Upstream Share Discussion Threads

[master rsi] 06/1/2025 10:38

GRID 47.70p (2.70 / 6%) -

Gresham House Energy Storage Fund PLC, up 6.0% at 47.70 pence, 12-month range 36.90p-106.30p.
The firm says it will reinstate dividends in 2025 once its current debt has been refinanced, as it adds the battery energy storage systems sector is "turning a corner".

In a trading update setting out a three-year plan, the London-based fund investing in utility-scale BESS says its future dividend policy will focus on three smaller quarterly distributions with a "final larger payment linked to performance".
Dividend payments were suspended in 2024 due to a volatile trading environment for BESS.

[spob] 06/1/2025 10:31

VCP strongly up - insider buying - 88p right now

[master rsi] 06/1/2025 10:13

UK service sector employment falls at fastest pace in nearly four years
(Sharecast News) - Business activity in the UK barely grew in December, while employment in the service sector fell at its fastest pace in nearly four years, according to a survey released on Monday.

The S&P Global services PMI business activity index nudged up to 51.1 from 50.8 in November. It was above the 50.0 mark that separates contraction from expansion for the fourteenth month in a row. However, it signalled only a marginal expansion of business activity.

Meanwhile, the PMI composite output index came in at 50.4 in December, down from 50.5 in November and the lowest reading since October 2023.

Tim Moore, economics director at S&P Global Market Intelligence, said: "The service sector ended last year with only a marginal upturn in business activity and a near-stalling of incoming new work. Survey respondents suggested that falling business and consumer confidence, largely due to worries about domestic economic prospects in 2025, had led to a considerable loss of growth momentum. While most parts of the UK service economy noted weak demand and cutbacks to client budgets, there remained pockets of strong growth in areas such as technology services.

"A post-Budget slump in business optimism persisted in December, with output growth expectations for the year ahead unchanged from November's 23-month low. Concerns about the impact of rising payroll costs, alongside a general unease about the climate for business investment, were reported as the main factors weighing on prospects for growth in 2025."

Moore said that faced with subdued demand conditions and hikes to employment costs, many service providers opted to curtail their staff hiring and delay backfilling roles in December.

"Nearly one-in-four survey respondents saw an overall decline in their payroll numbers. Excluding the pandemic, this represented the steepest pace of job shedding for more than 15 years," he said.

[master rsi] 06/1/2025 09:37

THG 43.40 +1.88p

On the Bounce after a large drop from 55p recently

[master rsi] 06/1/2025 09:02

MARKET REPORT
LONDON MARKET OPEN: FTSE 100 opens in muted fashion before PMI data

(Alliance News) - Stock prices in London opened mixed on Monday, ahead of a week when US jobs data and eurozone inflation readings will be in focus.

On Monday, a slew of purchasing managers' index grab investor attention, meanwhile.

The FTSE 100 index opened down 17.45 points, 0.2%, at 8,206.53. The FTSE 250 was up 36.75 points, 0.2%, at 20,628.15, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.42 points, 0.2%, at 726.82.

The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.3% at 822.51, the Cboe UK 250 was 0.2% higher at 18,029.82, and the Cboe Small Companies was 0.1% lower at 15,915.03.

The CAC 40 in Paris was up 0.4%, while the DAX 40 in Frankfurt was 0.2% higher.

US stocks closed sharply higher on Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.8%, the S&P 500 rose 1.3% and the Nasdaq Composite climbed 1.8%.

Monday's global economic diary sees a raft of composite PMI releases. Later in the week a batch of US jobs data points will grab attention, culminating in Friday's nonfarm payrolls.

The pound was quoted at USD1.2469 early Monday in London, up from USD1.2414 at the time of the London equities close on Friday. The euro rose to USD1.0336 from USD1.0297. Against the yen, the dollar rose to JPY157.74 from JPY157.33.

A barrel of Brent faded to USD75.94 from USD76.33. Gold fell to USD2,627.74 an ounce from USD2,641.67.

Lloyds Bank analysts commented: "The first full week of 2025 will be a busy one on the economic data calendar, even though political dynamics are likely to continue to overshadow other news. In the US and UK the dominant theme is the labour market, whilst in the euro area attention will be on flash inflation for December. German inflation estimates are due today, with the euro area aggregate tomorrow which should see energy price base effects push the headline rate up 0.2ppts to 2.4% y/y. The core rate is expected to hold at 2.7% y/y though.

