Arc Minerals (LON: ARCM) appointed Remy Welschinger as chief executive from 2 January 2026. He is currently a non-exec of Arc Minerals and President of Viridian Lithium. The executive chairman Nick von Schirnding will become non-exec chairman. The share price jumped 66.7% to 0.625p.

hVIVO (LON: HVO) chief executive and finance director each bought shares in the contact research business early in the week. Yamin Khan bought 3.31 million shares at 6.04p each, taking his take to 1.21%, and Stephen Pickerton acquired 520,000 at 5.5p each. The share price recovered 39.7% to 7.35p.

Offshore energy market services provider Tekmar Group (LON: TGP) has won a contract with an existing customer worth €8m. There is existing infrastructure and potential for near-term production. This for a major UK offshore wind farm. Revenues should be recognised this year and next year. The share price rebounded 39.7% to 11p.

Quantum Helium (LON: QHE) says an independent resource report has been published and the best estimate for the Coyote Wash project in Colorado is 0.97bcf of gross recoverable helium. This takes the gross recoverable resource of the company’s projects to 1.1bcf, which have a gross value of $330m. There are also potential oil resources of up to 750,000 barrels. The company also has a 90% working interest in the Sagebrush helium project which has 2U helium reserves of 101MMscf net.  The share price improved 33.9% to 0.0375p.

FALLERS

Bars operator The Revel Collective (LON: TRC) is in discussions with potential acquirors of its businesses and they would not lead to any return for shareholders. There is no likelihood of raising money through a share issue. Trading in the shares will be suspended on 29 December because the 2024-25 annual report will not be published by the end of the year. The share price dived 76.7%% to 0.035p.

Red Rock Resources (LON: RRR) raised £250,000 at 0.021p/share and an existing shareholder invested £200,000 at 0.025p/share, while another shareholder is converting £200,000 of loan notes into shares at the latter price. The share price declined 35.7% to 0.0225p.

Shares in Polarean Imaging (LON: POLX) declined 35.5% to 0.1p following shareholder voting in favour of leaving AIM on 23 December. JP Jenkins will provide a matched bargain facility.

Virtual product placement services provider Mirriad Advertising (LON: MIRI) says second half revenues are expected to be £200,000, so 2025 revenues will be £400,000. At the end of November, cash was £1m. The cost base is £220,000/month. There will be a trading statement in January. The share price fell 31.6% to 0.0065p.

The FTSE 100 crept towards the 10,000 mark on Friday, buoyed by interest rate cuts by the Bank of England and the Federal Reserve earlier in the week.

London’s leading index staged a late rally yesterday afternoon and added another 0.1% on Friday to trade less than 2% away from the key psychological level for the index.

But the gains were less than convincing with fresh concerns about the pace of rate cuts next year putting a dampener on lower borrowing costs announced yesterday.

“The FTSE 100 ticked higher in early trading after lower-than-expected inflation in the US helped lift shares on Wall Street and across Asia overnight,” said AJ Bell head of financial analysis Danni Hewson.

“The knife-edge nature of yesterday’s rate decision by the Bank of England is keeping UK stocks in check and stalled the FTSE 100’s push towards the 10,000 mark. Investors have responded to the reality that we could be approaching the end of the current rate-cutting cycle.

“This saw housebuilders lose momentum as hopes for a significant drop in mortgage costs in the coming months begin to fade away. An unexpected drop in retail sales only added to the gloom around the consumer backdrop in the UK.”

Barratt Redrow was the top faller at the time of writing, losing 2.4%, while Persimmon gave up 1.9%.

JD Sports was also among the faller after Nike shares sank on US trading. JD Sports relies heavily on Nike as a supplier and its struggles with innovation has dogged JD since the start of the year.

“Nike shares fell nearly 11% in after-hours trading after a sharp decline in Chinese demand and the impact of tariffs on margins took the shine off the fact that second quarter revenue had beaten expectations: earnings fell 32% year-on-year,” explained Derren Nathan, head of equity research, Hargreaves Lansdown.

