Glencore shares stumbled on Wednesday after the mining giant reported a 14% drop in EBITDA in the first half of 2025 as weaker coal prices weighed on profitability.

The group’s industrial activities segment, which includes mining, smelting and refining, saw adjusted EBITDA fall to $3.7bn in H1 2025 from $4.5bn in the same period a year ago. Adjusted EBIT sank 37% to $1.8bn.

The coal business was a real drag on performance in the first half with impairments of coal assets leading to Glencore recording an overall $655m loss for the period.

Although coal was the main driver in falling profits, there was also weakness in the copper business, with lower production and grades hitting profits.

“The headlines of Glencore’s half year report do not read particularly well,” said Adam Vettese, market analyst for eToro.

“Earnings were clearly pressured, with a 14% drop in adjusted EBITDA and a net loss of $655 million, driven by weaker coal and copper prices and significant impairments, most notably at Cerrejón. Margins are down and copper output underwhelmed, with risks from volatile markets and operational delays still front and centre.”

Vettese continued to explain that while the first half period was one to forget for Glencore, there were some positive takeaways that could help boost future performance.

“Despite these headwinds, there is some silver lining. Revenue held flat year on year, highlighting the strength of its trading arm and the resilience of its diversified portfolio. The sale of Viterra and the resulting Bunge stake not only bolstered Glencore’s balance sheet, reflected in a healthy boost in liquidity but also added optionality going forward,” Vettese said.

“Importantly, management is focusing on self-help, a $1 billion cost saving program is underway all the while shareholder returns remain generous, with $3.2 billion committed for the year.”

Ibstock shares jumped on Wednesday as investors welcomed rising first-half sales and looked forward to a future recovery in brick demand.

Ibstock, one of Britain’s leading building products manufacturers, has reported a 9% increase in revenue to £193 million for the six months ended 30 June 2025, driven by strong volume growth as the construction market continues its recovery.

However, the company’s profitability came under pressure during the period, with adjusted EBITDA falling 6% to £36 million as margins were squeezed by higher costs associated with reactivating network capacity to meet recovering demand.

Nonetheless, Ibstock shares were over 5% higher in early trade on Wednesday as investors looked forward to further recovery.

Ibstock expects further volume growth in the second half of the year and believes it is well-positioned to capitalise on the market recovery, supported by recent investments in network capacity and strategic investments in its Atlas and Nostell plants.

The company said it was maintaining a “clear focus on margin management and execution” as it seeks to rebuild profitability whilst meeting growing demand in the recovering construction market.

 Ibstock maintained previously issued EBITDA guidance of £77 million to £82 million.

“Ibstock continues to build momentum as its sales volumes ramped up as expected over the first half, landing materially ahead of the prior year,” said Aarin Chiekrie, equity analyst, Hargreaves Lansdown.

“Further volume growth is pencilled in for the second half as new property construction activity continues to build. These expectations are buoyed by market forecasts of further interest rate cuts through the rest of 2025 and beyond, which should improve mortgage affordability and drive further uplifts in demand for Ibstock’s products.

“To prepare for this potential uplift, Ibstock is starting to bring more capacity online and now has the largest brick-making capacity in the UK. However, due to the high fixed costs associated with firing up the brick-making kilns, margins have come under pressure. Until demand ramps up further, operations won’t be as efficient as investors would like, and profitability will remain hamstrung. In the meantime, cash flows and investor returns will likely remain in the back seat.”

CAP-XX shares soared on Tuesday after announcing it has secured a significant design win with one of the world’s largest semiconductor chip manufacturers.

The company said the deal marks a key milestone as it deepens its penetration into high-growth industrial sectors. Investors cheered the news, and shares surged over 50%.

The partner remains unnamed due to the commercial sensitivity of the partnership.

The project involves integrating CAP-XX’s supercapacitors into high-temperature electric chambers used in semiconductor fabrication. These demanding environments require power solutions that can withstand extreme heat whilst maintaining reliability—conditions where traditional batteries often fail due to temperature sensitivity and shortened lifespans.

“This is an exciting validation of our technology by a global industry leader,” Lars Stegmann, CEO of CAP-XX, commented.

“Our ability to deliver high-performance energy solutions in challenging conditions continues to set us apart. We look forward to expanding this relationship and driving further adoption of CAP-XX supercapacitors in high-value industrial applications.”

Today’s gains mean CAP-XX shares are 190% higher in 2025, so far.

The FTSE 100 had a spring in its step on Tuesday as positive corporate updates drove the index higher.

