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Unite Group maintains FY guidance, AO World FY pre-tax profits seen at top end of previous expectations
By Iain Gilbert
Date: Friday 10 Apr 2026
(Sharecast News) - LONDON PRE-OPEN
The FTSE 100 was expected to open 20.8 points higher ahead of the bell on Friday, after wrapping up the previous session 0.05% softer at 10,603.48.
STOCKS TO WATCH
Student accommodation provider Unite Group maintained its annual guidance on Friday as it said 74% of beds for the new academic year had been reserved. Unite said it still expects occupancy and rental growth at lower end of 93-96% and 2-3% ranges for 2026/27 and that it was on track to deliver guidance for £300-400m of asset disposals in 2026 as it focused on a pivot to what it called "the strongest universities".
AO World confirmed on Friday that it remained on track to meet full-year guidance, despite "material" cost headwinds. Updating on year-end trading, the white goods retailer said total group revenue growth was expected to be around 11% in the 12 months to 31 March, with adjusted pre-tax profits slated to come in at the top end of its £45m to £50m range.
Mercantile Investment Trust reported a positive set of annual results on Friday, saying performance remained solid despite lagging its benchmark over the period. Mercantile delivered a net asset value total return of 12.3% for the year to 31 January, compared with a 15.8% gain for its benchmark. Share price total returns for the period were 12.5%. The FTSE 250-listed trust said its performance for the year was supported by strong stock selection in industrials and selected financials, while investment banking, brokerage services and consumer discretionary holdings weighed on returns
NEWSPAPER ROUND-UP
The Somerset battery factory due to supply Jaguar Land Rover is to receive £380m in UK government funding as it pushes ahead with construction despite delays. JLR, Britain's largest automotive employer, is due to receive batteries from the site to make electric versions of its Range Rover and Jaguar models. The Indian conglomerate Tata owns JLR and the electric vehicle battery factory under its Agratas subsidiary. - Guardian
The European parliament has blocked the extension of a law that permits big tech firms to scan for child sexual exploitation on their platforms, creating a legal gap that child safety experts say will lead to crimes going undetected. The law, which was a carve-out of the EU Privacy Act, was put in place in 2021 as a temporary measure allowing companies to use automated detection technologies to scan messages for harms, including child sexual abuse material, grooming and sextortion. However, it expired on 3 April, and the EU parliament decided not to vote to extend it, amid privacy concerns from some lawmakers. - Guardian
Ireland has called in the army to deal with farmers and truckers who have blocked major roads in protest at sky-high fuel prices. Helen McEntee, the defence minister, said the use of soldiers to support the police was "not the norm", but claimed that escalating disruption had now "crossed into criminal behaviour". The army will deploy four heavy-lift recovery trucks to help the police remove vehicles involved in blockades, which have been in place for three days. - Telegraph
Rachel Reeves must embark on a root-and-branch simplification of the UK's sprawling tax system if the Labour government is to achieve its growth promises, an influential international body said on Thursday. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development urged the chancellor to eradicate complexities in the tax system because they hold back employment, growth, and lead to "large compliance costs". - The Times
Celebrity-backed investment scheme could be wound up over £1.3m of unpaid debts from Kevin Maxwell. Insolvency practitioners have raised concerns about the viability of a deal with creditors which Fortress Capital Partners reached in July. Edwin Kirker, of Kirker & Co, who was appointed to supervise the company voluntary arrangement, has warned of a series of alleged breaches, including the threatened removal of an independent director of Fortress. - The Times
US CLOSE
US stocks rose on Thursday, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq booking their seventh straight day of gains on the back of hopes surrounding the US-Iran ceasefire deal, even though cracks were beginning to show in the market's optimism.
At the close, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.58% at 48.185.80, while the S&P 500 advanced 0.62% to 6,824.66 and the Nasdaq Composite saw out the session 0.83% firmer at 22,822.42.
Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com
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