Entain CFO to step down, Avon Technologies secures NATO order
By Iain Gilbert
Date: Thursday 11 Dec 2025
(Sharecast News) - LONDON PRE-OPEN
The FTSE 100 was expected to open 5.5 points lower ahead of the bell on Thursday after wrapping up the previous session 0.14% higher at 9,655.53.
STOCKS TO WATCH
Entain chief financial officer Rob Wood will step down after 13 years with the bookmaker, it was announced on Thursday. Wood, who is also deputy chief executive, will leave Entain in March 2026. He will be replaced by Michael Snape, chief financial officer at International Distribution Services.
Avon Technologies said it had won a $20.6m European order for FM50 respirators and FM61EU filters through Nato's Support and Procurement Agency. The order will be delivered over fiscal 2026 and 2027, the company said on Wednesday. The respirator and filter, was designed to protect the wearer from chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats.
Flexible work space provider Workspace Group has exchanged contracts for the disposal of two additional low-conviction assets for a total of £11.8m, in line with September 2025 valuations, at a net initial yield of 5.7%. Taking into account its latest disposals, Workspace has now exchanged or completed on a total of £106m of low-conviction asset sales, against its two-year target of £200m.
NCC Group expects to return to growth this year after the cybersecurity and software escrow business reported a small decline in both revenues and profits over the 12 months to 30 September. Revenues were down 2.6% at £293.9m, as a 2.2% increase in turnover at the Escode division to £66.5m was offset by a 4.0% fall in the cyber arm to £227.4m. Adjusted underlying earnings fell to £40.6m from £42.1m the year before.
NEWSPAPER ROUND-UP
Britain is slipping down the global league table for youth employment amid a dramatic rise in worklessness that is putting a generation's future at risk, research has warned. Sounding the alarm over a worsening youth jobs crisis, the report from the accountancy firm PwC said Britain's economy was missing out on £26bn a year because of sharp regional divisions in youth joblessness. - Guardian
McDonald's says it has removed an AI-generated Christmas advertisement in the Netherlands after it was criticised online. The ad, titled "the most terrible time of the year", depicts scenes of Christmas chaos, with Santa caught in a traffic jam and a gift-laden Dutch cyclist slipping in the snow. And the message? Retreat to a McDonald's restaurant until January and ride out the festive season. - Guardian
Elon Musk has hinted at a possible SpaceX initial public offering. Reports emerged on Wednesday that his rocket-making company could be listed on the stock market in 2026 - a move that would make Mr Musk, who is already the richest person in the world, a trillionaire. The Tesla and SpaceX founder called the reports "accurate" during a social media exchange with Eric Berger, a journalist writing about the space industry. - Telegraph
Democrats have threatened to unravel Paramount's proposed takeover of Warner Bros once Donald Trump, the US president, is out of power. Warner Bros had agreed to an $83bn (£62bn) takeover by Netflix for its studio and streaming networks but is now fending off a power grab by Paramount, which has taken its offer straight to shareholders. - Telegraph
Oil is to be produced off the Falkland Islands for the first time after Israel's Navitas Petroleum and Britain's Rockhopper Exploration have taken their final investment decisions on development of the Sea Lion field. The $2.1bn first phase of the project is expected to produce first oil by 2028 and is targeting 170m barrels, with expected output of 50,000 barrels per day at peak. - The Times
EY is once again under investigation from Britain's accounting industry regulator after some clients were issued with auditor's reports that had not been signed off by a senior partner. While it is common for dozens of staff to work on an audit, the final report is required to be checked over and signed off by the senior partner leading the work, also known as the responsible individual or statutory auditor, before it is issued. - The Times
US CLOSE
US stocks rallied on Wednesday after the Federal Reserve decided to lower interest rates, with the S&P 500 rising to within a whisker of its record high.
At the close, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 1.05% at 48,057.75, while the S&P 500 advanced 0.67% to 6,896.68 and the Nasdaq Composite saw out the session 0.33% firmer at 23,654.16.
Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com
Email this article to a friend
or share it with one of these popular networks:
You are here: news
10 Lower Thames St,
London EC3R 6EN