In addition to strong earnings from the likes of BP, Diageo and Smith & Nephew, equity markets benefited from investor positioning for more interest rate cuts this year in the wake of soggy US jobs data. 

“Markets spent little time absorbing last Friday’s payroll shock,” explained  Ahmad Assiri Research Strategist at Pepperstone.

“After the headline jobs miss nudged investors toward trimming size positioning, the play has shifted into a more defensive gear across assets yet with a growing conviction that the Fed will soon extend a policy safety net with two or three rate cuts by year end.”

London’s leading index was trading higher by 0.3% at 9,156 at the time of writing. 

Smith & Nephew led the index higher as the medical technology company surged 15% to the highest levels since 2023 after reporting a 30% increase in operating profit in the first half. 

“Smith & Nephew seems as if it’s been on the waiting list for a recovery for a long time but its latest results suggest it may now firmly be on the mend,” AJ Bell investment director Russ Mould said.

“Strong growth and rising profitability and cash flow, as well as a meaningful share buyback, are all big ticks in the box for the company.”

Mould also highlighted Fresnillo’s operational progress as the stock rose 5% on Tuesday. Fresnillo was one of the FTSE 100’s to go selections during the height of 2025’s uncertainty, and the stock’s gains year to date have been justified by EBITDA rising 102% in the first half of 2025.

“Fresnillo has got a big boost from higher precious metals prices in 2025 as investors have sought out gold’s safe haven attributes amid significant economic and geopolitical uncertainty,” Mould said.

“However, its latest results show the company is also doing well operationally and keeping a tight rein on costs, allowing its shares to sparkle this morning.”

BP shares touched their highest point since the announcement of Donald Trump’s tariffs after releasing Q2 2025 results, which went a long way to reassuring investors of the company’s trajectory.

“BP delivered a solid performance in Q2 2025, showing it is regaining momentum after a shaky few years. Profits nearly doubled from the previous quarter thanks to strong oil trading and a rebound in refining margins, despite weaker oil prices,” said Lale Akoner, global market analyst at eToro.

“The company continues to cut costs and improve efficiency, which helped lift cash flow and fund a generous $750M share buyback. Notably, BP’s retail and Castrol businesses saw strong growth, showing resilience beyond just pumping oil. A major new oil discovery in Brazil also highlights renewed exploration success.”

BP shares were 2% higher at the time of writing.

Diageo investors were also in need of reassurance going into the alcohol giant’s preliminary results. A headline revenue decline of 0.1% and a 27% drop in operating profits were disappointing but well telegraphed.

Cost-cutting measures provided some solace, and shares rose 3%.

With summer fully upon us, the UK Investor Magazine presents five equity ideas for August.

Focusing on the UK and US equity markets, we have selected five share tips, each with a compelling investment case. The selection is a mix of growth and value picks spanning a range of industry sectors.

Five stocks for August 2025:

• Greggs (LON: GRG)
• Tekcapital (LON: TEK)
• Filtronic (LON: FTC)
• Adsure Services (AQSE: ADS)
• Tonix Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: TNXP)

Greggs

It’s an impossible task trying to pick the bottom in a declining stock. If anyone should achieve such a feat, it’s usually more by luck than judgment. With this in mind, we highlight Greggs shares, not because we’re calling a bottom in the year-long bear run, but because its current valuation is starting to look highly attractive.

Greggs has had a terrible 2025. The baker kicked off the year with a warning on cost inflation and worries about consumer spending. Shares fell from above 2,800p to 2,100p over three days in January.

Then, in early July, Greggs said they believed operating profit for the current year would be lower than the previous year. Shares fell from 1,900p to 1,500p.

The company blamed poor weather and lower footfall.

Nonetheless, the sausage roll specialist is pushing forward with store openings and supply chain improvements, which should be evident in future earnings reports.

Failing any further surprises, the bad news looks to be baked into the Greggs share price cake.

Annualising diluted EPS for the first half of the year puts Greggs on an earnings multiple of around 17x. This is on the expensive side, but looking forward to next year and the impact of new stores and the removal of costs relating to operational improvements, the forward multiple should be a lot lower.

Tekcapital

Tekcapital, one of our ‘Top 20 Picks for 2025’, is approaching a crucial stage in the company’s growth story.

Earlier this year, Tekcapital announced its portfolio company, Guident, had confidentially filed for a NASDAQ IPO and laid the foundations for a Tekcapital share price re-rating.

