Quartix Technologies achieves the London Stock Exchange’s Green Economy Mark
Quartix Technologies, the leading vehicle tracking provider, has received the the London Stock Exchange’s Green Economy Mark which celebrates those companies driving growth in the green economy.
The London Stock Exchange recognises companies that generate at least 50% of their total annual revenue from products and services from low carbon activities with their Green Economy Mark.
Quartix provides vehicle tracking solutions that assist businesses globally in managing and supporting remote workforces, while reducing fuel spend, carbon emissions and vehicle maintenance costs. Quartix services are currently used by over 20,000 businesses worldwide, helping the company generate £25.6m revenue for the year to 31st December 2021.
“Fleet businesses have sustainability targets to meet and investors are increasingly focused on growing the proportion of their investments that support green industries. We are delighted to receive the Green Economy Mark and to be recognised as a top green business to invest in,” said Emily Rees, Chief Financial Officer at Quartix.
Julia Hoggett, CEO of the London Stock Exchange, added: “Congratulations to Quartix on receiving the Green Economy Mark, which recognises companies that derive more than 50% of their revenues from green products and services. Companies that qualify for the Mark play an important role in the global green economy and the shift towards low-carbon business models: they are key to accelerating the transition to a more sustainable economy.”
FTSE 100 approaches pre-pandemic highs as tech stocks bounce back
The FTSE 100 traded within touching distance of the highest levels since the beginning of the pandemic on Wednesday as a rally in US tech shares helped lift investor sentiment.
The FTSE 100 trade briefly above 7,600 on Wednesday morning before easing back. The FTSE 100 recorded the highest closing level since the start of the pandemic of 7,611 in mid January.
“The rebound in US shares continued again last night, helping to lift investor confidence and that’s spread across Asia and Europe on Wednesday with another day of markets pushing ahead,” said Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell.
“While we’re still some way off reclaiming all the territory lost at the start of the year, the fact that equity markets have stabilised shows that investors still have an appetite for risk, and they are now sifting through the wreckage to see if there are any bargains to be had.”
Vodafone was one of the FTSE 100 top risers after they posted a 4.3% increase in revenue in their third quarter. Vodafone also hinted at the potential for further acquisitions by saying their was scope for ‘proactive portfolio actions’.
“Speculation surrounding a deal with Three and a fresh tie up in Italy is set to intensify with this update, given Vodafone has reiterated its commitment to ‘proactive portfolio actions’ to try and keep shareholders happier,” said Susannah Streeter, senior investment and markets analyst, Hargreaves Lansdown.
“There is some relief that Omicron has not disrupted lucrative roaming fees too badly, with the company posting a 2.7% growth in service revenue. The fact the company is on track for the full year is also reassuring, and the door seems wide open to future deals.”
Ocado was the FTSE 100’s top riser after the company’s shares received an upgrade from analysts at Credit Suisse.
Vodafone, takeovers, and Amur Minerals with Alan Green
The UK Investor Magazine Podcast is joined by Alan Green for a discussion around UK equities and the most pressing themes in global markets.
The FTSE 100 has quickly recovered losses caused by Ukraine tensions and interest rate concerns to trade within touching distance of pre-pandemic highs.
We look at Vodafone and their Q3 earnings which saw a 4.3% increase in revenue, and also explore speculation around a potential takeover of Three by Vodafone.
With a number of high profile M&A deals bubbling away, we review the latest from the potential acquisition of GSK’s consumer business by Unilever, and the $69 billion takeover of Activision by Microsoft.
Amur Minerals shares surged last week on press speculation around the takeover of their assets which could value them at £100 million. We take a look at their wholly-owned subsidiary, Irosta Trading Limited, which is the subject of the speculation.
Irosta Trading Limited owns the Copper Sulfide Kun-Manie Project and the attractiveness of the asset given the soaring demand for battery metals.
Staying with the theme of battery metals, we discuss the latest from Cadence Minerals and their portfolio of Lithium assets.
Cadence Minerals will present at the UK Investor Magazine Metals & Mining Conference.
Google revenues beat expectations
For the three months ending 31 December, Google revenues jumped 32% to $75.3bn – these beat expectations of estimates of $71.652bn. Profits for the period hit $20.6bn.
The group reported better than expected profits, causing shares to increase 7% in after-hours trading.
Advertising revenues increased from $46.2bn to $61.2bn. The company generates more revenue from internet ads than any other group.
“Our deep investment in AI technologies continues to drive extraordinary and helpful experiences for people and businesses, across our most important products,” said Sundar Pichai, chief executive officer of Alphabet and Google.
Wizz Air passenger numbers soar
As restrictions ease, Wizz Air has seen demand rocket.
Passengers in January soared 220% compared to January last year. The number of passengers allowed on the plane has also increased as restrictions ease, allowing load factor to increase from 61% to 79.6%.
“There is a very clear correlation between the level of restrictions imposed on travel versus market demand,” said chief executive Jozsef Varadi.
“What we are seeing in the UK today is what we are going to be seeing in continental Europe in the next four to six week, [i.e.] restrictions easing correspond to robust demand coming up.”
“The emergence of the Omicron variant and renewed travel restrictions impacted our trading performance late in the quarter and we expect demand in January, February and part of March to be impacted by ongoing travel uncertainty,”
“As such, Wizz Air anticipates the operating loss for the fourth quarter of F22 to be slightly higher than the operating loss of €213.6 million for the previous one.”
Amazon to create 1,500 internships
Last year, Amazon added 25,000 employees in the UK.
With original plans to hire 10,000 across the year, the group hired an extra 15,000 amid the high demands for the online retailer amid the pandemic.
Whilst many of these roles began on temporary contracts, many o the roles have become permanent.
This year, the group has said that it plans to create 1,500 internships in the UK.
The group added 17 stores in the UK this year. Amazon saw15 Amazon Fresh stores and two Amazon 4-star retail stores in London and Kent, which sells items from Amazon and small businesses.
