The FTSE 100 saw a soft open following mixed UK consumer spending data overnight. London’s main index was up 7 points to 7,139 in early deals.
Vectura Group PLC (AIM:VEC) (LON:VEC) is facing a rare takeover auction whereby Philip Morris International Inc (NYSE:PM). and Carlyle Group have five working days to submit new offers. The process was started by the takeover panel to end the bidding war.
Second-hand car sales have more than doubled in the second quarter as the UK faced a shortage of new models, according to industry data. It was due to a lack of computer chips that pushed prices higher.
Flutter Entertainment PLC (LSE:FLTR) (LON:FLTR) has posted a big jump in interim revenue helped by the return of sporting events. The Paddy Power and FanDuel owner said the second half started well.
Among the small caps, Tower Resources PLC (AIM:TRP) (AIM:TRP) has inked an agreement with Beluga Energy Limited for the Thali Production Sharing contract in Cameroon. Tower will be a non-operating partner.
Sensyne Health PLC (AIM:SENS, FRA:DSH) (LON:SENS) said it will deploy its machine learning expertise quest to find new asthma treatment using artificial intelligence. The project is led by Oxford University.
S&U plc (LSE:SUS, FRA:97V) (LON:SUS) is trading ahead of expectations in terms of profits, collections and book debt quality. The finance specialist has seen new business gradually increasing to pre-pandemic levels.