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Shares in BAE Systems (LON: BA.) climbed 1.2% on Wednesday after the defence contractor confirmed it had secured $16 million in Defense Production Act Title III funding from the US Department of War, boosting investor sentiment around the group’s growing space and microelectronics business. The stock touched an intraday high of 2,037p before settling higher, with the FTSE 100 heavyweight trading at around 2,029p, up 23p on the previous close of 2,006p, as volumes topped 6.3 million shares.

Reckitt Benckiser Group (LON: RKT), the maker of Lysol and Mucinex, plans to invest approximately $400 million in its U.S. operations over the next four years, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal. Citing the consumer-goods giant, the WSJ said the investment builds on Reckitt’s existing U.S. supply chain and manufacturing footprint, as the company looks to strengthen its domestic production capabilities and reduce reliance on imports amid shifting trade and tariff dynamics.

Generac Holdings (NYSE: GNRC) shares surged in after-hours trading Wednesday after the backup-power equipment maker unveiled a landmark, long-term supply agreement with Amazon.com to provide generators for Amazon’s data center operations. Shares have surging 42% in extended trading as investors digested the scale of the deal.

Evercore ISI added BP (LON: BP.) to its “Tactical Outperform” list on Wednesday, pointing to a surge in cash generation as higher oil prices lift the energy major’s finances. The firm said BP could generate $15 billion of free cash flow in the second half at current commodity strips and refining margins, and $21 billion of excess cash flow. It kept an in-line rating and $52 price target on the stock.

Filtronic AIM: FTC), the AIM-listed radio-frequency and satellite-hardware specialist, jumped 9% after announcing an $8m follow-on contract with a US satellite customer to design, develop and build prototype mmWave, or millimetre-wave, units for satellites, the third order from that relationship since March.

UK headline inflation rose to 3.1% year-on-year in August, the Office for National Statistics said, up from 2.9% in July and matching the consensus estimate. The rise was driven by higher petrol and diesel prices, while core inflation held at 2.6% and services inflation stayed flat at 3.4%, leaving tomorrow’s Bank of England decision as the bigger risk for sterling.

Persimmon (LON: PSN), the York-based housebuilder behind the Persimmon Homes, Charles Church and Westbury Partnerships brands, saw its shares jump nearly 4% in today’s session, with no company-specific news behind the move. The stock traded up 4.10% to 1,143.5p, from yesterday’s close of 1,098.5p, having touched a day high of 1,146.5p.

Nippon Active Value Fund (LON: NAVF), a UK-listed trust that invests in undervalued Japanese small and mid-cap companies using an activist engagement strategy, reported half-year results earlier today showing net asset value per share up to 230.0p at the end of June, from 223.7p at the end of December, with net assets rising to £451.6m. The share price discount to that net asset value narrowed sharply to 3.9%, from 7.5%.

Volvere plc (LON: VLE) saw its shares fall sharply in early trade after results this morning showed pre-tax profit for the six months to 30 June down to £0.69m from £2.88m a year earlier, as its 80%-owned subsidiary Shire Foods lost last year’s exceptional sales volumes. Basic and diluted earnings per share fell to 21.86p from 80.30p in the same period last year, reflecting the sharp drop in profit at Shire Foods.

Oracle Power (LON: ORCP), the AIM-listed pre-revenue resources developer, reported its unaudited interim results for the six months to 30 June 2026 earlier today. The pre-tax loss narrowed to £249,423, from £267,715 in the same half last year, on revenue that remained nil, continuing the company’s long-running pattern as a developer with no producing assets. Shares fell 5.65% to 0.0401p, from a previous close of 0.0425p.