Market Live Email
B&M slashes FY guidance, Senior FY pre-tax profits seen 'comfortably above' previous expectations
By Iain Gilbert
Date: Thursday 22 Jan 2026
(Sharecast News) - LONDON PRE-OPEN
The FTSE 100 was expected to open 60.4 points higher ahead of the bell on Thursday, after wrapping up the previous session 0.11% firmer at 10,138.09.
STOCKS TO WATCH
B&M European Value Retail slashed full-year guidance on Thursday, despite an uptick in festive sales. Updating on the third-quarter performance, the embattled budget chain said its seasonal ranges had sold well, with UK like-for-like sales up 3% in December and "similar trends" continuing into early January trading. However, B&M also warned it now expects adjusted underlying earnings to come in between £440m and £475m, compared to its previous range of £470m to £520m, reflecting "ongoing investments in pricing and clearance", as well as the poor performance of Heron Foods.
Specialist media group Future said on Thursday that it had bought digital publisher SheerLuxe and its Blush Talent management agency for £39.9m in cash, with an earn-out conditional on future performance capping the deal at £80m.
High technology components manufacturer Senior said on Thursday that it had seen "stronger than expected trading" following its November update, most notably in its aerospace unit, and now expects full-year adjusted pre-tax profits to be "comfortably above previous expectations".
Precious metals giant Fresnillo has completed its $555m acquisition of Probe Gold following all the necessary approvals, marking its first entry into Canada and the prolific Val d'Or gold mining district in Quebec. Fresnillo said it will now start work to advance the development of the Novador project - one of Canada's top undeveloped multimillion ounces projects - but said it will also explore Probe's land package "to unlock further value for stakeholders".
NEWSPAPER ROUND-UP
Jamie Dimon, the boss of JP Morgan, has said artificial intelligence "may go too fast for society" and cause "civil unrest" unless governments and business support displaced workers. While advances in AI will have huge benefits, from increasing productivity to curing diseases, the technology may need to be phased in to "save society", he said. - Guardian
The BBC has announced that it will produce tailor-made content for YouTube in a milestone for British television as the public service broadcaster teams up with the world's biggest video platform. The corporation has previously posted clips and trailers for BBC shows on YouTube but under the new deal it will make fresh programming for its online rival. - Guardian
Rachel Reeves is poised to exclude hotels and restaurants from a new package aimed at softening the blow of rising business rates. The Chancellor indicated on Wednesday that her planned support scheme will only cover pubs, dashing hopes of relief in the rest of the hospitality industry. "I do recognise the particular challenge that pubs face at the moment and so [we have] been working with the sector over the last few weeks to make sure that the right support is in place, and we'll be announcing something in the next few days," Ms Reeves said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. - Telegraph
Morrisons plunged to a £381m loss last year as it battled steep borrowing costs and weaker consumer spending. The private equity-owned grocer revealed that its debt interest bill hit £281m in 2025, derailing attempts to turn a profit. Despite ending the year once again in the red, bosses hailed a drop in net debt to £3.1bn, down from £3.5bn last summer. - Telegraph
The Yorkshireman who has spent the past five years rehabilitating KPMG's reputation in the UK is in a two-horse race to lead the Big Four firm globally. Jon Holt, who has run KPMG's UK division since 2021, is in the running to succeed Bill Thomas, who is due to retire as the firm's global chief executive in September. It is understood that Holt's main rival for the top job is Gary Wingrove, an Australian, who has been KPMG's global chief operating officer since October 2022. "There are two strong candidates but no obvious frontrunner at the moment," a senior KPMG source said. - The Times
US CLOSE
Major indices closed higher on Wednesday after Donald Trump called off new tariffs on European nations, claiming that a deal framework had been reached over Greenland.
At the close, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 1.21% at 49,077.23, while the S&P 500 advanced 1.16% to 6,875.62, and the Nasdaq Composite saw out the session 1.18% stronger at 23,224.82.
Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com
Article Archive
Free Membership To Digital Look
Discover the full range of Investor's Tools and Services from Digital Look - voted 'Best Research & Information Provider 2007' by Investors Chronicle.
En HeaderFooterDLYou are here: research