A brand-new bronze trading bell was rung at the London Stock Exchange this week to mark the 40th anniversary of the Big Bang reforms. Equities trading now makes up only a small part of the London Stock Exchange Group’s business, which has transformed into a technology and data analytics firm following its acquisition of Refinitiv five years ago. It sells proprietary market datasets, analytics and trading tools to financial institutions worldwide, helping drive its share price to a high of £121 last year. Concerns that AI could disrupt information sellers such as LSEG, Relx and Experian have receded after continued strong performance, including at its fixed-income and derivatives trading division. The group now partners with Microsoft and licenses data to Claude and Open AI, while its $3.5bn acquisition of Octus underscores its strategy of owning valuable information. Increased trading volume helped LSEG raise full-year guidance, with its markets business growing 12.5%.
Ultimate Products is exiting the clearance business it was built on nearly 30 years ago to focus on its own brands, including Salter and Beldray. Sales of these brands grew 5.3% and now account for nearly 90% of revenue, but profit impact has been painful due to lower gross margins. Net bank debt fell to £8.6mn from £14.1mn a year earlier, though shareholders face another dividend cut of almost one-third. At 8.6 times forward earnings, shares are not expensive but the company must prove it can turn brand ambitions into profit growth.
Revolution Beauty declared its turnaround “firmly on track” at the release of its interim results after its operating loss...
Source: Financial Times Companies · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing