Source: Sharecast
Stocks to watch
Great Portland Estates said it retained 91% of its fully managed customers at break or expiry for the year to March, driven by strong demand for office space.
The transactions secured an average rental uplift of more than 6% per annum and in total will deliver around £6.5 million of annual rent , 10% ahead of estimated rental value, the company said.
Fintech group Plus500 said it expects 2025 results to be ahead of current market forecasts after an “excellent” start to the year, driven by recent macroeconomic and financial market conditions.
The company, which operates proprietary tech-based trading platforms, reported revenues of $205.8m over the first three months of the year, up 13% on the fourth quarter but 5% behind last year.
Newspaper round-up
UK banks’ earnings reports will be studied this week for signs of turmoil linked to Donald Trump’s tariff drama, with uncertainty over global growth likely to weigh on lenders with heavy exposure to China, including HSBC. First-quarter profits only reflect the January-to-March period that preceded the US president’s “liberation day” tariff announcements on 2 April. But investors will be concerned about any hints of caution around earnings forecasts, as well as an uptick in money put aside for defaults by tariff-hit borrowers. – Guardian
The US private equity firm RedBird Capital is confident of tabling a deal to take control of the Daily and Sunday Telegraph as soon as next month, in an attempt to end two years of “paralysis and unhappiness” at the 170-year-old titles. The firm’s founder, Gerry Cardinale, is personally involved in drafting a plan to either form a consortium or self-fund a takeover at Telegraph Media Group, the Guardian understands. – Guardian
Chinese fast-fashion giant Shein has increased prices for American shoppers by up to 377pc to help offset the hit from Donald Trump’s tariff war. The online shopping giant company, which sources most of its products from China, introduced sharp rises on an array of popular items ranging from makeup to women’s clothes for US customers on Friday in the wake of higher US import duties. – Telegraph
Investors are set to give their verdict on a prospective £2.7 billion takeover of Deliveroo by a larger American rival, which could net its founder more than £170 million despite the company losing more than half its value since its disastrous initial public offering. Shares in the FTSE 250 constituent will be in sharp focus when trading begins on Monday morning after Deliveroo’s board said it would be “minded to recommend” a takeover proposal from Door Dash, which valued the takeaway group at £2.7 billion, or 180p a share. – The Times
Homeowners aged 60 and over are sitting on a record £2.95 trillion worth of property, with 98 per cent of this mortgage-free, according to an analysis that lays bare the extent of the UK’s generational housing divide. The calculations, by the estate agency Savills, showed £2.89 trillion of mortgage-free property being held by over-60s who were residential homeowners and only £60 billion worth of mortgages, 2 per cent of the total value of their homes. – The Times
US close
US stocks logged their fourth day in positive territory as investors focused on improving newsflow regarding tariffs and shrugged off some gloomy consumer confidence data.
The Dow edged 0.1% higher, while the S&P 500 gained 0.7% and the Nasdaq jumped 1.3%; over the past week alone, the indices have risen 4.0%, 6,4% and 9.2% respectively, with the latter supported by forecast-beating results from tech giant Alphabet.