1 – Is Zoom the canary in the coal mine for Covid winners?
Here we take a slightly tongue-in-cheek look at the other lockdown beneficiaries – and just what the future might hold them after Zoom’s after-hours biffing.
2 – AO World sounds the earnings alarm
Driver shortages, and supply chain issues. Sound familiar? Well, they are themes that have affected post-Brexit, Covid bounce-back Britain. They’ve also knocked the legs from under AO World, the white goods group, which sounded the earnings alarm Tuesday. We discuss whether AO is all washed up.
3 – Pets At Home does the opposite
We’ve got broker reaction and upgrades following the retailer’s latest tweak higher to earnings forecasts, which was applauded in the Square Mile and rewarded with a 7% mark-up in the share price. If you’d got into this one pre-pandemic you’d have doubled your money.
4 – Battle for River & Mercantile pitches sees two City veterans square up
Former Aberdeen Asset Management founder and boss, Martin Gilbert, is going toe-to-toe with Gervais Williams, king of the small-caps.
5 – FTSE 100
It was another fairly listless day for the UK blue-chip index, which rose 11 points to 7,266.69.
And another thing…. is it worth investing in bricks and mortar?
Who will love the housebuilders now that an interest rate rise in the next two months looks inevitable? Step forward Berenberg, the German bank
The day ahead: Wednesday
Trading announcements: Breedon Group Plc (AIM:BREE), Intertek Group Plc (LSE:ITRK), Rotork PLC (LSE:ROR)
Interims: HICL Infrastructure PLC, Johnson Matthey PLC (LSE:JMAT), United Utilities Group PLC (LSE:UU.)
Finals: AB Dynamics PLC (AIM:ABDP), Brewin Dolphin Holdings Plc (LSE:BRW), Britvic PLC (LSE:BVIC), Virgin Money UK PLC (LSE:VMUK), Diploma PLC (LSE:DPLM)
AGMs: CVS, Genus, Renishaw
