Parsortix liquid biopsy system developer CelLBxHealth (LON: CLBX) has entered an agreement with AstraZeneca which makes the AIM company a qualified service provider to the global pharma company for its development pipeline of treatments. The share price jumped 47.8% to 2.55p.  

Europa Oil and Gas (LON: EOG) has received government approval in Equatorial Guinea for the farm out of EG-08 to Chinese company Fuhai. The final requirement is Chinese government approval. Drilling could start on the Barracuda well in early 2027. Tennyson Securities values the company’s 17% stake at 19p/share. The share price increased 6.67% to 1.6p.

Arrowsmith Partners has bought a 5.07% shareholding in property services provider Fletcher King (LON: FLK) from CM Strategic 613 Ltd, reducing its stake to 24.92%. The share price rose 6.17% to 43p.

Digital health company Medpal AI (LON: MPAL) reported initial revenues of £1.6m for the six months to February 2026. Universal Pharmacy was acquired at the beginning of October. Dispensing volumes are growing every month. Since February, £3.5m has been raised at 2.5p/share and Remidi acquired for £310,000. This means that there are two NHS dispensing hubs. Pharmacy breakeven, before central costs, could happen before the end of the year. The share price improved 6.12% to 2.6p.

FALLERS

Lansdowne Oil and Gas has changed its name to Lansdowne Resources (LON: LRES). The company recently raised £2m via a placing and retail offer at 0.1p/share. Lansdowne Resources is seeking compensation of at least $100m plus interest for the Irish government refusing to issue a permit to develop the Barryroe field. The share price declined 16% to 0.105p.

Buccaneer Energy (LON: BUCE) says average 2025 production was 66 barrels of oil/day and that generated income of $1.5m. Production fell 15% because of floods in Spain and a natural decline in the Fouke area. Investment and increasing the stake in the Fouke waterflood could help production improve to nearer 200 barrels of oil/day in 2026. There is a fixed cost base and no hedging so Buccaneer Energy gets the full benefit of price increases. The share price fell 8.33% to 0.011p.

Tavistock Investments (LON: TAVI) has appointed Ian Dickinson as a non-executive director. He is the founder of Lifetime Financial Management Intermediaries, which Tavistock investments acquired a 76.59% sake in during April. He retains the other 23.41%. The share price slipped 4.55% to 3.15p.

Borders & Southern Petroleum (LON: BOR) says that there is multiple potential farm out partners for its Falkland Islands oil exploration assets. The final investment decision for the Sea Lion prospect, offshore Falkland Islands, has increased interest. In 2025, there was a cash outflow of $2.4m leaving $2.56m in the bank, which should fund the company in 2025. The share price dipped 3.7% to 11.075p.

The FTSE 100 rose on Friday as traders reacted to the latest developments in the Middle East.

Headline-to-headline trading continued on Friday, with stocks rising on the back of the latest comments from US officials suggesting that a deal with Iran for a 60-day extension of the current ceasefire was close.

But we’ve been here before, and markets are showing signs of caution with the FTSE 100 rising just 0.3% in mid-morning trade.

Just this week, the US has hinted at a deal only to bomb Iran, which was met with retaliatory strikes. 

We may see a strong reaction in markets when a deal is signed, but until then, it’s likely that UK stocks remain range-bound. 

“The FTSE 100 was steady on Friday as global markets continue to try and unpick the latest movements in the Middle East,” said AJ Bell investment director Russ Mould.

“Reports that Tehran and Washington have agreed a framework for a 60-day extension to the ceasefire, which would facilitate the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and enable fresh negotiations over Iran’s nuclear programme, have engendered some positivity.

“But there remain conflicting noises about whether the deal will get sign-off from President Trump.”

Most FTSE 100 stocks were higher on Friday, with cyclical stocks leading the way. After falling heavily earlier in the week, Autotrader rallied 4% to the top of the FTSE 100 leaderboard on Friday. 

British American Tobacco was one of the worst performers of the season as defensive shares fell out of favour with hopes of a US/Iran deal on the horizon.

Centrica was down 2%, and SSE lost 1.3% on similar sentiments.

Article sponsored by F&O Research

SpaceX is preparing for a $1.8 trillion IPO which would make its eventual IPO the largest in market history. But while most investors won’t be able to buy shares directly until it lists, there are ways to get exposure to SpaceX before liftoff.

The business itself has evolved dramatically. Beyond rockets and Mars ambitions, SpaceX now operates across satellite internet, AI infrastructure, defence communications and orbital computing.

It estimates its total addressable market at around $28.5 trillion. Starlink alone generates roughly $3.26 billion in quarterly revenue, representing around 69% of total company revenue and $1.19 billion in operating profit. This is infrastructure at a planetary scale.

So where can investors get exposure to SpaceX before the IPO?

For more ways to get exposure, please download the full report from F&O Research here.

Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust is probably the most talked-about route for UK investors. Baillie Gifford’s flagship trust invested approximately $200 million into SpaceX between 2018 and 2021. That holding is now reportedly worth close to $4 billion, a 19x return, and the IPO hasn’t even happened yet. For anyone already holding Scottish Mortgage in an ISA or SIPP, they may have more SpaceX exposure than they realise.

