(Alliance News) - John Lewis Partnership has posted an GBP88 million loss for the past half-year after being hit by increases to national insurance contributions and packaging taxes. Read More
(Alliance News) - London's FTSE 100 is called to open higher, recouping its loss from Wednesday, ahead of a eurozone interest rate decision and US inflation reading. Read More
Jersey Electricity PLC - Jersey-based electricity importer, generator and distributor - Chief Financial Officer Lynne Fulton steps down from board on Wednesday this week, and is set to leave the company at the end of February, following a transition period. Company says the process to appoint a successor has commenced. Read More
(Alliance News) - Welcome to the Alliance News UK service (ISSN 2515-9453), consisting of the Alliance News UK Professional and its family of financial newswires serving investors and their professional advisers. Read More
(Alliance News) - Home buyer inquiries and house sales slipped back further in August, with new instructions to sell falling for the first time in more than a year, according to surveyors. Read More
Artemis Resources Ltd - gold, copper and lithium focused mining company with projects in Western Australia - Completes second tranche of recently announced oversubscribed placement, raising total USD4.9 million. Funds will enable substantial drilling programs at high priority gold and copper targets at Carlow, Titan and Cassowary, starting as soon as possible. Diamond drilling is planned to test potential for significant extensions to the Carlow high-grade gold and copper lode system, well beyond the limit of drilling. At Titan, plans shallow low-cost RC drilling of geophysical anomalies in areas with high-grade surface gold occurrences associated with a brecciated host sequence near previous gold mineralisation encountered in phase 1 drilling this year. Finally, at Cassowary, plans a gravity survey across a more than 5 kilometre wide interpreted intrusion on a major cruststal boundary east of Kalgoorlie ahead of drilling planned to test potential iron oxide copper gold-type copper/gold mineralisation. Read More
Gresham House Income & Growth 2 VCT PLC - Formerly Mobeus Income & Growth VCT PLC - Net asset value per share is 53.79 pence at June 30, down 1.1% from 54.87p at end March. Net assets attributable to shareholders is GBP179.18 million, down from GBP182.47 million. Decline in NAV per share is primarily due to the 2.00 pence interim dividend paid in April, partially offset by an increase in the unrealised valuation of the portfolio. On a total return basis and adjusted for the dividend, the NAV per share increases by 0.92 pence, or 1.7% during the quarter. Company name change took effect on June 19. Declares second interim dividend of 2.00 pence. This will reduce NAV per share to 51.79 pence. Read More
Versarien PLC - Gloucestershire-based advanced materials group - Receives "a range of offers from a number of interested parties" regarding its accelerated sale of the patent portfolio and shareholdings in Total Carbide Ltd and Gnanomat SL. Says: "Until legal agreements are signed, there is no certainty of the outcome. As previously announced, the company has taken actions to conserve cash such that its cash runway is now forecast, but not certain, to last until the end of September 2025." Read More
Great Southern Copper PLC - Focused on copper-gold-silver exploration in Chile - Phase 3 diamond drilling has commenced at Cerro Negro, part of the Especularita project. This includes up to 2,000 metres drilling to test extensions to high-grade Cu-Ag results in phases 1 and 2. First holes to target extensions to discovery hole DD007. Drilling is also planned beneath shallow, leached intercepts at lenses 3, 4 and 5, including a 22.5m leached intercept in hole DD012. Says further drillholes to target geochemical and geophysical targets along trend to the south. Chief Executive Officer Sam Garrett says company is evaluating adding a second drilling rig, subject to availability, "to ensure momentum is maintained and to accelerate progress on the programme". Read More
Challenger Energy Group PLC - Castletown, Isle of Man-based energy and mining company - Updates on core Uruguayan assets, AREA OFF-1 and AREA OFF-3. Says first phase of the technical work programme has successfully completed at AREA OFF-3, with multiple new seismic attribute-supported anomalies identified. Findings show material aggregate resource potential from two primary prospects, comprising a best estimate of about 380 million barrels oil recoverable, and an upside case of about 980 million barrels oil recoverable. Shallow water and reservoir depths signal "relatively low development costs, and thus commerciality at even modest discovery volumes". Notes considerable additional exploration potential, including possible slope turbidite and low stand fan play exposure in the north-east of the block. The farmout process for AREA OFF-3 is underway. Further, it expects to begin the 3D seismic acquisition at AREA OFF-1 in late 2025, pending final environmental permitting. Elsewhere, finalises sale of its Trinidad and Tobago business. Reports strong cash position with planned operations fully funded into 2027. "There is strong momentum across our business as we continue to execute our plan - advancing exploration activities in Uruguay, optimising our portfolio, and continuing to execute on our business strategy," says Chief Executive Officer Eytan Uliel, adding "the upcoming period promises to be busy and exciting for Challenger Energy". Read More
(Alliance News) - The following is a round-up of earnings and trading updates by London-listed companies, issued on Wednesday and not separately reported by Alliance News: Read More
(Alliance News) - The FTSE 100 gave back early gains to close lower on Wednesday as weak retailers and increased geopolitical concerns limited progress. Read More