Informa underlying revenues up YTD, Ashtead group revenues slip despite record rental performance.


LONDON PRE-OPEN The FTSE 100 was expected to open 48.5 points lower on Tuesday after wrapping up the previous session 0.28% higher at 8,875.22.

Tower Bridge in London

Source: Sharecast

STOCKS TO WATCH

Publishing and events business Informa said on Tuesday that underlying revenues had grown 9.3% in the five months ended 31 May as it told investors that roughly 70% of FY target revenues had already been traded, booked or committed, pacing it ahead of last year.

Industrial equipment rental firm Ashtead posted record group rental revenues in the twelve months ended 30 April, up 4% year-on-year at $9.98bn, but said overall revenues were down 1% at $10.79bn as a result of lower sales of used equipment.

NEWSPAPER ROUND-UP

Keir Starmer and Donald Trump have signed off a UK-US trade deal at the G7 summit in Canada, with the US president saying Britain would have protection against future tariffs "because I like them". The two leaders presented the deal, which covers aerospace and the auto sector, at the G7 venue in Kananaskis, Alberta. – Guardian

Sadiq Khan has said he will pedestrianise Oxford Street "as quickly as possible", after two in three respondents to a public consultation backed plans to ban traffic from London's central shopping area. The mayor's office said there was "overwhelming public and business support" for the proposals to regenerate the street, whose lustre is slowly returning as department stores muscle back among the sweet and souvenir shops of dubious repute. – Guardian

TSB has been put up for sale as its Spanish owner looks to retreat from the British banking market after a decade. Sabadell is exploring selling off its British subsidiary after receiving interest from potential bidders. The Spanish bank has begun circulating documents to interest parties and granted limited access to one of its data rooms to allow potential buyers to carry out due diligence. – Telegraph

Meta has unveiled plans to introduce adverts on WhatsApp, breaking a promise by the messaging app's co-founder never to do so. In a major update announced on Monday, WhatsApp said it will roll out paid advertising to its 3.0bn monthly users over the next few months. The move is in direct violation of the "no ads, no games, no gimmicks" pledge made by Meta following its $19.0bn acquisition of WhatsApp in 2014. – Telegraph

Businesses intend to lay off staff and increase prices to deal with the £25.0bn rise in payroll taxes announced by Rachel Reeves at the October budget, researchers have said. Of 500 owners of businesses with turnover above £5.0m, 33% plan to reduce headcount in the coming year, according to a survey conducted in April and May by Censuswide, a pollster, on behalf of S&W, the accountancy firm formerly known as Smith & Williamson. – The Times

US CLOSE

Major indices were in the green at the close of trading on Monday amid optimism surrounding the conflict between Israel and Iran.

At the close, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.75% at 42,515.09, while the S&P 500 advanced 0.94% to 6,033.11 and the Nasdaq Composite saw out the session 1.52% firmer at 19,701.21.

Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com

Compare our accounts

If you're looking to grow your money over the longer term (5+ years), we have a range of investment choices to help.

Halifax is not responsible for the content and accuracy of the Markets News articles. We may not share the views of the author. Understand the risks, please remember the value of your investment can go down as well as up and you may not get back the full amount you invest. We don't provide advice so if you are in any doubt about buying and selling shares or making your own investment decisions we recommend you seek advice from a suitably qualified Financial Advisor. Past performance is not a guide to future performance.