DCC was the top riser, adding 2%, after announcing the results of a tender offer.

ECR Minerals (LON: ECR) is acquiring Raglan Resources, which owns the Raglan gold project in Queensland for A$1.01m.  It brings A$1.2m of tax losses to go with ECR’s A$75m. The share price increased 19.1% to 0.25p.

Offshore energy market services provider Tekmar Group (LON: TGP) has won a contract with an existing customer worth €8m. There is existing infrastructure and potential for near-term production. This for a major UK offshore wind farm. Revenues should be recognised this year and next year. The share price gained 15.2% to 9.5p.

Tiger Alpha (LON: TIR) is set to launch its Bittensor subnet the Knowledge Delivery Network in the fist quarter of 2026. This is designed to make AI systems faster and reduce operating costs. The share price ROSE 10% TO 0.55P.

Eden Research (LON: EDEN) has appointed Syngenta as distributor to professionals in the indoor and outdoor ornamental crops for the UK and some other European countries. This includes Eden’ novel fungicidal product that will be called Evelta. Eden will supply the product to Switzerland-based Syngenta, which will then use its network to sell to growers. The share price improved 8.33% to 2.6p.

The new strategy of Naked Wines (LON: WINE) is already showing signs of paying off and Panmure Liberum has upgraded expectations due to strong pre-Christmas trading. The wines supplier expects full year EBITDA to be at the top of guidance of £5.5m to £7.5m. Panmure Liberum forecasts £7.2m, up from £6.2m. Pre-tax profit of £800,000 is estimated when previously a small loss was expected. The share price is 7.68% higher at 71.5p.

FALLERS

Elective surgeries have been delayed because of the flu season and strikes, and this has hit the performance of Surgical Innovations (LON: SUN) in the fourth quarter. Supply problems with a partner also hampered the business. Forecast revenues have been cut from £12.4m to £11.5m and that means that the loss will be slightly higher than last year at around £750,000. Net debt is expected to be £500,000 at year-end. The share price slumped 36.4% to 0.35p.  

Time Out (LON: TMO) disappointed the market with results showing worse than expected trading and a fundraising. Full year revenues fell from £103.1m to £73.2m and the operating loss was £49.7m, including £35.1m of write downs. Time Out is raising £8m at 8p/share and a retail offer could raise more. There is also a debt for equity swap of £4.9m. The share price dived 23.9% to 8.75p.

Ukrainian food producer Ukrproduct (LON: UKR) says second half trading has deteriorated, although volumes in the nine months to September were maintained. The share price declined 17.7% to 7p.

Video editing technology developer Blackbird (LON: BIRD) has raised £500,000 at 2.25p/share and this will fund additional marketing. The share price fell 17.2% to 2.4p.

The FTSE 100 was clinging onto gains on Thursday after the Bank of England cut UK interest rates to 3.75%, the lowest level since early 2023, in a ‘hawkish’ interest rate cut.

The Bank of England was widely expected to cut interest rates after a lower-than-expected inflation reading yesterday, so the 0.25% cut was baked into the cake ahead of the decision.

Nonetheless, the Christmas cheer of lower borrowing costs was evident in an FTSE 100 rally this week that takes the index to within touching distance of the 10,000 mark.

However, London’s leading index was just 3 points higher at the time of writing, after a 5-4 vote split raised questions about how many more rate cuts we’ll see next year.

“The Bank of England has slashed interest rates for the fourth and final time this year after a back-to-back fall in inflation figures,” said Brad Holland, director of investment strategy at J.P. Morgan Personal Investing.

“The decision to cut rates to 3.75% reflects a mixed economic picture, with UK growth relatively flat over the second half of this year while the latest inflation data came in softer than expected.”

Markets were on the front foot ahead of the Bank of England decision, after strong results from US chipmaker Micron Technology helped ease fears about the overvaluation of AI-related stock and sent US futures higher.

“US futures are pointing to a brighter start this afternoon, with stocks set to open higher,” explained Matt Britzman, senior equity analyst, Hargreaves Lansdown.