Beyond SpaceX, there are broader space economy plays worth considering. Seraphim Space Investment Trust is listed in the UK and focused on the commercial space sector, including satellite technology, communications infrastructure, and aerospace innovation. Procure Space ETF offers diversified exposure across launch technology, satellite operators and aerospace businesses.

Ocado Group has secured a sizeable new partner for its Ocado Smart Platform, signing up Asda to overhaul the supermarket’s online grocery operation across the UK.

Ocado investors are in desperate need of some good news, and the deal will be more than welcome.

Asda turned over more than £21bn in 2025 and already handles upwards of 700,000 ecommerce orders a week from its network of around 1,100 stores and dark stores.

Winning business of this scale gives Ocado a flagship UK partnership at a time it needs to demonstrate to the market its technology business is still relevant and can win meaningful contracts beyond its existing partner roster.

The plan is to deploy Ocado’s end-to-end kit across Asda’s operations, including the webshop front-end, in-store fulfilment, and the routing and last-mile software that has long been Ocado’s calling card.

Roll-out is pencilled in for early 2027, with both sides working through the commercial framework in the coming months. Once live, Asda will be able to offer scheduled and short lead-time deliveries, click and collect, and crucially fulfil orders coming in through the likes of Uber Eats, Deliveroo and Just Eat, plugging the supermarket into the rapid-delivery aggregator economy.

The deal won’t materially impact Ocado’s numbers in FY26, but the strategic read-across is more interesting and, hopefully, gives Ocado a boost before revenues from the deal have an impact in 2027.

Ocado is sticking with its guidance to turn cash flow positive in the second half of this year, with full-year cash flow positivity earmarked for FY27, when Asda revenues start flowing.

Time Out Group has opened the doors on its 13th global food market, with Time Out Market Vancouver welcoming the public from Thursday at the high-profile Oakridge Park development.

The new site is the AIM-listed group’s second in Canada and, importantly for shareholders watching the unit economics, operates under a management agreement rather than soaking up capital.

At 51,000 sq ft, it will have 18 kitchens, a dessert counter, a coffee counter, three bars, event spaces and an outdoor terrace.

Oakridge Park is one of the largest urban redevelopments underway in North America, a five-million sq ft mixed-use scheme co-developed by QuadReal and Westbank, including more than 140 retail brands, 6,000 residents, 700,000 sq ft of office space, a major community centre and library, and half a dozen live music venues.

Time Out has made a real success of their markets, such as the one in Lisbon pictured above, and has become a hub for tourists and locals alike.

The firm plans to continue this strategy and roll out further sites.

Four sites are already signed for 2026 and beyond, taking in a franchise in Delhi and management agreements in Abu Dhabi, Prague and Riyadh, with more locations said to be in advanced negotiations.

Management agreements and franchise deals now make up the majority of the pipeline, a notable shift from the capital-intensive owned-and-operated model that defined the early years.

Microbiome-based health company OptiBiotix Health (LON: OPTI) increased 2025 revenues by one-third to £1.17m and there are £212,000 orders received in 2025 that will be supplied in 2026. A further £800,000 of orders have been received this year. Cash was £1.04m at the end of 2025 and that is before the £787,000 raised from the sale of shares in SkinBioTherapeutics (LON: SBTX). OptiBiotix health is focusing on high growth areas and annual costs are being reduced by more than £500,000. The share price gained 8.7% to 6.25p.

Pulsar Helium Inc (LON: PLSR) says the new gas extraction regulatory framework in Minnesota will help development of the Topaz project. The new helium-specific guidelines provide a clearer pathway to production. The Jetstream 3-7 exploration and appraisal programme and each well encountered gas under high pressure. The share price rose 5.16% to 83.5p.

The scheme document for the bid for Deltic Energy (LON: DELT) has been published. Neo Next+ Energy Upstream, which is part of the largest North Sea oil group, has bid 7.7p in cash per share, valuing Deltic Energy at £7.2m. The company has received a $1m payment from Dana Petroleum relating to a farm-in agreement. The share price recovered 6.06% to 7p.

Shares in Sound Energy (LON: SOU) have made a modest recovery of 4.55% to 2.3p. The company has sent the notice of a meeting for restructuring of the €28.8m 5% senior secured noteholders. The meeting is on 12 June.

FALLERS

Low sodium salt developer MircoSalt (LON: SALT) reported a jump in revenues from $800,000 to $2.1m in 2025 and they could more than double again this year as new contracts come through. However, the 2026 revenues forecast has been downgraded from $7m to $4.6m because of a delay in production at customer 3. Zeus says that this delay pushes revenues out by five months and 2027 guidance remains that revenues could be $15m. Net debt could be $1.9m by the end of 2026 with 2027 set to be cash generative. The share price slipped 9.38% to 43.5p.

