Shares in Made Tech Group (LON:MTEC) jumped after the firm announced the biggest contract award in its history. As a result, the AIM-listed business, which  provides digital, data and technology services to the UK public sector, raised its earnings guidance for a second time this year. Biggest ever contract The company has been appointed as part of a consortium which won a ‘significant’ four-year contract with an unnamed government department. The total amount attributable to Made Tech over the life of the contract is £40 million. Revenue from the contract will commence in FY27 with a bigger contribution coming in…

The world’s largest mining group BHP (LON:BHP) posted forecast-beating FY earnings thanks to a surge in the copper price. For the first time, copper accounted for the largest share of the Anglo-Australian company’s operating profit. Sales and earnings beat forecasts For the year to June, BHP reported a 15% increase in revenue to $58.8 billion, slightly ahead of forecasts. Underlying EBITDA increased 27% to $32.9 billion, also beating forecasts and representing a margin of 59% against 53% in FY25. Est FY26Actual FY26BeatRevenue$58.8bn$58.1bn1.2%EBITDA$32.9bn$32.4bn1.5%Operating profit$13.2bn$12.6bn4.8%EPS$2.60$2.494.4% Source: BHP Ltd Higher copper prices meant divisional EBITDA reached $18 billion, accounting for the majority of…

Utility Warehouse owner Telecom Plus (LON:TEP) posted an upbeat AGM statement saying its new five-year plan had made ‘an encouraging start’. As a result, the firm reiterated its adjusted pre-tax profit guidance for the year to March 2027. Telecom Plus keeps guidance When the new plan was announced in June, it prompted heavy selling of the shares as investors baulked at the investment involved. The company said it would spend around £55 million annually for five years to improve its multiservice offering. It therefore cut its earnings target for current financial year to £80 million to £90 million against £132…

Next week brings another (fairly) busy mix of corporate results and trading updates across UK and US, although European markets will go into ’sleep mode’, with most of the large-cap reports already in. Investors will likely to focus on companies exposed to AI, semiconductors, technology and consumer spending on deck next week, especially with US retail sales disappointing and a deluge of big box retail across the pond on deck. In the US, Analog Devices (NASDAQ:ADI) is likely to attract the most attention. The semiconductor group reports Q3 results on Wednesday 19 August, with investors looking for evidence that industrial…

Shares in technology firm GB Group (LON:GBG) tumbled 25% to a 10-year low after it issued a surprise sales warning. The company blamed a shortfall in US revenue on ‘higher than expected volume attrition on a few material customers’. Sales growth to miss forecasts The company’s technology is used to provide location and identity verification as well as to combat fraud in financial transactions. Over 20,000 companies use its services to power 400 million core identity checks every year. At its AGM last month, the group said its financial performance in Q1 was ‘in line with the board’s expectations’. It…

Infrastructure group Costain (LON:COST) promised investors a ‘step change in performance’ in 2027 and beyond. The firm made the announcement alongside its 1H26 results, sending the shares up 5% in the process. Step change in 2027 For the six months to June, Costain posted a 3% increase in revenue to £543 million which it said marked ‘a key inflection point’. From hereon in, the group expects ‘a step change in revenue followed by a sustained period of growth’. Adjusted operating profit for H1 rose 3%, in line with revenue, to £17.3 million, while adjusted EPS rose 3.6% to 5.7p. With…

With little fanfare, and with very little by way of explanation from financial commentators, the gold price is rising once more. We look into the reasons why the precious metal is back in demand and what it means for investors. Central banks are buying again Since the start of August, the gold price has risen close to 10% from $4,040 per ounce to $4,434 at the time of writing. There are a number of reasons why this has happened, none of them obvious at first glance. Central banks were big buyers of gold in 2025, sending the price to an all-time…

Infrastructure groups Balfour Beatty (LON:BBY) and Hill & Smith (LON:HILS) both raised their FY guidance after reporting strong H1 trading. Balfour Beatty said it had started H2 ‘with real momentum’. Balfour Beatty H1 profit rises 40% For the six months to June, Balfour Beatty posted revenue of £5.56 billion boosted by rising demand in US Buildings and UK Power Transmission. Underlying operating profit from earnings-based businesses jumped more than 40% to £153 million. US Construction contributed £22 million of operating profit against an £11 million loss last year. The firm said it had seen strong growth in Buildings and reduced…

After it sold Argos at the end of July, the market is wondering what the next step is for supermarket chain J. Sainsbury (LON:SBRY). Will it launch a bid for a rival, or will it try to grow market share under its own steam? Adios to Argos On 31 July, Sainsbury’s revealed it had sold Argos to Swift Partners for cash proceeds of at least £120 million. The consideration includes £70 million up front, and deferred payments plus cash from the sale of Argos’s distribution centre. Swift is a new company established by Richard Pennycook, Trevor Strain and Matt Truman,…

Shares in engineering group Spirax (LON:SPX) were down in early trading despite H1 results beating forecasts. Seemingly, investors decided to book profits after the stock’s strong run over the past month. H1 results beat forecasts For the six months to June, Spirax reported revenue of £864 million, beating the consensus forecast of £849 million. Growth of 5% was well ahead of the 1.5% increase in global industrial production ex-China. Electric Thermal Solutions registered growth of 11%, while Watson Marlow Fuild Technology Solutions registered growth of 7%. Within Fluid Technology, the pharmaceutical and biotech industries saw orders grow ahead of sales.…