Shares in Close Brothers (CBG) leapt 17% to 458p after the lender issued a positive update on motor finance claims. The cost of the scheme is now expected to be broadly in line with the group’s existing provisions, meaning it doesn’t need to raise fresh capital. Claims ‘comfortably absorbed’ Following the FCA’s revised guidance, Close Brothers says the compensation scheme will cost it around £320 million. Given it has already provisioned £294 million, the balance can therefore be ‘comfortably absorbed by existing capital resources’. This would reduce the group’s CET1 (core equity tier one) capital ratio by just 0.25% to…

Oil giant Shell (SHEL) cut its outlook for Q1 ahead of the publication of its results on 7 May. The company now expects a quarterly loss of $800 million to $1 billion against $400 million to $600 million previously. Temporary decrease Shell warned its Q1 natural gas output would be lower than forecast due to the Middle East conflict. Natural gas is the firm’s biggest source of revenue and profit, representing around 37% of this year’s earnings. Output is seen at 880,000 to 920,000 boepd (barrels of oil equivalent per day) against 920,000 to 980,000 boepd previously. Production in Qatar…

The Artemis II mission, which has seen astronauts travel further from Earth than ever before, has captured the public and investors’ imagination and put the spotlight on space stocks. Meanwhile, SpaceX is preparing to go public later this year at a record valuation, and the limited free float is set to drive demand to the stars. So, how can retail investors tap into the ‘space economy’, which is reckoned to be worth $1.8 trillion within a decade? Here we list some of the UK stocks with space exposure, along with several European and US players. To boldly go According to…

As the turmoil in markets rolls into Q2, we have put together a list of the most shorted UK and US stocks. Having done the same exercise at the end of 2025 and again at the end of February, there are some notable changes. For the uninitiated, short selling involves borrowing stock and selling with the aim of buying back at a lower price. We have to stress this is only suitable for professional and institutional investors, NOT for retail investors. This is because the ‘risk-reward’ involves a great deal more risk than reward. The reward is limited, as even…

This week we spin through what to expect from US beverage giant Constellation Brands (STZ) and energy major Shell (SHEL). Remember, if you value this content, or any of our analysis features and stories, let us know at editorial@sharesify.com. Also, like us on X, Bluesky, Facebook or LinkedIn and be sure to click that ‘follow’ button. And don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel, where you’ll find a wealth of investing podcast material. Constellation Brands (STZ) Beer, wine and spirits producer Constellation Brands (STZ) uncorks Q4 and FY26 earnings after the US market close on 8 April. Given the tough backdrop for alcoholic beverages, shareholders will…

Private label household products firm McBride (MCB) has warned of emerging signs of shortages in global supply chains. It also said it would raise prices or add surcharges to recover increases in its input costs. Shortages increasing The company, which makes own-label supermarket cleaning products, gave investors a first-hand account of the impact of the Middle East crisis. The firm said there was little effect on trading yet, but haulage costs had risen due to fuel price hikes. However, ‘these conditions have now started to change’, with the most heavily impacted chemical and packaging suppliers raising prices. This to cover…

Shares in plant and equipment rental group Speedy Hire (SDY) hit an all-time low of 18p after the firm lowered FY26 guidance. The company said market conditions had worsened in Q4 leading to customer delays which affected hire and service revenue. Lowered guidance Speedy said it had made ‘significant strategic progress’ during the year including a transformational deal with ProService. The firms signed an agreement in October 2025 which Speedy expects to generate £50-55 million of incremental revenue. The ProService tie-up is also expected to be ‘significantly’ earnings-accretive in the first full year of trading. However, before then the firm…

It has been a bumpy Q1 in markets, with quite a divergence in performance between UK large-caps and small/mid-caps. The FTSE index is 4.2% higher, and back above the 10,000 level again, while the FTSE 250 is down 3.9%. Partly this is down to the weight of energy and commodity stocks in the FTSE 100. It’s also partly down to M&A, with the top two large-cap performers both now takeover targets. FTSE 100 movers Excluding Beazley (BEZ) and Schroders (SDR), the big gainers are mostly up on the war in Iran and worsening geopolitics. Energy, mining and defence have been…

Residential construction firm Berkeley Group (BKG) announced a major strategic reset in light of the weakening housing market. The company confirmed its FY26 financial targets, but declined to update its FY27 guidance sending shares 15% lower. Slow market Berkeley develops brownfield sites in urban areas into new homes for sale and for rent where they are most needed. To do this requires ‘considerable upfront capital investment which in turn requires a stable, predictable and supportive operating environment’. In contrast, recent years have seen an unprecedented rise in cost and regulation and a fall in consumer confidence. Meanwhile, the new ‘gateway’…

Shares in media platform Future (FUTR) slumped more than 25% after the firm warned on FY26 earnings. The company said audience shifts from Google search had negatively impacted its higher-margin programmatic advertising and ecommerce revenue. Zero hour In an update for the six months to 31 March, the firm said its growth strategy was ‘making good progress’. This included its ‘Google-Zero strategy’ across its leading brands, which aims to attract high-value audiences across distribution platforms. Google-Zero refers to the point where Google evolves from a web search engine to an AI-powered ‘answer engine’. This means users receive direct answers from…