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  • Manolete Partners Agrees £3 Million Insolvency Case Settlement, Maintains Expectations

    Manolete Partners Agrees £3 Million Insolvency Case Settlement, Maintains Expectations

    Manolete Partners Plc (LSE:MANO) has completed a £3 million settlement relating to an insolvency case, with the proceeds set to contribute to realised revenue in its current financial year.

    The insolvency claims financing company said the settlement was completed in late September 2026.

    Manolete confirmed that the outcome does not change the Board’s expectations for the current financial year.

    The company acquires and manages insolvency-related litigation claims, rather than solely providing funding for cases. It said it has completed more than 1,400 cases to date.

    Manolete estimates that the UK insolvency claims market in which it operates is worth more than £500 million annually.

    The company plans to issue a trading update covering the first half of its financial year in early October, followed by its half-year results in November.

    About Manolete Partners

    Manolete Partners is a UK-based insolvency claims financing company specialising in acquiring and managing insolvency-related litigation.

    The company operates through a nationwide team and handles claims involving areas including asset recovery and negotiated settlements.

    Manolete has completed more than 1,400 cases and has received industry recognition, including Band 1 rankings in the Chambers Guide and Insolvency Litigation Funder of the Year awards.

  • Eco Atlantic Receives Final Approval for BP Farm-Down of Namibia Offshore Licences

    Eco Atlantic Receives Final Approval for BP Farm-Down of Namibia Offshore Licences

    Eco Atlantic Oil & Gas (LSE:ECO) has received final ministerial approval for the transfer of a 60% participating interest in three offshore Namibian petroleum exploration licences to BP Namibia Energy.

    The approval from Namibia’s Ministry of Industries, Mines and Energy represents the final regulatory requirement for the farm-down transaction. Completion is expected shortly, after which BP will become operator of the Cooper, Guy and Tamar licences in the Walvis Basin.

    Under the transaction, Eco will receive a one-time cash payment of US$2.7 million and retain a 25% participating interest in each of the three licences.

    BP will carry Eco’s share of exploration expenditure during the current licence phase. The planned work includes seismic reprocessing and the acquisition of at least 3,000 km2 of new 3D seismic data.

    Eco will also have options during the next licence renewal period to reduce its funding exposure further through additional carried interests relating to drilling activities.

    The three petroleum exploration licences, PEL97, PEL99 and PEL100, cover a combined area of 22,893 km2 in Namibia’s offshore Walvis Basin. Eco currently operates the licences with an 85% working interest, which will fall to 25% in each licence following completion of the BP transaction.

    The joint venture also includes Namibia’s national petroleum company NAMCOR and local partners.

    Eco said its operational priorities following the advancement of transactions in Namibia and South Africa include completing production sharing agreement negotiations in Guyana and its planned acquisition of JHI.

    About Eco Atlantic Oil & Gas

    Eco Atlantic Oil & Gas is a Toronto-based oil and gas exploration company listed on AIM and the TSX Venture Exchange, with offshore interests in Guyana, Namibia and South Africa.

    In addition to its Namibian portfolio, the company holds interests in South African offshore blocks 3B/4B and 1 CBK and operates the Orinduik Block offshore Guyana.

    Eco’s exploration portfolio focuses on offshore Atlantic Margin basins, with the company using farm-down transactions and carried interests as part of its approach to funding exploration activities.

  • AstraZeneca, Daiichi Sankyo and Summit Therapeutics Plan Datroway–Ivonescimab Combination Trials

    AstraZeneca, Daiichi Sankyo and Summit Therapeutics Plan Datroway–Ivonescimab Combination Trials

    AstraZeneca (LSE:AZN) and Daiichi Sankyo (USOTC:DSKYF) have entered a clinical collaboration with Summit Therapeutics (NASDAQ:SMMT) to evaluate Datroway in combination with ivonescimab across multiple tumour types.

    The programme is expected to begin with a Phase III trial assessing the combination as a first-line treatment for triple-negative breast cancer.

    Datroway is a TROP2-directed antibody drug conjugate jointly developed by AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo, while ivonescimab is Summit Therapeutics’ bispecific antibody targeting PD-1 and VEGF.

    Under the agreement, the companies will each supply their respective medicines and share the costs associated with the clinical trials. Each party will retain its existing development and commercial rights to its respective treatment.

