Good morning from London where the FTSE 100 is up so far and hovering around the 7,450 level. It's been scudding along just below the 7,500 level for most of this week.
Looking at some equities in particular, housebuilder Berkeley Group Holdings PLC (LSE:BKG) said this morning that it is maintaining its profit guidance despite a dip in reservations as it navigates what it calls “elevated macro-economic and political volatility.” Despite housing pre-orders dropping by 30%, the group hopes to deliver profits of over £1 billion during the next two financial years, most of which it expects will come in 2024.
IT services provider Computacenter PLC (LSE:CCC) said it experienced “extraordinary” revenue growth in its first half as the industry returns to normal supply conditions. Sales increased 27% to £3.58 billion and the group is now on track to deliver nineteen consecutive years of earnings per share growth.
Elsewhere, hiring in the UK dropped to a three-year low in August, according to a report by KPMG. Numbers fell for the eleventh consecutive month and at their steepest since the Covid-19 pandemic.
The UK’s data watchdog is to launch a review into the privacy of women’s fertility and period-tracking apps after a poll found over half of users were concerned over how their data is being used.
And in small caps, Braveheart Investment Group PLC (AIM:BRH) said its investee Kirkstall is developing an “organ on a chip” model which can help with observing the effectiveness of drug treatments for brain cancer and Alzheimer’s. That’s all for this morning, have a great weekend
