Gold prices briefly hit record high over $3,500/oz on fiscal, tariff concerns
Investing.com -- British stocks declined on Tuesday, while the pound slipped below $1.34 against the dollar and 30-year bond yields climbed to their highest level since 1998.
The blue-chip index FTSE 100 fell 0.9% and the British GBP/USD dropped 1.2% against the dollar to 1.3385.
DAX index in Germany fell 2.2%, the CAC 40 in France dropped 0.7%.
Ithaca Energy PLC (LON:ITH) shares tumble after Delek, Eni sell stakes
Ithaca Energy’s shares tumbled more than 12% after major stakeholders Delek Group and Italy’s Eni offloaded stock.
The companies sold shares worth about £106 million ($143 million), significantly trimming their holdings in the London-listed oil and gas producer.
The move marks a notable reduction in their ownership stakes.
Oxford Nanopore shares fall despite narrower losses, revenue beat
Oxford Nanopore Technologies Ltd (LON:ONT) reported narrower first-half losses and confirmed its full-year guidance and medium-term outlook.
Despite this, the company’s shares dropped more than 12% in London trading, possibly because investors had anticipated a guidance upgrade.
Revenue for the first six months was £105.6 million, representing a 28% increase at constant currency and 25.6% on a reported basis, surpassing expectations.
Uniphar delivers robust interim results
Uniphar Group PLC (IR:UPR) delivered strong interim results for the six months ending June 30, 2025, with revenue of €1.49 billion, an 8.6% increase from the previous year.
Gross profit rose 6.3% to €219.7 million, with organic growth of 8.1%. Adjusted earnings per share grew 21% to 9.8 cent.
Centrica secures extension for two U.K. nuclear power stations
Centrica PLC (LON:CNA) confirmed on Tuesday that the Heysham 1 and Hartlepool nuclear power stations in the UK have received a one-year life extension, allowing them to continue operating until March 2028.
The British energy company owns 20% of both plants, with EDF holding the remainder.
Johnson Service Group shares surge on strong H1 earnings, £25 mln buyback
Johnson Service Group Plc (LON:JSG) shares jumped 9.1% on Tuesday following the announcement of solid first-half results and plans for a new £25 million share buyback program.
The textile rental and laundry service provider reported adjusted operating profit of £28.7 million for the first half of 2025, a 13.9% increase from £25.2 million in the same period last year.
Revenue rose 5.5% to £257.5 million, with organic growth of 1.4% across the business.
BAT shares drop after RBC downgrade
British American Tobacco PLC (LON:BATS) fell 1.6% on Tuesday after RBC Capital Markets downgraded the stock to "underperform" from "sector perform."
Analysts cited structural weaknesses in its New Categories business, stating that profit expectations for vapour, heated tobacco and modern oral products were "seriously overblown," with BAT lagging behind Philip Morris International in the most profitable segments.
Ryanair, Wizz Air report strong August traffic
Ryanair Holdings PLC (LON:0RYA) and Wizz Air Holdings PLC (LON:WIZZ) both reported strong August traffic, highlighting continued demand for low-cost air travel in Europe.
Ryanair carried a record 21.0 million passengers during the month, up 2% from a year earlier, while maintaining a robust load factor of 96% across its network.
Meanwhile, Wizz Air separately reported that it saw passenger numbers climb 17% to 7.3 million, though its load factor eased slightly by 0.6 percentage points to 94.8%. The carrier remains on track to meet consensus expectations of 19.6 million passengers for the second quarter, which would require growth to accelerate to 3.1% in September.