Insurance and asset management group Legal & General (LON:LGEN) said it was on track to meet or beat its strategic targets. The comments from CEO Antonio Simoes came as the firm posted H1 core operating profit well above analysts’ forecasts. Profit beats consensus For the first six months of 2026, core operating profit rose 7% to £918, comfortably ahead of the £883 million consensus. Core operating EPS rose 11%, also above forecasts, and FY growth is expected to exceed the top end of the firm’s 6% to 9% target. While the group didn’t break down the increase in operating profit,…

Shares in HSBC (LON:HSBA) fell in early trade despite the bank beating Q2 forecasts and restarting its buyback programme. The company also raised its forecast for FY banking net interest income, but it fell short of market expectations. Shares down despite Q2 beat For the three months to June, HSBC posted a 60% increase in pre-tax profit to $10.1 billion. That beat the consensus forecast of $9.5 billion, but the result was helped by $2.6 billion of ‘notable items’. Total revenue increased by $2.6 billion or 16% to $19.1 billion against the consensus of $18.6 billion. Once again, there was…

In our latest special podcast, Steven Frazer and Ian Conway are joined by Emily Whiting, Emerging Markets and Asia Pacific investment specialist at JPMorgan Asset Management. The discussion focuses on JPMorgan Emerging Markets Growth & Income (JMGI), which aims to provide a superior total return by investing in high-quality companies across the market cap spectrum delivering sustainable long-term growth. Our special guest tells us what sets JMGI apart from other trusts in the Global Emerging Markets sector. Whiting also explains how JPMorgan’s specialist ’on the ground’ teams meet and research thousands of companies each year. This local presence gives the portfolio…

Shipping services group Clarksons (LON:CKN) raised its FY26 guidance after an ‘exceptional’ H1 thanks to strong trading conditions. The firm now expects earnings for the year to be ‘materially ahead of market expectations’. ‘Exceptional’ H1 trading For the six months to June, Clarksons posted a 39% increase in revenue to £413 million. Underlying pre-tax profit increased 56% to £61.5 million, while underlying EPS (earnings per share) increased 50% to 147.6p. CEO Andi Case commented: ‘Clarksons delivered a record first half performance, reflecting both the investment into our underlying business and the exceptional volatility caused by the disruption to global trade…

The first week of August is one of the busiest stretches of the earnings season, with major results across the UK, US and Europe. Investors will be watching for updates on AI spending, consumer demand, energy, healthcare, travel and financial services. In the US, key reports include SpaceX (NASDAQ:SPCX), AMD (NASDAQ:AMD), Palantir (NASDAQ:PLTR), Arista Networks (NYSE:ANET), Eli Lilly (NYSE:LLY), Uber (NYSE:UBER), Costco (NYSE:COST) and McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD), plus lots more. In the UK, focus will be on HSBC (LON:HSBA), BP (LON:BP.), Next (LON:NXT), Diageo (LON:DGE), Admiral (LON:ADM), and Persimmon (LON:PSN), among others. Major Europeans In Europe, a heavy line-up includes Siemens…

Housebuilder Taylor WImpey (LON:TW.) lowered its outlook for completions for FY26 and slashed its interim dividend. The firm said market conditions would remain ‘challenging’ with pricing below last year due to lower demand. Taylor Wimpey cuts outlook and dividend Presenting its H1 results, CEO Jennie Daly said the firm had delivered a ‘solid performance’ despite continuing market uncertainty. The firm’s focus for now is on managing the business tightly and controlling costs while it waits for an improvement in demand. For the six months to June, the company posted a 1.7% increase in revenue to £1.68 billion. UK completions excluding…

High-street bank NatWest Group (LON:NWG) raised its FY26 return on equity guidance after Q2 earnings narrowly beat expectations. The results were driven by higher fee and non-interest income on one hand and lower impairment losses on the other. Narrow Q2 earnings beat For the three months to June, the group posted total income of £4.5 billion compared with a consensus of £4.4 billion. Net interest income of £3.5 billion was in line with forecasts, while fee and non-interest income of £1 billion was 14% above forecasts. Operating costs were marginally below forecasts at £2.07 billion, while impairments for credit losses…

UK lender Lloyds (LON:LLOY) announced new medium-term return targets together with a new £1 billion share buyback. The updated guidance came as the bank posted pre-tax profit for Q2 which topped analysts’ forecasts. New return targets Lloyds reiterated its financial guidance for FY26, and added new RoTE (Return on Tangible Equity) targets for FY28 and FY30. It aims to generate RoTE of 18% in FY28 and 20% in FY20 against this year’s target of above 16%. For H1, pre-tax profit rose almost 23% to £4.3 billion thanks to higher total income and tight cost control. For Q2, profit rose 14%…

Shares in energy giant Shell (LON:SHEL) gained after the firm’s Q2 earnings more than doubled from last year. As well as a higher oil price, results were helped by higher utilisation rates and refining margins. Earnings more than double For Q2, Shell posted adjusted earnings of $9.84 billion against $6.9 billion in Q1 and $4.3 billion a year ago. The result was above the company-compiled consensus of $8.9 billion and just shy of the top estimate of $10 billion. The beat reflected higher realised prices, higher LNG trading and optimisation, favourable tax movements, higher chemicals margins and higher crude and…

Recruitment has been pretty much one of the worst-performing areas of the UK market for the last decade. Most stocks were sliding well before the pandemic, which ironically gave them a lift, and most have hit multi-year lows in 2026. However, recent trading updates from the likes of Hays (LON:HAS), Pagegroup (LON:PAGE) and Robert Walters (LON:RWA) suggest things are getting less bad. That’s not to say things are good, just that hiring trends aren’t quite as negative as they were previously. Recruitment stock shares versus all time highs ATHDatePrice todayChangeHays505pNov 199966p-87%Pagegroup690pOct 2021195p-72%Robert Walters794pJan 2022120p-85%Staffline1500pOct 201545p-97%SThree610pOct 2021260p-57% Source: Stockopedia This has…