RNS Hotlist October 22: AJ Bell, Amazon, Arrow, Bradda Head, Fusion, IXICO, London Stock Exchange, Potentially AI, Wildcat
(Alliance News) - Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN) has pledged to create 30,000 entry level jobs for young people by 2030, in a move to support UK ambitions to reduce youth unemployment. The retail technology giant said it also plans to create 10,000 work experience roles as part of its youth promise, which it said will target areas "with the least opportunities". Earlier this week, Prime Minister Andy Burnham warned that the UK faces an "economic catastrophe and moral failure" due to the levels of young people not in education, employment or training, so called Neets. Almost one million 16 to 24-year-olds are considered Neets, according to the latest figures. Amazon has said its youth promise is backed by support designed to help young people before, during and after the job application process.
Comment: There is a lot to unpack from this news: First the way that for many the big tech companies are regarded as sinister, but not sinister enough to employ thousands of people and make a positive difference to their lives. That said, it remains the case that in many cases the Neets are right in not bothering to work, being able to work, as most of them will effectively be working for HMRC, with their employers also the slaves of the Inland Revenue even before their employee has started on day one. At the same time, the enthusiasm of Mr Burnham rings hollow, given that we know a Neet is more likely to vote Labour than someone who is in work.
Bradda Head Lithium (BHL) Bradda Head Lithium Limited | BHL:LN : Last week Greenwood Capital Partners issued a flash note on the company. “The assays are back from Bradda’s first drill hole at the Whistlejacket spodumene lithium project in Arizona, an option to JV with Kennecott Exploration (KEX, a Rio Tinto subsidiary). The results confirm and expand the footprint of known spodumene mineralisation with a wide intersection of consistently high lithium grades. The second and third holes in the programme also intersected broad zones of fresh spodumene, with assays pending.”
Comment: It is interesting that even though BHL is in bed with Rio (yes, that Rio), and is in the run up to a maiden MRE next year, so far the shares are not reflecting this. The valuation is also not reflecting last month’s news of the bargain basement acquisition of six Tanzanian uranium assets, which provide more than enough fundamental sizzle over the near term.
London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) London Stock Exchange Group | LSEG:LN issued a Q3 2026 Trading Update Sustained high growth; strong customer adoption of our AI solutions; raising full-year guidance for revenue growth, EBITDA margins and cash flow; enhancing long-term growth with planned acquisitions of Octus and Trumid. LSE said, “LSEG’s record performance continued in Q3, with accelerating growth across our subscription businesses and sustained performance in Markets. Reflecting this strength, we are raising our full-year guidance for revenue, EBITDA margin and free cash flow. We continue to work with the world’s leading financial institutions as they experiment with, integrate and scale AI across their organisations.
Comment: Of course, being the slick organisation that it is, LSE is happy to skip over its calamitous 2025 in terms of AI moves, that the share price is still struggling to recover from. Of course, if it is actually doing so well these days, why not invest more in the AIM market to make it the new Nasdaq, rather than what it feels like now, a legacy stock market.
Wildcat Gold PLC (WCAT) Wildcat Gold Plc | WCAT:LN issued a “Gold Rush Newsletter”. WCAT said, “Our plan is clear: source, evaluate and procure African gold projects, with gold processing at the centre of our approach. Dr Madani Diallo's African mining experience and James Knowles's commercial and listed-company background strengthen our ability to pursue that plan and challenge the assumptions behind each opportunity. We will apply that experience with purpose, assess the technical and commercial fundamentals and establish the funding and approvals needed to move suitable projects forward. I remain committed to building Wildcat's next chapter and keeping shareholders informed as we work towards it.”
Comment: Given the contrast between the very positive perception of First Class Metals (FCM) and stock market establishment shadow banned WCAT, one might suggest that the arrival of James Knowles (Executive Chairman at FCM) as Senior Independent Non-Executive Director, and the validation it provides should be transformational. In fact, one would go so far as to say that it will be. This is especially the case given that way that the share price and the market cap at £2m are only at base camp levels in the run up to the gold processing moves.