“The revolving wheel of AI news delivered a blowout quarter from chipmaker Micron after yesterday’s close, offering a timely antidote to worries that the AI spending boom is getting ahead of itself. With softer jobs data now behind us, the spotlight turns firmly to today’s inflation reading, which could set the tone for where markets head next.”

The big UK corporate story of the day was the appointment of Meg O’Neill as the first female CEO of BP, signalling a new chapter for the oil major that won’t be focused on renewables.

“The departure of Murray Auchincloss as BP CEO probably can’t be chalked up as a major surprise, but the timing and suddenness of it can be,” said AJ Bell investment director Russ Mould.

“Auchincloss has struggled with the difficult task of turning around BP’s fortunes since replacing Bernard Looney on a permanent basis less than two years ago. Looney left under a cloud regarding his personal conduct and after having commenced on an ambitious energy transition strategy that hit BP’s shares.

“Auchincloss has walked back on BP’s green push but has had his feet to the fire ever since activist investor Elliott joined the shareholder register earlier this year. The ultimate arbiter – the share price – doesn’t speak in Auchincloss’ favour, with a total return of just 5% under his tenure compared with 39% over the same period for the FTSE 100 and 19% for its main rival Shell.”

Investors will hope O’Neill can boost BP’s valuation, which still trades at a material discount to peers.

Whitbread shares were the top riser, 6% higher at the time of writing, after Corvex Management took a 6% stake in the group and demanded a third-party strategic review.

There were few losers on the session with most stocks trading higher. Burberry was the biggest faller as traders booked short-term profit.

Currys has more than doubled its adjusted profit before tax to £22m in the first half, driven by strong UK performance and an accelerating recovery in the Nordics.

The technology retailer reported a 144% year-on-year increase in adjusted profits, whilst free cash flow jumped 68% to £84m for the six months ended 1 November 2025.

Long-suffering investors who have held since before 2022 will be delighted with today’s results and the share price reaction. Curry’s shares were 10% higher at the time of writing and returned to the highs enjoyed in November. These are also the levels the stock traded at in 2021 before cratering by more than two-thirds.

Currys’ shares have rallied more than 200% since the lows of 2023, driven by a recovery in their key markets. This recovery continued in the half year to 1 November 2025.

“Currys shares have rocketed in early trading following an update that was full of big numbers pointing towards further progress for the retailer. The news caps an astonishing year for the share price, adding to the gains seen since late 2023,” said Chris Beauchamp, Chief Market Analyst at IG.

“But signs of weakness are still there, and like all retailers cost pressures remain acute. The shares now trade at a much more reasonable valuation, which means investors will become more demanding about showing signs of progress in the months to come.”

The UK and Ireland business proved the standout performer, with revenues climbing 6%. This growth was underpinned by market share gains, with credit adoption rising 160 basis points to 23.3%, business-to-business sales surging 16%, and new product categories expanding 35%.

Recurring service revenue grew 11%, whilst the company’s iD Mobile subscriber base increased 21% to 2.4m—tracking ahead of its 2.5m year-end target.

The Nordic operations showed renewed vigour with 7% revenue growth on a currency-neutral basis. Most product categories delivered gains, including a 30% increase in Epoq kitchen sales.

Group revenues reached £4.23bn, up 8% year-on-year, with like-for-like sales advancing 4%. UK and Ireland adjusted EBIT stood at £19m, down £4m due to government-mandated colleague cost increases that weren’t fully offset by savings. The Nordics, however, contributed £35m in adjusted EBIT, up £17m, benefiting from stable gross margins and tight cost control.

“Overall, Currys is now a cash-generating business with a clear path to further margin improvement and shareholder returns,” Adam Vettese, Market Analyst at eToro said.

Currys has completed £30m of a £50m share buyback programme and declared an interim dividend of 0.75p, bringing total shareholder returns to £75m this year.

The board maintained its full-year guidance, expecting continued growth in both profits and cash flow.