Oil and gas company Prospex Oil (LON: PXEN) reported a 2025 loss of £2.81m, but that was after an investment valuation write down of £2.54m. Increased income from the Selva field in Spain reduced the underlying loss from £745,000 to £273,000. The income from Selva is included in finance income rather than being reported as revenues because of the way the investment is held. These figures are prior to the recent rise in the gas price. First quarter income from Selva was £912,000, which is similar to the income from the field for the whole of 2025. Prospex Energy will use the cash it is generating to expand production at Selva and develop other interests in Spain and Poland. The share price appears to have reacted to the non-cash write down and not the prospects and it fell 4.76% to 3p.

Semiconductor ware manufacturer IQE (LON: IQE) has completed its £81m fundraising, including shares issued at 19.8p each. It also reported a decline in sales and a flat loss of £37m. Net debt was £31.5m at the end of 2025. Weaker mobile phone demand hit the wireless demand with increasing sales to the photonics sector. First quarter demand has been strong in all core sectors, and 2026 revenues should be one-fifth ahead. The share price is 2.61% lower at 49.375p, having been below 47p at one point today.

Ex-dividends

Advanced Medical Solutions (LON: AMS) is paying a final dividend of 2.01p/share and the share price slipped 5p to 214p.

Avingtrans (LON: AVG) is paying an interim dividend of 2p/share and the share price is unchanged at 660p.

Brave Bison (LON: BBSN) is paying a final dividend of 0.44p/share and the share price is unchanged at 82.5p.

Fintel (LON: FNTL) is paying a final dividend of 2.5p/share and the share price rose 3.5p to 185.5p.

Goldplat (LON: GDP) is paying a dividend of 0.17p/share and the share price dipped 1.125p to 17.125p.

Greencoat Renewables (LON: GRP) is paying a dividend of 1.7 eurocents/share and the share price slid 2.9 eurocents to 74.8 eurocents.

Ingenta (LON: ING) is paying a final dividend of 2.75p/share and the share price is steady at 97.5p.

Likewise (LON: LIKE) is paying a final dividend of 0.27p/share and the share price is unchanged at 25p.

Lords Group Trading (LON: LORD) is paying a final dividend of 0.2p/share and the share price is steady at 17.25p.

Origin Enterprises (LON: OGN) is paying an interim dividend of 3.15 eurocents/share and the share price is unchanged at 397.5p.

RTC Group (LON: RTC) is paying a dividend of 5.5p/share and the share price declined 6p to 105p.

Ultimate Products (LON: ULTP) is paying an interim dividend of 0.9p/share and the share price gained 0.4p to 51.4p. A third quarter trading statement shows revenues ahead of expectations. This marks an end to quarter on quarter declines. Full year sales are expected to be flat rather than the previous estimate of a 5% decline.

Yu Group (LON: YU.) is paying a final dividend of 45p/share and the share price fell 25p to £17.50.

The FTSE 100 fell on Thursday after hope of an agreement between the US and Iran was dealt a major blow by US military actions against Iran overnight.

It’s unclear whether the US believes this will push Iran towards an agreement, but it certainly hasn’t worked so far, and markets have taken the latest developments as a signal that the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed in the near term.

Brent oil rose 2% on Thursday, and investors dumped FTSE 100 stocks, sending the index down by 1.1% at the time of writing.

“The optimism which has persisted for much of this week about the prospects for a deal between the US and Iran is being severely tested,” said AJ Bell investment director Russ Mould.

“A fresh exchange of strikes between the two countries is testing the fragile ceasefire and forcing a reassessment of the chances of a near-term agreement which can reopen the Strait of Hormuz and dial down the pressure the crisis is putting on the global economy.

“For now, oil prices remain out of the $100 per barrel danger zone but government bond yields are ticking higher and the FTSE 100 and other European markets followed Asian shares in chalking up material losses.”

Most FTSE 100 stocks were down on Thursday, with those that rallied yesterday on hopes of a deal reversing much of their gains.

Retailers and consumer-facing stocks were among those heaviest hit. JD Sports lost 4% while Kingfisher gave back 4.1%.

BT was the FTSE 100’s top faller, shedding 4.5%.

SSE was the standout corporate update on Thursday, announcing relatively strong preliminary results, but shares fell amid the wider market selloff.

Adam Vettese, market analyst for eToro, says: “SSE’s preliminary results this morning show a company successfully executing on its energy transition strategy despite some near-term earnings softness”

“Adjusted EPS of 153.5p beat the 147-152p guidance range, supported by record capital investment of £3.6 billion, up 23% year-on-year, as the group accelerates its £33 billion five year plan, with 80% directed at regulated networks and the balance in renewables and flexibility.”

PPHE Hotel Group shares soared on Thursday after confirming a takeover approach from Fattal Hotel Group, with the Israeli-based operator tabling an indicative cash offer of £22 per share.

PPHE shares were 25% higher at the time of writing.

The proposal follows the strategic review and formal sale process PPHE kicked off back in November.

PPHE said that the board has reviewed the offer and feels it represents ‘fair value’.

The next step is for the Board to sound out PPHE’s larger shareholders to gauge whether a deal could actually get over the line. As ever with these things, there’s no guarantee a firm offer will materialise, nor any certainty on the eventual terms.

Nonetheless, PPHE seems keen to do a deal that could result in yet another company leaving London’s public markets.

PPHE recently announced an 8% increase in Q1 revenues driven by strength in its London portfolio.