"Aside from Wednesday's Fed minutes the labour market focus starts with job openings tomorrow, ADP on Wednesday, jobless claims on Thursday and the monthly employment report on Friday where Lloyds economists expect headline payroll growth of 172k for December. Ahead of inauguration and in the context of Powell saying at the last FOMC meeting that further easing depended on further progress with the strength of the labour market and on inflation, even a weak employment report might not move market expectations that much."

Lloyds analysts added: "By contrast labour market indicators remain front and centre in the UK with the latest REC/KPMG and BoE Decision Maker Panel surveys due on Thursday. Last month the latter showed a sharp decline in employment intentions immediately following the budget. A similarly weak follow-up outturn could start to solidify more 2025 rate cut expectations."

The speaker of the US House said Sunday he was pushing an "aggressive" timeframe for getting a multi-trillion-dollar bill addressing immigration, tax cuts and more to Donald Trump's desk by April, within his first 100 days in office.

Speaker Mike Johnson and fellow congressional Republicans are eager to help the incoming president enact his campaign promises, including unprecedented border security spending, business deregulation, boosting energy production and raising the US debt ceiling.

But with a new razor-thin majority in the House of Representatives and similarly tight Senate margins, Democratic opposition could stymie the efforts.

In Tokyo on Monday, the Nikkei 225 was down 1.5%. It was the first day of trading this year in Tokyo. In China, the Shanghai Composite was down 0.1%. The Hang Seng Index was down 0.4%. The S&P/ASX 200 in Sydney edged up 0.1%.

North Korea on Monday fired a missile just as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited South Korea, where he sought a stable course on foreign policy as political turmoil engulfs the US ally.

Blinken visited just as investigators were trying to arrest conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol, who has entrenched himself in his residence after being impeached for a failed attempt to impose martial law.

In a reminder of common challenges that go beyond domestic politics, North Korea on Monday fired a ballistic missile into the sea just as Blinken was holding meetings in Seoul, according to the South Korean military.

"Our military detected one projectile presumed to be an intermediate-range ballistic missile" launched toward the East Sea, South Korea's military said, referring to the body of water also known as the Sea of Japan.

In London, Rolls-Royce shares were down 3.3%, the worst FTSE 100 performer. Citigroup cut the jet engine maker to 'neutral' from 'buy'.

RBC raised Experian to 'outperform' from 'sector perform'. Shares in the consumer credit checking score company were up 1.5%.

On the decline in the junior AIM market, Engage XR fell 14%. Engage XR warned revenue will come in below market expectations, due to delays in finalising some larger Middle East pacts.

The virtual reality technology company expects to report 2024 revenue of EUR3.4 million, down from EUR3.7 million in 2023, and below market expectations. This is due to "delays in finalisation of some larger contracts in the Middle East and the continued delayed deployment of the previously announced contract with a Middle Eastern client".

Its loss before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation is expected to be EUR4.0 million, unmoved on-year.

It added: "Looking ahead, the group anticipates significant growth opportunities through working with partners in the Middle East throughout 2025 and beyond in both education and training verticals. The group's strong pipeline is evidence of the progress being made with partners in the Middle East and in the USA."

[master rsi] 06/1/2025 08:39

China services sector expands in December

(Sharecast News) - Activity in China's services sector grew in December at the fastest rate in seven months amid a jump in domestic demand, although foreign orders fell, according to a survey released on Monday.

The Caixin/S&P Global services purchasing managers' index ticked up to 52.2 from 51.5 in November. This was above the reading of 51.7 expected by economists and the fastest expansion since May 2024.

A reading above 50 indicates expansion, while a reading below signals contraction.

The new business sub-index printed at 52.7 in December, up from 51.8 in November.

Wang Zhe, senior economist at Caixin Insight Group, said: "Since late September, the synergy of existing policies and additional stimulus measures has continued to act on the market, producing more positive factors."

[master rsi] 06/1/2025 08:16

BTC-Bitcoin 99,562p + 1,220

Slowly moving close to 100K again

[master rsi] 06/1/2025 08:04

FTSE

Down 7 points at opening but FTSE 250 is up 41 points

[master rsi] 05/1/2025 19:15

BOOM 403p +5.50p

Positive trend and MACD Indicator looking ahead

[the stigologist] 05/1/2025 18:43

Keep an EYE

TCF

Share Price 0.725p

TCF the old EVG Evgen might be worth a look at some point

Off top of my head Mkt Cap c.£3m ; cash runway to late 2025 / maybe even into early 2026 ; deal with Stalicla for Autism candidate worth a total $160m but Stalicla failed to pay the first milestone of $0.5m so does put the whole $160m deal in doubt.



