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WH Smith suspends dividend as Iran conflict weighs on travel, Segro delivers 'strong' Q1 performance
By Iain Gilbert
Date: Thursday 23 Apr 2026
(Sharecast News) - LONDON PRE-OPEN
The FTSE 100 was expected to open 48.9 points lower ahead of the bell on Thursday, after wrapping up the previous session 0.21% softer at 10,476.46.
STOCKS TO WATCH
Travel outlet retailer WH Smith suspended its dividend on Thursday and said it was taking a cautious view of future trade due to the war on Iran which had hit airline fuel supplies and passenger numbers. WH Smith now expects to deliver FY26 headline group pre-tax profitsof £90m- 105m. Interim profits on the same basis fell to £3m from £21m, with its UK operations hit by refurbishment of airport stores
Property investment and development firm Segro said on Thursday that it had delivered a "strong operational performance" during the first quarter, with £23m of new headline rent contracted, including £12m of development lettings. Segro said momentum had continued across its business, despite the "uncertain geopolitical environment", as the group reported a 38% uplift on rent reviews, renewals and regears in the UK, while customer retention remained strong at 83% and occupancy was stable at 94.8% as the group reduced vacancy in its London portfolio and completed speculatively developed urban space in Germany.
NEWSPAPER ROUND-UP
The war in Iran has pushed up the price of widely used medicines in England, including painkillers and hay fever medication, leading pharmacists have warned. Community chemists are charging customers 20-30% more for paracetamol than they did in February, according to the National Pharmacy Association, and many have run out of certain strengths of aspirin and co-codamol. - Guardian
Keir Starmer has been urged to honour his pledge to ban ticket touting, amid fears that the policy will be left out of next month's king's speech, potentially costing fans "hundreds of millions". Music industry groups called on the prime minister to act as fresh evidence showed that professional ticket "traders" had targeted BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend next month, making huge mark-ups through sites such as Viagogo and StubHub. - Guardian
Ryanair is to close its check-in desks 20 minutes early as the EU's new border controls lead to lengthy delays for passengers. The discount airline currently allows passengers to check-in and drop their bags until 40 minutes before their flights. However, from November desks will close an hour before take-off, meaning travellers will have to arrive earlier to avoid missing the window. - Telegraph
Reform UK will scrap "gold-plated" pensions for public sector workers from 2030 if it wins the next election. The Telegraph understands that doctors, teachers, civil servants and other employees joining the public sector will no longer be eligible for so-called final salary pension schemes if Nigel Farage becomes the next prime minister. The sweeping plans would phase out the schemes, which offer a guaranteed income on retirement, and replace them with less generous defined contribution schemes, where savings are invested and returns depend on performance. - Telegraph
Tesla defied expectations, profiting more and spending less than expected in closely watched results as the company shifts focus from electric vehicles to artificial intelligence. The company, co-founded and headed by the world's richest man, Elon Musk, also announced a "rebound of demand" in Europe, the Middle East and Africa and North America. - Sky News
US CLOSE
Major indices were in the green at the close of trading on Wednesday, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq hitting new record highs after Donald Trump announced the US would extend its ceasefire with Iran.
At the close, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.69% at 49,490.03, while the S&P 500 shed 1.05% to 7,137.90 and the Nasdaq Composite saw out the session 1.64% firmer at 24,657.57.
Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com
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