Author: Fiona Craig

Scancell Holdings (LSE:SCLP) has released updated findings from its SCOPE Phase 2 trial, showing that its iSCIB1+ immunotherapy—used alongside standard checkpoint inhibitors—offers a meaningful improvement in progression-free survival (PFS) for patients with advanced melanoma. The therapy achieved a 74% PFS rate at 16 months, well above the current standard of care, which delivers around 50% PFS at 11.5 months. Early overall survival data also point to a 14% uplift. These promising results have informed ongoing regulatory discussions, with agencies aligned on key design features and endpoints for potential late-stage studies. The data strengthen Scancell’s position within the cancer immunotherapy space and suggest the therapy could ultimately reshape treatment paradigms for melanoma.

Scancell’s broader outlook continues to be weighed down by its weak financial footing, including negligible revenue and substantial losses. Nonetheless, the company’s clinical progress and pipeline momentum provide important offsets, signalling upside potential if late-stage trials replicate current success. Technical indicators reflect mixed sentiment—near-term bullishness tempered by overbought conditions—while valuation remains stretched given existing financial constraints. Overall, the science is advancing, but financial risks keep the outlook cautious.

More about Scancell Holdings

Scancell Holdings plc is a clinical-stage biotech focused on developing off-the-shelf active immunotherapies designed to elicit durable, tumour-specific immune responses. Its lead candidate, iSCIB1+, is an enhanced DNA vaccine within the company’s ImmunoBody® platform and is currently in Phase 2 testing for melanoma. Scancell is also advancing Modi-1, a peptide-based therapy from its Moditope® platform, and has established GlyMab Therapeutics Ltd. to develop high-affinity antibodies that target tumour-specific glycans.

Venture Life Group PLC (LSE:VLG) has finalised the sale of its non-core Oral Care Assets—including the Ultradex and Dentyl brands—to Covestus Holdings Ltd for consideration of up to £4.5 million. The move reflects the company’s strategy to concentrate on its higher-margin, faster-growing core brands, with proceeds earmarked to support selective acquisitions and accelerate innovation within key product categories. The divestment also streamlines operations, enabling greater investment in the group’s Power Brands, which are positioned around promoting proactive, healthy longevity for consumers.

Venture Life’s near-term outlook benefits from supportive technical signals and positive corporate actions such as buybacks and insider purchases, which indicate confidence from management and shareholders. Even so, a lofty P/E ratio and lingering profitability challenges temper the overall picture, raising questions about valuation and financial risk.

More about Venture Life

Venture Life is a global self-care company headquartered in the UK, specialising in the development and commercialisation of consumer health products. Its portfolio spans categories such as women’s intimate health (Balance Activ), ENT care (Earol), energy and glucose management (Lift and Glucogel), and hormonal wellbeing (Health & Her). The company distributes its products through pharmacies and major retailers, with a footprint extending to more than 90 international markets.

Applied Nutrition PLC (LSE:APN) has issued an upbeat trading update for the year ending July 2026, indicating that full-year results are likely to come in around 10% ahead of current market forecasts. Management attributes this anticipated outperformance to sustained trading momentum and a particularly strong first half, supported by peak seasonal demand across the health, fitness, and wellbeing categories. With its strategic market positioning and pipeline of innovative products, the company appears well placed to strengthen both profitability and competitive standing in the sports nutrition sector.

More about Applied Nutrition PLC

Applied Nutrition PLC is a UK-based global sports nutrition, health, and wellness company known for developing and manufacturing a wide array of branded products sold in more than 85 countries. Its portfolio spans four key ranges—Applied Nutrition, ABE, BodyFuel, and Endurance—covering over 100 formulations aimed at athletes, fitness enthusiasts, and everyday consumers. The business’s growth strategy leverages in-house manufacturing and a global B2B distribution model, enabling scalable expansion with a relatively low-risk cost structure.

Gunsynd Plc (LSE:GUN) has provided an update on its Eagle Gold Project in Ontario, Canada, where it is collaborating with Critical Discoveries Ltd to refine drill targets and build constructive relationships with local communities. The team is digitising historical exploration data to pinpoint high-priority areas for an initial drilling campaign, while outreach efforts—including engagement with Indigenous groups—are underway to ensure community input shapes the project’s development. Gunsynd is also close to completing a farm-in agreement that will help advance the asset to its next phase.