    The agreement expands AstraZeneca’s existing clinical collaboration with Summit involving combinations of antibody drug conjugates and ivonescimab. That collaboration includes Datroway, sonesitatug vedotin and potential additional ADC-based combinations.

    AstraZeneca has also made an equity investment connected with its clinical collaboration with Summit.

    The companies intend to evaluate the Datroway and ivonescimab combination in several solid tumour settings. The trials will determine the safety and efficacy of using the two treatments together.

    About the Companies and Treatments

    AstraZeneca is a global biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Cambridge, UK, with operations across oncology, rare diseases and biopharmaceuticals, including cardiovascular, renal and metabolism, and respiratory and immunology medicines.

    Daiichi Sankyo works with AstraZeneca on several DXd antibody drug conjugates, including Datroway and Enhertu, under global collaboration agreements covering most markets outside Japan.

    Summit Therapeutics is developing ivonescimab as a bispecific PD-1/VEGF antibody across several solid tumour indications. The treatment is approved in China for certain patients with non-small cell lung cancer and, according to the source material, is under regulatory review in the US.

  • Reabold Reports Acceptances Covering 13.1% of Union Jack Ahead of Offer Deadline

    Reabold Reports Acceptances Covering 13.1% of Union Jack Ahead of Offer Deadline

    Reabold Resources (LSE:RBD) said it had received valid acceptances covering approximately 13.1% of Union Jack Oil’s (LSE:UJO) issued share capital ahead of the final deadline for its all-share takeover offer.

    As of 1 October 2026, Reabold had received valid acceptances in respect of 18,668,484 Union Jack shares. A further 494,757 shares are covered by outstanding irrevocable commitments.

    Together, these represent 19,163,241 Union Jack shares and are being counted by Reabold towards satisfying the acceptance condition of its offer.

    The all-share offer was initially announced in July and remains open for acceptances until 1.00 p.m. London time on 2 October 2026. The deadline follows a decision by the Takeover Panel resetting the final date for the offer.

    Reabold has called on Union Jack shareholders who have not yet accepted the offer to do so before the deadline.

    The company has said that combining the two businesses would bring Union Jack’s assets together with Reabold’s portfolio and create a better-capitalised business. These statements represent Reabold’s rationale for the proposed transaction.

    About Reabold Resources

    Reabold Resources is a London-listed investing company focused on developing gas projects, including assets intended to contribute to European energy supply.

    The company also pursues consolidation opportunities within the upstream energy sector, seeking to combine assets and provide capital for their development.

  • TheraCryf Appoints Avance Clinical for Australian Phase 1 Preparations for Ox-1

    TheraCryf Appoints Avance Clinical for Australian Phase 1 Preparations for Ox-1

    TheraCryf (LSE:TCF) has appointed Australian contract research organisation Avance Clinical to support regulatory and clinical preparations for a first-in-human Phase 1 trial of its lead Ox-1 programme in Australia.

    The appointment follows a competitive selection process and will involve preparing applications for review by an ethics committee, followed by a clinical trial notification to Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration.

    TheraCryf said it expects to complete the clinic-enabling documentation and obtain the approvals required to begin clinical use of Ox-1 in Australia by the end of 2026. The timetable remains subject to ethics and clinical trial-site approvals.

    Ox-1 is a selective orexin-1 receptor antagonist being developed for addiction and related disorders. According to the company, GMP manufacturing of the candidate has been completed, while final toxicology data are nearing completion.

    The planned Phase 1 study would represent the first clinical evaluation of Ox-1 in humans.

    About TheraCryf

    TheraCryf is a UK-based biotechnology company developing treatments for addiction and other neuropsychiatric disorders.

    Alongside its lead Ox-1 programme, the company is developing a dopamine transporter modulator for fatigue of brain origin and has a legacy oncology programme targeting glioblastoma.

    TheraCryf operates a virtual development model under which it seeks to advance drug candidates through early clinical development or proof-of-concept stages before pursuing partnerships with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.

  • Critical Metals Begins 2026 Field Programme at Molulu Copper-Cobalt Project

    Critical Metals Begins 2026 Field Programme at Molulu Copper-Cobalt Project

    Critical Metals plc (LSE:CRTM) has started its 2026 field programme at the Molulu copper and cobalt project in the Democratic Republic of Congo following board approval and the securing of funding.