Stalicla still have the TCF candidate as a prominent part of their Pipeline on their own website



Management claim they haven't assumed any money fron Stalicla in their forecasts.

And in an InvestorMeetCompany presentation in December still claiming they are working with Stalicla on Phase 2 design !!!

7 minutes 28 seconds in...
Stalicla currently involved in a Series C financing round so once complete they may pay up ?!

Anyway stock was up 40% on no news Friday so something has sparked interest

[master rsi] 05/1/2025 18:19

SUNDAY PAPERS

Share tips, comment and bids

Mail on Sunday (Midas share tips): Amcomri joined Aim just before Christmas at 55p a share. The stock has risen to 59p and should continue to increase in value in 2025 and beyond.

The Sunday Telegraph: Imagination, one of Britain’s biggest microchip companies, has been put up for sale by its Chinese-backed owners as it fights claims that sensitive technology has been transferred to Beijing.

The Sunday Times (Comment): NatWest is finally free of its taxpayer bailout. Now can it grow?

The Sunday Times (Comment): What next for Nick Clegg, the Meta man who made £100m?

The Sunday Times (Comment): Bashing the public sector for its generous pensions misses the point.

The Sunday Times (Comment): Labour badly needs to rebuild trust with business.

[master rsi] 05/1/2025 17:37

SUNDAY PAPERS

Business and economics

Mail on Sunday: Compass Community Ltd., one of the UK's biggest private fostering firms, more than tripled its profits last year as it continued to cash in on the crisis in children's social care.

The Observer: More than 12m Britons have already booked flights, transport or accommodation for international trips in 2025, with plans to spend £1,753 on the average holiday abroad, according to research by American Express.

The Sunday Telegraph: A stealth tax raid is set to drag an extra 14,500 farmers into paying inheritance tax after Rachel Reeves’s Budget comes into force, new analysis has revealed.

The Sunday Telegraph: Harsh net zero fines on car makers are set to force up the cost of petrol vehicles this year, the industry has warned.

The Observer: PayPal has been sued by an Asian American businesswoman who accused the digital payments company of racial bias for restricting part of a $535m investment program to Black and Hispanic applicants, costing her millions of dollars.

The Sunday Telegraph: Global Media and Entertainment, the maker of The News Agents podcast, has posted mounting losses after rising debt costs eclipsed higher advertising revenues.

[master rsi] 05/1/2025 17:12

SUNDAY PAPERS

Top stories

The Sunday Times: Fashion retailer New Look is set to accelerate store closures as large employers across different sectors grapple with the fallout from Labour’s tax-raising budget.

The Sunday Telegraph: Jeff Bezos is preparing to launch a satellite broadband service in Britain in a boost to his challenge to rival space rocket billionaire Elon Musk.

[master rsi] 04/1/2025 19:52

UK DECLINING OIL, SLOWING WIND

Oil companies have been exiting the North Sea to focus on newer basins. Production has declined from a peak of 4.4 million barrels of oil equivalent per day (boed) at the start of the millennium to around 1.3 million boed now.

Britain and countries in mainland Europe have overseen major offshore wind farm development, but the sector's growth has stalled as costs ballooned due to technical and supply chain problems as well as higher interest rates.

Some developers been reconsidering their investments in offshore wind, or have assumed impairments, due to the rising cost of building wind farms that can be more than 100 km (60 miles) offshore.

Orsted, the world's biggest offshore wind farm developer, trimmed its investment and capacity targets last year.

Britain has a target to largely decarbonise its power sector by 2030, which will mean reducing its reliance on gas-fired power plants and rapidly increasing its renewable power capacity.

[master rsi] 03/1/2025 23:46

Biden blocks Nippon Steel's $14.9bn bid for US Steel

US President Joe Biden has intervened in the final weeks of his administration and blocked Japan Nippon Steel's $14.9bn bid for US Steel, citing national security concerns.

In a statement, Biden added that "US Steel will remain a proud American company - one that's American-owned, American-operated, by American union steelworkers - the best in the world".

US Steel has warned that it needs the $3bn investment pledged by its Japanese rival or it may have to power down some of its major mills.

Biden's decision follows a national security review into the deal, led by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States.

[master rsi] 03/1/2025 22:51

English Court puts hold on Russian bank VTB's JPMorgan suit

JPMorgan Emerging Europe, Middle East & Africa Securities PLC - London-based investor - The English court grants interim injunction restraining VTB Bank in Russia from pursuing two lawsuits worth USD81.3 million and USD74.5 million against the company and eight other JPMorgan legal entities.

Company will update as situation develops.
Current share price: 193.00p, closed down 4.2% in London on Friday