AJ Bell

The following is a round-up of updates by London-listed companies, issued on Monday and not separately reported by Alliance News: ---------- Avacta Group PLC - London-based clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company - Intends to raise minimum £12.5 million through a placing and subscription at 68 pence per share.

Hercules PLC - Cirencester, England-based labour supply company for the UK infrastructure and construction sectors - Construction Services division has, during the fourth quarter of the year ended September 30, won new contracts worth approximately £5 million combined "to deliver Civils Projects work for its clients in the UK water sector." Hercules says most of these started in financial 2026, and it expects to complete them "in the next six months." Says they comprise a range of civil...

The FTSE 100 outperformed its European peers on Monday, while other indices closed lower, as economic and political concerns weighed on France's CAC 40. In London, the FTSE 100 index ended up 35.99 points, 0.3%, at 10,497.94. The FTSE 250 fell 70.49 points, 0.3%, to 24,123.75, and the AIM all-share declined 3.44 points, 0.4%, to 780.31. The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.4% at 1,041.48, the Cboe UK 250 ended down 0.3% at 20,968.31, and the Cboe small companies fell 0.3% at 18,906.59.

The following is a round-up of share dealings by London-listed company directors and managers announced on Monday and Friday and not separately reported by Alliance News: ---------- Renalytix PLC - London-based diagnostics company - Harwood Capital LLP buys 1.2 million shares at 6 pence each, for £70,000 in total, on September 29 in London. Renalytix Non-Executive Chair Christopher Mills is the chief investment officer of Harwood.

This article uses data from our quarterly Dividend Dashboard report which looks in more detail at the biggest dividend payers and growers. Heightened tensions in the Middle East, concerns over the UK’s fiscal situation, and sticky inflation are all feeding into government bond yields, which stand within a whisker of the highest level since 2007, using the 10-year gilt as a benchmark.

J Sainsbury PLC held discussions on a potential merger with grocery peer Morrisons earlier this year, Sky News reported on Monday. Sky said the "exploratory discussions" took place "some months ago," and that they are not believed to currently be active. However, "industry sources" believe that within the next three years, "another wave of supermarket industry consolidation is inevitable," Sky noted.

This October people will be encouraged to give up smoking for good and drinking for at least a month. The health benefits are clearly the most important thing, yet it could make a meaningful difference to your finances too. Research shows health is the biggest reason for quitting smoking, but the financial motive was also significant for a lot of people. If you take the challenge, and stick with your new habits, you could save a small fortune.

Pulsar Helium Inc - North America- and Greenland-focused Helium exploration company - says its subsidiary Pulsar Helium (MI) Inc has signed a contract with Xcalibur MPH (Canada) Ltd for a high-resolution airborne gravity gradiometry and magnetic survey at its Falcon project in Michigan. The company says the project gives Pulsar a "district-scale" opportunity to evaluate an underexplored geological system covering about 488,090 gross acres of mineral rights.

The Bank of Bahrain & Kuwait BSC is reportedly negotiating to purchase a 20% stake in Panmure Liberum Ltd, Sky News reported on Monday. According to sources cited by Sky News, the deal would value the broker at around £70 million. The deal would deepen the relationship between the two institutions, which last year announced a partnership to combine Panmure's investment banking capabilities with BBK's Middle East client base.

MJ Gleeson PLC - Sheffield, England-based housebuilder - Appoints Andrew Kirkman as next chief financial officer, starting on October 19 and succeeding Stefan Allanson, who has announced his intention to step down from the board. Recently, Kirkman served as CFO of CLS Holdings PLC, a London-based commercial property investment company. Further, he served as CFO of Harworth Group PLC, a Rotherham, South Yorkshire-based property regeneration company.