Category: Market News

SigmaRoc PLC (LSE:SRC) shares rose more than 12% on Monday after the European lime and minerals group reported an increase in first-half earnings and announced an agreement to acquire Akcinė Bendrovė “Dolomitas.”

The company reported adjusted pretax profit of £75.1 million for the first half of the year, compared with £67.4 million in the same period a year earlier.

Alongside its results, SigmaRoc said it has agreed to acquire Dolomitas from its existing shareholders for €110 million on a debt- and cash-free basis.

The transaction also includes an additional payment of €8 million for certain non-core assets.

European stocks edged lower on Monday as investors assessed developments in the Persian Gulf alongside expectations for an interest-rate increase from the European Central Bank later this week.

The pan-European STOXX 600 declined 0.1%, remaining near multi-week lows. Germany’s DAX and France’s CAC 40 traded in narrow ranges as markets weighed higher energy prices and the outlook for interest rates.

Iranian authorities have indicated plans to establish a restricted zone outside the Strait of Hormuz in the coming days. The announcement follows U.S. strikes that disabled three Iranian oil tankers over the weekend.

Washington said the strikes were carried out in response to an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps ballistic missile attack targeting two U.S. Navy warships in the region.

Oil prices rose a further 1% on Monday after gaining nearly 10% over the previous week, with Brent crude trading above $90 a barrel.

The Strait of Hormuz handles roughly 20% of global seaborne oil and gas flows, making developments affecting transit through the waterway relevant to European energy costs and industrial supply chains.

ECB rate decision approaches

European markets were also focused on Thursday’s European Central Bank monetary policy meeting, with money markets pricing in a 25-basis-point interest-rate increase.

Expectations for higher rates follow preliminary August data showing annual headline Eurozone inflation accelerating to 3.3%, with the energy component rising 14.3%.

European sovereign bond yields remained elevated ahead of the decision, with Germany’s 10-year Bund yield trading near multi-year highs.

Higher borrowing costs are also being assessed for their potential impact on rate-sensitive industries, including real estate and construction.

U.S. inflation data also in focus

Investors are awaiting U.S. Consumer Price Index data scheduled for later in the week as markets assess the outlook for the Federal Reserve’s September 15-16 policy meeting.

The inflation report follows Friday’s U.S. nonfarm payrolls data, which showed the economy added 162,000 jobs in August.

The CPI figures are expected to provide further information on inflation ahead of the Federal Reserve meeting and could affect market expectations for the path of U.S. interest rates.

Molten Ventures plc (LSE:GROW) said its Growth Fund has reached a £175 million first close, including a £75 million cornerstone commitment from the British Business Bank.

Molten has committed the remaining £100 million and plans to seek additional investors as it targets a final fund size of £350 million.

The Growth Fund will focus on Series B and later-stage investments in technology companies in the UK and Europe, providing Molten with additional third-party capital alongside its listed investment platform.

The venture capital firm said it has completed more than 40 growth-stage deals and invested over £700 million through this strategy during the past decade. The new fund will allow private institutional investors to participate through a private fund structure.

Molten said the fund will target businesses operating across sectors including space, artificial intelligence, fintech, quantum technology, deeptech and hardware. It is intended to increase the amount of capital available for Series B and later investment rounds and allow Molten to take larger ownership positions in selected portfolio companies.

The British Business Bank has previously invested in Molten’s listed platform and has been an investor since 2018. It has also co-invested alongside Molten in UK technology companies including SatVu, IMU Biosciences, Thought Machine and Paragraf.

Ben Wilkinson, Chief Executive Officer of Molten Ventures, commented:

“Securing the British Business Bank as cornerstone investor is a strong endorsement of Molten’s strategy and of the relationship we have built over many years. It also underlines the importance of bringing more long-term institutional capital into venture and growth, so that ambitious UK and European technology companies have the backing they need to scale.

“Molten has a strong track record in growth investing, with more than 40 growth-profile deals completed and over £700 million invested. The Growth Fund builds on that experience and gives us a dedicated vehicle to support more companies as they scale.

“There is no shortage of exceptional founders or technology businesses in the UK and Europe; what they too often lack is sufficient growth capital to help them become global leaders. This Fund gives Molten greater firepower to back our highest-conviction companies at Series B and beyond, build meaningful ownership positions and channel capital into the next generation of growth.

“Alongside our other strategies, including Molten Secondaries, the Growth Fund will strengthen our ability to connect long-term capital with companies that are shaping the future.”

Robert Greenwood, Senior Director, Funds at British Business Bank, said:

“To create deeper pools of late-stage capital for breakthrough technologies, we are helping UK tech investors to launch new growth funds. This commitment is the latest example of that strategy. Molten Ventures is one of the UK’s leading growth investors, with a strong track record of backing fast-growing technology businesses. This fund will help the next generation of tech entrepreneurs scale faster and build global companies from the UK.”

Molten Ventures invests in technology companies across the UK and Europe. Since 2016, the group has deployed more than £1 billion of capital and generated more than £800 million in proceeds from investments. It manages more than £2 billion of assets across the group.

Dianomi (LSE:DNM), the UK-based native digital advertising specialist, has returned to top-line growth after reporting a 2% year-on-year rise in first-half revenue to £13.40 million, up from £13.2 million in the same period last year. On a constant-currency basis, the increase was steeper at 4.5%.

Gross margin strengthened to 28.9% over the six months, feeding through to a higher gross profit and a narrower EBITDA loss

The improvement was underpinned by widened partnerships with CNN News and Associated Press, both of which started generating revenue from the second quarter of 2026.

Dianomi also signed up 67 new premium advertisers in the half, a 56% jump on the prior year. During the period the group rolled out Dianomi Interactive and put money behind AI-powered tools, extending the range of products it takes to market.

Momentum has carried into the second half, with the company reporting that revenue across July and August was 14% higher year-on-year.

Management cautioned that hesitant decision-making among advertisers, alongside structural shifts in the sector, will remain a headwind. Even so, Dianomi said it is well placed to capitalise on opportunities as the digital advertising landscape continues to change.

Spire Healthcare (LSE:SPI) shares advanced more than 3% on Monday to 245.5 pence, a one-year peak for the stock.

The UK private hospital group has agreed to be acquired by a consortium made up of funds managed by Toscafund, Three Hills and Ares, in a transaction that puts a value of roughly £1.03 billion ($1.39 billion) on Spire Healthcare’s share capital.

The terms of the deal will see Spire Healthcare shareholders paid 250 pence in cash for each share held.

Shares in Ferrexpo (LSE:FXPO) climbed more than 36% on Monday after the Ukraine-focused iron ore miner brought its operations back on line over the weekend, made possible by a $100 million fundraising unveiled on 4 September — a lifeline that allowed production to restart even as ports and shipping in the region continue to come under attack.

The company confirmed that output resumed over the weekend on the back of the capital raise. With attacks on regional ports and vessels well documented, Ferrexpo is now channelling its export volumes towards customers in Europe.

Interim Executive Chair Lucio Genovese said, “We are pleased to restart production in Ukraine and I would like to thank our workforce, who have once again demonstrated their commitment and determination in being able to bring the operation back online over the weekend.”

The group manufactures premium-grade iron ore products for the global steel sector, a market it has served for over half a century.