With a mission to pay out a special dividend once significant gains in portfolio companies have been crystallised, Tekcapital’s business model and value creation centres around building and listing technology companies that improve the lives of a great number of people.

After Microsalt and GenIP floated in 2024, Guident is set to be the next portfolio company from the Tekcapital stable to list, likely at a higher valuation than currently accounted for on Tekcapital’s balance sheet.

A recently released investor report underscored the deep value in Tekcapital’s shares. According to the Tekcapital report, Tekcapital shares were trading at a 64% discount to the company’s NAV as of 30th June. What makes the company a particularly compelling opportunity is that Guident was only valued at $25 million at this point, far less than it could be valued at when it lists in the US.

Figma’s storming US debut and a 250% one-day rally last week emphasise the health of the US primary markets and the interest cutting-edge tech shares can garner.

Filtronic

Filtronic has announced a series of contract wins this year, underscoring the growing demand for the group’s RF, microwave and mmWave communication solutions.

The recent decline in the shares probably represents a slight reality check by the market after the stock surged more than 100% in the first seven months of 2025. We’d argue it brings it closer to the ‘buy zone’.

Filtronic’s sharp ascent so far in 2025 is more than justified. Profits for 2025FY rose to £14m from £3m in the year prior as revenues more than doubled to £56m.

Trading at 22x last year’s earnings, you may feel Filtronic is too richly valued at current levels. But the company’s earnings growth, driven by surging order flow, looks set to continue. If the company continues down its current path, earnings multiples will drop and more than justify its current share price.

Filtronic at 130p per share, would be a steal – if it gets there.

Adsure Services

Aquis-listed Adsure Service is becoming a dividend hero. Implementing a progressive dividend policy since listing in 2023, Adsure’s last dividend puts them on a yield of around 9%.

Dividends are supported by regular and reliable cash flows from long-term contracts for internal audit and business assurance services with government-funded organisations, including housing associations, emergency services, and local councils.

Their half-year report demonstrated another period of growth for the firm, with revenue jumping 19% and EBITDA more than tripling.

Building on its already strong financials, Adsure is laying the groundwork for future margin expansion with the development of its proprietary AI tool, TIAA Insight.

Funded by an Innovate UK grant and trained on decades of real-life client outcomes, TIAA Insight is designed to help improve efficiencies across Adsure’s operating subsidiary, TIAA Ltd, by enhancing human-in-the-loop internal auditors’ workflows.

Tonix Pharmaceuticals

Tonix Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical listed in the US, focused on developing innovative therapies for central nervous system disorders, immunology, and infectious diseases.

This is a high-risk/reward play that may not be every investor’s cup of tea.

The company’s lead asset, TNX-102 SL, is a patented sublingual cyclobenzaprine hydrochloride formulation targeting fibromyalgia management. Fibromyalgia affects an estimated 6-12 million adults in the United States, with current treatment options frequently failing to meet patient and physician expectations. There hasn’t been a new effective non-opioid Fibromyalgia treatment for over 15 years.

Having demonstrated promising results across multiple Phase 3 clinical trials, the company and investors are awaiting a TNX-102 SL FDA decision due in August.

The company has recently launched a Fibromyalgia-focused patient outreach programme, indicating they are fairly confident in the outcome.

With the FDA marketing authorisation decision due by 15th August, Tonix shares could be sharply higher or lower by the end of the month.

Private equity giant KKR has increased its offer for scientific instruments maker Spectris to 4,175p per share, valuing the FTSE 250 company at approximately £4.2 billion.

The revised bid from KKR’s special purpose vehicle comprises 4,147p in cash plus a 28p interim dividend. This represents a 104.9% premium to Spectris’ closing price of 2,038p on 6 June, the day before the takeover battle with rival bidder Advent began.

KKR’s enhanced offer exceeds a recent competing bid from private equity firm Advent International, which raised its offer to 4,100p per share just days ago.

With the new KKR offer just 1.8% higher than Advent’s recently increased offer, it wouldn’t be overly surprising to see Advent come back to the table again.

The Spectris takeover battle began in June when Advent initially agreed a 3,763p-per-share deal with Spectris. KKR then gatecrashed the process in July with a higher 4,000p-per-share offer.

Spectris’ board has unanimously recommended the newly increased KKR offer and withdrawn its support for Advent’s bid.

The new proposal values Spectris at 20.3 times its adjusted EBITDA and implies an enterprise value of approximately £4.8 billion.

Spectris, which makes precision measurement instruments for industries including automotive and pharmaceuticals, has seen its share price more than double since the bidding began in June.