Despite these operational developments, Gunsynd continues to grapple with significant financial strain. Ongoing losses and weak cash flow remain the main drags on its overall performance metrics. Market sentiment, as reflected in technical indicators, appears mixed, and the company’s valuation remains difficult to justify given the scale of its losses. Nonetheless, recent strategic moves and investments in higher-potential mining ventures offer a measure of optionality should these projects deliver. For now, financial instability continues to overshadow the firm’s longer-term ambitions, leading to a cautious assessment.

More about Gunsynd

Gunsynd Plc is an AIM-listed investing vehicle with a focus on early-stage exploration and development opportunities, particularly within the mining and natural resources sectors.

Pharos Energy plc (LSE:PHAR) continues to make steady progress across its core geographies, advancing a major six-well drilling programme in Vietnam—the largest investment the company has committed to these fields since their original development. Early results from the first TGT well have surpassed internal expectations, giving a welcome lift to production. In Egypt, Pharos has secured a unified Concession Agreement featuring improved fiscal terms, paving the way for additional drilling and operational activity. The group remains financially resilient, operating with no debt and maintaining a solid cash position that supports both ongoing capital deployment and consistent shareholder returns.

Pharos Energy’s outlook is shaped by a blend of operational success and uneven financial performance. While strategic achievements highlighted in the earnings call reinforce long-term potential, technical indicators point to bearish sentiment in the near term. Valuation sits at a reasonable level, complemented by a compelling dividend yield. The company’s emphasis on disciplined growth and shareholder value remains a key strategic strength.

More about Pharos Energy

Pharos Energy plc is an independent upstream company focused on responsible growth through a balanced portfolio of production, development, and exploration assets in Vietnam and Egypt. The business is cash-generative, supported by a strong balance sheet, and positioned to pursue both organic expansion and selective acquisition opportunities. The company’s shares trade on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange.

Cloudbreak Discovery PLC (LSE:CDL) has moved forward with its option to acquire the Crofton Gold Project in Western Australia, adding a 57 km² land package to its exploration portfolio. Management views the project as a strategic addition with the potential to meaningfully strengthen the company’s asset base, supported by promising geology and nearby processing facilities. The deal also aligns with Cloudbreak’s constructive view on gold prices and its broader plan to leverage Western Australia’s rich mineral landscape.

Cloudbreak Discovery PLC’s broader outlook remains constrained by ongoing financial strain, including a lack of revenue and continued losses. Though technical indicators point to pockets of short-term momentum, the long-term investment case is challenged by weak underlying fundamentals and an unattractive valuation marked by a negative P/E ratio. Recent restructuring and corporate initiatives offer some encouragement, but these efforts have yet to translate into improved financial performance, leaving the stock firmly in high-risk territory.

More about Cloudbreak Discovery PLC

Cloudbreak Discovery PLC is an exploration-focused company listed on the London Stock Exchange, targeting opportunities across gold, precious metals, and base metals. Concentrated primarily in Western Australia, the firm aims to build value through a diversified, multi-asset strategy designed to capture upside across the commodity cycle.

Ashtead Group PLC (LSE:AHT) released its unaudited results for the half year and second quarter ended 31 October 2025, reporting slight top-line progress. Total revenue increased 1%, while rental revenue edged up 2%. Operating profit softened, reflecting one-off expenses tied to the company’s US relisting plans and restructuring activities in the UK. Even so, Ashtead generated solid free cash flow, supporting continued shareholder distributions through dividends and buybacks. The group reiterated its full-year outlook and unveiled a fresh $1.5 billion share repurchase initiative as part of its broader strategy to secure a NYSE listing.

Ashtead’s resilient financial delivery and reaffirmed guidance underpin a steady near-term outlook. Still, technical signals hint at potential downward pressure, and management cautioned on operational hurdles that could shape performance ahead. Valuation appears reasonable, with a moderate dividend yield adding an element of income support.

More about Ashtead

Ashtead Group PLC is a major player in the equipment rental market, operating largely under the Sunbelt Rentals banner across North America and the UK. The business provides a broad portfolio of general and specialty equipment rental solutions to customers spanning construction, industrial, and commercial sectors.

Diales Group Plc (LSE:DIAL) has released its preliminary results for the year ended 30 September 2025, reporting steady revenue of £43.0 million alongside a notable lift in profitability. The firm expanded its gross margin to 27.0%, supported a 17% improvement in underlying operating profit from continuing operations, and recorded a sharp 113% increase in basic earnings per share. While net cash levels declined, the company upheld its dividend and continued repurchasing shares. Management signaled a constructive outlook for FY26, citing a healthy pipeline and expected productivity benefits from recent technology investments that should reinforce long-term growth.