    The company said personnel and equipment have been mobilised to the project, with initial site preparation under way as operations begin during an early October field window.

    The programme will include surveying, geological mapping, trenching and sampling, supported by quality assurance and quality control procedures.

    Critical Metals said the work is intended to assess whether the initial target area could support scout mining. Findings from the programme will be used to determine the next operational steps at Molulu and provide further information on the project’s mineralised zones and potential for near-term production.

    Molulu Project

    Critical Metals holds a 70% interest in the Molulu copper and cobalt project alongside local partners.

    The project is located in the Katangan Copperbelt in the Democratic Republic of Congo and is a historically producing mine.

    Critical Metals is a London-listed mining company focused on acquiring and developing brownfield assets in the critical and strategic metals sector.

    The company is majority owned by NIU Invest SE, which is seeking to develop an integrated mining portfolio spanning North America, Latin America, Africa and Europe.

  • FT ranks UK’s fastest-growing companies

    FT ranks UK’s fastest-growing companies

    The Financial Times has published a new report which ranks the fastest-growing companies in the UK. Collaborating with Statista, they have ranks the companies which grew the fastest between 2022 and 2025. This was the period when the country was still reckoning with the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as the war in Ukraine which brought about an energy crisis.

    The report ranks 150 companies across a wide spread of sectors. The most heavily represented category is Fintech, financial services and insurance, with 25 companies listed. Next is IT and software, with 25.

    Top of the FT’s list is Healf, an online retailer of wellness products for the mind and body, which had an compound annual growth rate of 669 per cent during the period. Second ranked is Energy group Fuse Energy, with a 455 per cent growth rate. Third is medical cannabis company Mamedica, at 409 per cent.

    Pathos (LSE:NEWS) is recognised by the FT as the fastest growing advertising/marketing company in the UK, with 56 per cent growth during the period. It is a technology-enabled public relations company that is number one in their field.

    Prime Minister Andy Burnham has targeted “good growth in every postcode”, while Chancellor John Healey says it is his mission “to make Great Britain, Growth Britain again — with more investment, more innovation and more jobs”. The companies in the FT’s list will be crucial to the success of this strategy.

    Click here to read the FT’s article and see the full rankings.

  • US Stock Futures Advance as Markets Weigh Micron Results and Lower Treasury Yields: Dow Jones, S&P, Nasdaq, Wall Street

    US Stock Futures Advance as Markets Weigh Micron Results and Lower Treasury Yields: Dow Jones, S&P, Nasdaq, Wall Street

    US stock futures traded higher on Thursday as investors began the fourth quarter assessing a pullback in Treasury yields, Micron Technology’s latest results and upcoming US employment data.

    At 08:33 ET (12:33 GMT), S&P 500 futures were up 0.4%, Dow futures gained 0.5% and Nasdaq 100 futures advanced 0.6%.

    Treasury yields eased on Thursday morning following recent increases in the US bond market. Attention was also turning to September employment figures, which could provide further information on labour market conditions and expectations surrounding future Federal Reserve interest-rate decisions.

    Micron Reports Earnings Above Expectations

    Micron Technology (NASDAQ:MU) reported adjusted earnings of $33.42 per share for its fiscal fourth quarter, exceeding market expectations of $31.16.

    The memory chipmaker also forecast adjusted earnings of $38.15 per share, plus or minus $1.00, for the current quarter. That compared with market expectations of $36.02.

    Micron shares nevertheless traded slightly lower in premarket trading. The company indicated that gross margins would be slightly softer during the current quarter and forecast higher operating expenses for fiscal 2027.

    The results came as markets continued to assess demand associated with artificial intelligence and its implications for semiconductor companies. Chip stocks in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan also advanced during Thursday’s session.

    Technology stocks had experienced volatility during September amid concerns surrounding the development and safety of artificial intelligence, while several organisations in the sector have called for a slower pace of AI development.

    Investors Await Nike Quarterly Results

    Nike is scheduled to release its quarterly results after Thursday’s market close, with investors monitoring the company’s performance under CEO Elliott Hill.

    According to the supplied market data, Nike shares have declined by more than 44% since the beginning of the year.

    Wall Street Ends September With Mixed Performance

    The S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average declined on Wednesday, while the Nasdaq Composite finished higher as Treasury yields remained elevated.

    US Personal Consumption Expenditures inflation for August came in below market expectations. Treasury yields initially remained elevated following the data before easing on Thursday morning.

