future Investment Ventures

Mode Global Holdings on Tuesday said its pretax loss narrowed in 2022 as its costs decreased and that it is in talks to raise funds to enable it to invest in future ventures.

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RBC Capital Markets adds trio of bankers for European DCM team -- Financial News

Bank bolsters London and German team in debt capital markets push

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CCL Industries Buys Oomph Made for C$7.1 Million

CCL Industries said Tuesday it has bought Oomph Made, a privately-owned designer and supplier of radio frequency identification and near-field communication access cards and wristbands, for about 7.1 million Canadian dollars ($5.4 million).


Contact: London NewsPlus, Dow Jones Newswires;


(END) Dow Jones Newswires

07-04-23 1216ET