Source: Sharecast
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Exploration and production firm Energean said on Monday that its floating platform and storage facility off the coast of Israel was now fully operational after a government-enforced shutdown due to the Iran war. The FTSE 250-listed company said production was restored to regular levels within 48 hours, delivering natural gas to customers "in accordance with contractual requirements".
Safety equipment company Halma has acquired Surgistar as a bolt-on for its healthcare sector company, MicroSurgical Technology, for $90m. Founded more than 20 years ago and based in California, Surgistar designs and manufactures ophthalmic surgical instruments and devices. Its product portfolio includes blades, cannulas and trephines.
Housebuilder Vistry has appointed company insider Adam Daniels chief executive. Daniels joined Countryside Partnerships, which Vistry acquired in 2022, in 2016, and has gone on to hold various roles across the business. He currently serves as executive chair of Vistry's Yorkshire, North Midlands and West division. He replaces long-serving Greg Fitzgerald, who will now step down as executive chair and chief executive with immediate effect.
Electricity and gas utility firm National Grid said on Monday that trading remained in line with expectations and consistent with guidance issued at the time of its interim results, though it now expects to see a net impact of roughly 1p per share to underlying earnings. National Grid said the revision reflected customer refund charges linked to the 19 March FERC judgement on New England Transmission and higher‑than‑expected storm costs in its US operations, partly offset by slightly lower finance costs.
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Ministers are planning to fundamentally reshape Britain's relationship with the European Union, with new legislation that could result in the UK signing up to EU single market rules without a normal parliamentary vote. In a major development in the prime minister's push for closer ties with the continent after the Iran war, the Guardian understands ministers are bracing to face down opposition to "dynamic alignment" with the EU from those who "scream treason" over the powers in a new EU-UK reset bill. – Guardian
Car buyers' interest in electric cars has surged across Europe since the start of the war in Iran, as the rising cost of petrol highlights the cheaper power available from a plug. Online marketplaces in the UK, Germany, France and Spain reported huge increases in inquiries about electric vehicles since the start of the conflict in February. – Guardian
Richard Caring has struck a £1.4bn deal to sell his Ivy restaurant empire to an Abu Dhabi sheikh. The restaurateur, dubbed the "King of Mayfair", has sold a majority stake in his hospitality company to a group controlled by Sheik Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan, an Abu Dhabi royal known as the "spy sheikh". The deal, which values the company at more than £1.4bn, also includes the private members' club Annabel's and Mayfair staple Scott's. – Telegraph
Starbucks has blamed higher jobs taxes and minimum wage under Labour for mounting losses at its UK business. The US coffee chain said "changes to minimum wage and employer National Insurance contributions" had put pressure on its profit margins as operating losses widened from £27.5m to £29.8m. Staff costs rose from £118m to £129m in the year to October 2025, even as the UK business cut more than 200 jobs to take its headcount to just over 5,320. – Telegraph
The war in Iran has prompted British businesses to scale back investment and hiring, with corporate optimism having sunk to levels not seen since the first coronavirus lockdown. As soaring energy costs raise concerns about inflation and interest rates, finance chiefs have become more defensive, preferring to conserve cash rather than invest, two closely watched surveys show. – The Times
GSK has unveiled "extremely exciting" results of early trials for a potential blockbuster new gynaecological cancer drug that it hopes to fast-track to the market within the next few years. The pharmaceuticals giant said that it was moving swiftly to launch five large-scale global trials of the Mo-Rez drug after it showed strong results in both ovarian and endometrial cancer, giving hope to thousands of women with hard-to-treat disease types. – The Times
US CLOSE
Wall Street trading finished in mixed fashion on Friday, as investors paused for breath following the recent rally, with the S&P 500 snapping a seven-day winning streak following a key inflation reading and geopolitical developments.
At the close, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 0.56% at 47,916.57 and the S&P 500 shed 0.11% to 6,816.89, while the Nasdaq Composite saw out the session 0.35% firmer at 22,902.89.
Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com