    For September, the S&P 500 declined 0.5% and the Dow fell 4.3%, while the Nasdaq gained 1.9%.

    Over the third quarter, both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq recorded their second consecutive quarterly gains and their fifth advances in six quarters. The Dow declined during the July-to-September period.

    “Q3 was a difficult one for markets, as the global economy grappled with a fresh inflationary impulse and the resumption of a globally synchronized rate hiking cycle,” Deutsche Bank analysts said in a note.

  • European Stocks Fall as Bond Yields, French Budget Plans and Inflation Remain in Focus: DAX, CAC, FTSE100

    European Stocks Fall as Bond Yields, French Budget Plans and Inflation Remain in Focus: DAX, CAC, FTSE100

    European stocks moved lower at the start of October and the fourth quarter on Thursday, as investors assessed higher sovereign bond yields, fiscal developments in France and continued energy-related inflation pressures.

    The pan-European STOXX 600 fell 1.4%, reaching its lowest level in more than three months. France’s CAC 40 declined 1.4%, Germany’s DAX lost 0.7% and the UK’s FTSE 100 fell 1.6%.

    Government bond yields have risen in recent weeks amid concerns over inflation and sovereign borrowing requirements.

    French Budget Plans Draw Attention as Bond Yields Rise

    Germany’s 10-year government bond yield, a benchmark for the euro area, increased by one basis point after reaching 3.6526% earlier in the week, its highest level since June 2009.

    France’s 10-year government bond yield reached its highest level since 2002 ahead of Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu’s expected presentation of the government’s 2027 draft budget later in the session.

    The proposed budget targets €54 billion in spending reductions as the government seeks to address a deficit projected at 5.4% of gross domestic product.

    Higher borrowing costs can increase debt-servicing expenses for governments, companies and households, making sovereign bond markets an important focus for investors.

    Energy Prices and Inflation Remain in Focus

    Developments in the Middle East also remained a focus for European markets, with negotiations between the United States and Iran aimed at ending the seven-month conflict yet to produce an agreement.

    Crude oil and European natural gas prices remained elevated, contributing to concerns about the impact of energy costs on inflation.

    Preliminary September consumer price data showed inflation accelerating more than expected in several European economies, including France, Italy and Spain, with higher petrol, diesel and wholesale gas prices contributing to the increases.

    The inflation readings may influence expectations for European Central Bank monetary policy, although future interest-rate decisions will depend on incoming economic data and the ECB’s assessment of the inflation outlook.

    Markets Assess Softer US Economic Data

    Investors were also assessing softer-than-expected US economic data released during the previous session.

    August US Personal Consumption Expenditures inflation came in below market expectations, while European markets continued to contend with higher regional inflation readings, energy prices and elevated bond yields.

    Among individual stocks, Sanofi (EU:SAN) rose as much as 3.6% after the French pharmaceutical company agreed to pay Regeneron $1 billion upfront and potentially up to a further $7 billion as part of an expansion of their partnership.

  • The Beauty Tech Group Shares Reach New 52-Week High

    The Beauty Tech Group Shares Reach New 52-Week High

    The Beauty Tech Group (LSE:TBTG) shares rose 4.1% during Thursday’s session to 484p, having reached a new 52-week high of 490p intraday.

    The move follows the company’s first-half results published in September, when it reported a 44.3% increase in revenue to £79.7 million and pre-tax profit of £17.5 million, more than three times the prior-year level.

    The Beauty Tech Group also raised its full-year adjusted EBITDA guidance to at least £48.5 million, compared with its previous guidance of £45.0 million.

    CurrentBody Launch and Retail Expansion

    On September 10, the company launched the CurrentBody Skin Series 3 LED Mask, featuring 750 individually addressable LEDs and its MyDose technology, which is designed to provide personalised treatment protocols.

    The group is also pursuing geographic expansion, including plans involving New York and India.

    Alongside its interim results, The Beauty Tech Group announced a £20 million share buyback programme. A TR-1 regulatory filing dated September 11 also disclosed a holding by Mercia Fund Management.

    The supplied market data indicates that all six analysts covering the company currently have positive ratings on the shares, with an average price target of 512.67p. Analyst ratings and price targets represent forecasts and may change.

    At 484p, the shares were more than 125% above their stated 52-week low of 213p.