Driver Group plc’s near-term direction remains shaped by financial pressure from falling revenues and ongoing net losses. Technical indicators point to positive momentum, though the stock currently screens as overbought. Valuation metrics are mixed, with a negative price-to-earnings ratio offset in part by a comparatively strong dividend yield.

More about Driver Group plc

Diales Group Plc provides specialist professional services to the global construction and engineering sectors. Its teams deliver multidisciplinary expertise across expert witness assignments, claims advisory work, and dispute resolution mandates for clients operating in complex project environments.

U.S. stock futures were slightly higher early Monday, suggesting Wall Street may build on the modest gains achieved at the end of last week.

Optimism surrounding the near-term interest rate outlook continues to underpin sentiment ahead of the Federal Reserve’s policy announcement later this week. The central bank is broadly expected to trim borrowing costs by another 25 basis points, and traders will focus closely on the Fed’s messaging for clues about whether more cuts could arrive in early 2026.

According to CME Group’s FedWatch tool, markets now assign an 89.2% probability to a quarter-point reduction on Wednesday, though expectations turn more cautious for January, with only a 70.3% likelihood of another cut.

Friday’s session brought a mild upswing for equities after a largely directionless Thursday. The gains pushed both the Nasdaq and the S&P 500 to their highest closes in a month.

Although the major averages pulled back from their intraday highs, all three finished in the green:

• Dow Jones Industrial Average: +104.05 points (+0.2%) to 47,954.99
• Nasdaq Composite: +72.99 points (+0.3%) to 23,578.13
• S&P 500: +13.28 points (+0.2%) to 6,870.40

On a weekly basis, the Nasdaq advanced 0.9%, the Dow rose 0.5%, and the S&P 500 added 0.3%.

The market’s modest move higher on Friday came after the release of the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge, the PCE price index, which largely matched consensus forecasts.

The Commerce Department reported a 0.3% month-over-month increase in September, identical to August’s reading.

Year-over-year PCE inflation accelerated slightly to 2.8% from 2.7%.

The core PCE index, which strips out food and energy, rose 0.2% for the third straight month. Its annual rate eased to 2.8% from 2.9%, offering additional reassurance that price pressures continue to cool.

Still, overall buying enthusiasm remained muted since traders already widely anticipated a rate cut this week.

Sector-wise, computer hardware stocks extended Thursday’s strong rally, with the NYSE Arca Computer Hardware Index climbing 1.7%.

Airline shares also outperformed, gaining 1.5%, while networking, semiconductor, and software names posted solid advances.

In contrast, steel stocks retreated notably.

European equities delivered a mixed performance on Monday as traders positioned themselves ahead of a busy week packed with interest rate decisions from the U.S. Federal Reserve, the Swiss National Bank, the Reserve Bank of Australia, and the Bank of Canada.

German industrial output surprises to the upside

Fresh data out of Germany showed an unexpected acceleration in industrial production during October. Destatis reported that output rose 1.8% month-over-month, far exceeding expectations for a sharp slowdown to just 0.2% after a revised 1.1% rise in September.

On an annual basis, production increased 0.8%, reversing September’s 1.4% drop.

Major indices show mixed performance

The DAX edged 0.3% higher, while both the FTSE 100 and CAC 40 slipped 0.1% in early trading.

Corporate movers

• Kloeckner & Co (TG:KCO) surged 18% after confirming discussions over a potential voluntary takeover offer from U.S. metals processor Worthington Steel.
• Stabilus (TG:STM) fell 1.7% as the car parts supplier reported weaker fiscal 2025 profits, citing difficult market conditions, global tariff tensions, and mounting pricing pressure in the auto sector.
• BNP Paribas (EU:BNP) ticked slightly higher after agreeing to sell its 25% stake in AG Insurance to Ageas for €1.9 billion.
• L’Oréal (EU:OR) slipped nearly 2% following news it will double its ownership in Galderma.
• Sandoz (LSE:0SAN) climbed 3% after finalizing its purchase of Just-Evotec Biologics EU SAS from Evotec SE.
• Smith & Nephew (LSE:SN.) added 1.6% as the medical devices group presented a refreshed strategic roadmap, updated 2026 guidance, and long-term goals through 2028 at its Capital Markets Day.
• Unilever (LSE:ULVR) dropped 3.8% after completing the spinoff of its ice cream unit, now trading as The Magnum Ice Cream Company (TMICC) (LSE:MICC).