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Unilever confirms FY outlook, Weir Q1 order growth supported by investment in brownfield and greenfield mining projects
By Iain Gilbert
Date: Thursday 30 Apr 2026
(Sharecast News) - LONDON PRE-OPEN
The FTSE 100 was expected to open 26.1 points lower ahead of the bell on Thursday, after wrapping up the previous session 1.16% softer at 10,213.11.
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Consumer goods giant Unilever reconfirmed its outlook on Thursday, despite heightened macroeconomic activity, following a robust start to the year. Unilever said first quarter turnover fell 3.3% to €12.6bn. However, underlying sales growth - which strips out the impact of currency fluctuations - was 3.8%, while volumes rose 2.9% and prices by 0.9%. The owner of Dove, Lynx and Hellmann's said its leading power brands had performed particularly well, with broad-based momentum in emerging markets.
Engineering firm Weir said on Thursday that first‑quarter order growth had been supported by rising investment in brownfield and greenfield mining projects as supply deficits in key metals emerged. Weir said group original‑equipment orders rose 1%, with management noting stronger underlying demand masked by order‑phasing effects, while aftermarket orders increased 4%, boosted by continued strength in minerals and ESCO and a 7% contribution from recent acquisitions. Separately, Weir announced that, following ten years in the role and 16 years with the group, Jon Stanton will step down as chief executive on 1 August and will be succeeded by Andrew Neilson, who joined the firm in 2010 and currently serves as president of its minerals division.
Rolls-Royce held guidance after making a strong start to the year as it moved quickly to mitigate the impact of the Iran war. The military and civil supplier still expects £4bn to £4.2bn of full-year underlying operating profits and £3.6bn to £3.8bn of free cash flow.
NEWSPAPER ROUND-UP
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Europe is "sleepwalking" into a series of economic and national security problems because of an over-reliance on Chinese green technology, according to experts. A report co-authored by Michael Collins, a former deputy head of national security strategy at the UK Cabinet Office, described the risks of depending on China for green tech as "serious". - Guardian
Jerome Powell has defied Donald Trump to stay on the Federal Reserve board after his term as the US central bank's chairman expires. Mr Powell warned that Fed independence was "at risk" and said he would stay on the board because "the institution is getting battered" after the US president's repeated attacks on the bank. His move will deny Mr Trump a vacancy on the board, which would have given him an opportunity to appoint an ally who would be aligned with his demands to bring down interest rates. - Telegraph
The minimum wage is freezing young people out of work, according to the chairman of the Confederation of British Industry. Cressida Hogg, the business lobby group's new chairman, will warn on Thursday that the minimum wage is fuelling youth unemployment by making it too expensive to hire people at the start of their careers. - Telegraph
Elon Musk has claimed he is not a "yeller" at work but could use words such as "jackass" to get people out of their comfort zone. The world's richest man testified for the second day on Wednesday in a trial over a lawsuit he brought against OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT and one of the world's most valuable start-ups. Musk was a co-founder and early investor in OpenAI but quit as co-chair of the company in December 2018. - The Times
US CLOSE
Major indices delviered a mixed performance on Wednesday as investors digested the Federal Reserve's decision to hold its benchamrk overnight interest rate unchanged.
At the close, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was 0.57% lower at 48,861.81, while the S&P 500 shed 0.04% to 7,135.95 and the Nasdaq Composite saw out the session 0.04% firmer at 24,673.24.
Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com
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