Arrow Exploration Corp. (AXL) Arrow Exploration | AXL:LN , the high-growth operator with a portfolio of assets across key Colombian and Canadian hydrocarbon basins, is pleased to provide an update on operational activity at the Icaco field on the Tapir Block in the Llanos Basin of Colombia where Arrow holds a 50 percent beneficial interest. Current total corporate production is over 6,500 boe/d, including production from Icaco 8 (IC-8) and Icaco 7 (IC-7). This is a record high production rate for the Company and reflects recent drilling successes from the Icaco pad. Arrow believes it can continue to grow production from its prospect-rich inventory. As of October 1, 2026, the Company’s estimated cash balance is over US$28 million. The Company continues to enjoy a strong balance sheet while growing production and associated cash balance.“Arrow is very proud to surpass the 6,500 boe/d threshold. The additional production from drilling and workovers highlights the continued operational success the Company has had on the Tapir block. The multi-zone quality of the Icaco discovery, and its commensurate production rates, have surpassed initial expectations. The IC-8 well illustrates the excellent results that are possible in all three producing zones at Icaco. The Company has built 16 well cellars at Icaco and is continuing to drill Carbonera C7, Gacheta and Ubaque wells on the Icaco pad.”
Comment: It was suggested to me as recently as last week that the future key to the share price of AXL and its fundamentals are prospects for the Tapir Block, which on its own could be enough to double the share price. While this may sound a little toasty, the company is so hot at the moment, one would be wrong to rule such a scenario out in coming months.
Potentially AI PLC (AGI) Potentially AI Plc | AGI:LN , the collective AI company, announces the appointment of Iliya Valchanov as Technical Adviser to the Board, a strategic technology partnership with Juma Labs, and an update on the Company's platform and the workspace product in development, targeted for release by the end of 2026. In September 2026 the Company released the beta of its consumer application on the App Store and Google Play. It gives users access to a wide range of AI models in a single conversation, across text, image, video, audio and 3D, with chats stored on the user's own device and no training on user prompts. The application will continue to operate while the workspace is developed, and existing user accounts will be migrated to the new product on its release. The platform now carries more than 35 OpenAI models, eight Anthropic models and almost 20 models from xAI and DeepSeek, alongside thousands of open source models, all accessible from one conversation and one credit balance.
Comment: While many companies in the recent past on the London stock market have attempted to get on the AI bandwagon, both as operating or investment companies, we have yet to see the big win. Certainly, AGI is making all the right noises as far as being a potential winner, name dropping the likes of Anthropic and OpenAI. But perhaps the real highlight is the decision to appoint “Bound to Prosper” as the PR. Can’t lose with a name like that…
AJ Bell plc (AJB) AJ Bell plc | AJB:LN , one of the UK's largest investment platforms, today issues a trading update in respect of its financial year ended 30 September 2026. Customer numbers increased by 152,000 to close at 796,000, up 24% in the year, as AJ Bell’s dual-channel platform continued its momentum to drive record growth in customers. Total advised customers increased by 12,000 to close at 194,000, up 7% in the year. Total D2C customers increased by 140,000 to close at 602,000, up 30% in the year. Record platform assets under administration (“AUA”) of £126.0 billion, up 22% in the year.
Comment: AJB is a good example of a company which is apparently doing exceptionally well in terms of its metrics, and doing so in an environment that is not necessarily conducive to such growth. This suggests that it is the management which is driving the gains, something which gives us confidence that this year’s 33% share price rise can be improved upon significantly.
Fusion Antibodies plc (FAB) Fusion Antibodies Plc | FAB:LN , a specialist in pre-clinical antibody discovery, engineering and supply for therapeutic drug and diagnostic applications, announces the award of a new project covering the transient gene expression (“TGE”) of a client’s lead antibody and a subsequent cryogenic electron microscopy (“CryoEM”) study (the “TGE and CryoEM Project”) under an existing master services agreement with a US-based specialty division of a global pharmaceutical company.
Comment: After the recent rather painful looking share price tumble, the latest contract win is welcome. The question is whether it is too little, too late? Obviously, the world of transient gene expression sounds like fun, the issue is whether there is any money in it?
IXICO plc (IXI) Ixico Plc | IXI:LN , a global TechBio leader in neuroscience imaging and biomarker analytics, using its AI-driven platform to help advance drug development and diagnostics in neurological disorders, today announces two contracts with a combined value of approximately £1.5 million. The contract news follows a positive trading update made by IXICO on 20 October, which reported 28% revenue growth for FY26, and further strengthens the Company’s position in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) diagnostics and clinical development.
Comment: This is the icing on the cake for IXI, after its recent positive update, something which if nothing else may put a company which remains off the radar, more in focus with more people at the moment, of which I am probably the main one. What one notes is that even after the apparent fundamental inflection point, the shares are still down by around a quarter since the start of the year.