Headlines from the Proactive UK newsroom.
The FTSE 100 opened lower on fears that a second wave of coronavirus infections is coming after upticks in Germany, China and South Korea. The blue chip index shed 76 points at 5,827 in morning trading.
Hargreaves Lansdown PLC (LON:HL.) has vowed to maintain its dividend policy after bumper levels of new business and record levels of stockbroking activity due to the crisis. The fund supermarket said dealing activity in March and April was more than double any highs experienced before.
Lloyd's of London, however, is facing up to a £3.5bn bill for virus-related claims. That would be the largest payout since the 9/11 attacks.
The UK’s property trade body says it might take nine months for the housing market to recover fully from the impact of coronavirus lockdowns. A long, slow recovery is likely before the market returns to normal, it says.
Immupharma (LON:IMM) says a study in Atlanta has indicated its Lupus treatment Lupuzor might ease one of the main complications of coronavirus. Lupuzor may help to reduce or perhaps prevent the occurrence of the cytokine storm seen in Covid-19 patients, it said, though further exploratory work is ongoing.
Tiziana Life Sciences’ (LON:TILS) chief executive believes the company’s StemPrintER technology has the “potential to become an essential prognostic tool” in the fight against breast cancer. His comments followed the release of a scientific abstract ahead of a poster discussion session at the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s virtual conference.
Security equipment specialist Westminster (LON:WSG) said it made a profit of several hundred thousand pounds in its latest quarter as it started to benefit from new contracts. The group says it is seeing huge interest from airports for fever screening equipment.