Taking Stock: 9th January 2024
Consumer Storm Clouds are Appearing - What does this mean for the Market?
Companies discussed on “Taking Stock” today:
01:50 34:55 & 37:42 JD Fashion #JD.
03:00 & 09:00 Shoe Zone #SHOE
06:10 Hays #HAS
09:45 Celebrus Technologies #CLBS
10:20 Futura Medical #FUM
10:50 Hvivo #HVO
11:25 Trufin #TRU
12:28 Intelligent Ultrasound #IUG
18:20 MJ Gleeson #GLE
20:55 Mobile Streams #MOS
21:25 Games Workshop #GAW
23:50 Kooth #KOO
26:00 Agronomics #ANIC
27:15 Eden Research #EDEN
28:30 Plant Health Care #PHC
30:12 DigitalBox #DBOX
36:55 Avacta #AVCT
38:15 Silver Bullet Data Services #SBDS
40:20 Jupiter Fund Management #JUP
TOP BUSINESS STORIES
UK retailers report subdued Christmas spending: BRC
British retailers reported lacklustre sales around Christmas, according to industry data released on Tuesday which may add to concerns that the economy has tipped into a mild recession, less than a year before a likely national election.
The British Retail Consortium (BRC), a trade body for supermarkets and other big stores, said spending in cash terms in December was 1.7% higher than a year earlier, representing a fall in purchases after inflation is taken into account.
Paul Martin, UK head of retail at KPMG, said "cautious consumers are battening down the hatches" so retailers should expect demand to be down in the first few months of 2024.
BRC Retail Sales Monitor (YoY) (Dec)
Actual 1.9%
Forecast 2.3%
Previous 2.6%
Chancellor holds talks with City chiefs in bid to thrash out UK ISA plan
Jeremy Hunt held talks with some of the City's top business leaders on Tuesday in a bid to inject fresh momentum into London’s flagging market for new company listings.
Sky News understands the chief executives of asset managers Abrdn and Schroders and their counterpart at HSBC Holdings were among those scheduled to attend a breakfast summit with the chancellor.
City sources said the objective of the meeting was to review existing initiatives aimed at boosting the competitiveness of UK equity capital markets following the Mansion House reforms unveiled last year by Mr Hunt.