Business
FTSE 100 at new peak despite fading rate cut hope

London’s FTSE 100 hit a new all-time high on Wednesday, shrugging off a hot UK inflation print and fresh falls among technology stocks on Wall Street.
The FTSE 100 index closed up 98.92 points, 1.1%, at 9,288.14.
It had earlier traded as high as 9,301.19.
The FTSE 250 ended up 52.62 points, 0.2%, at 21,885.88, but the AIM All-Share finished 3.48 points lower, 0.5%, at 759.74.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics showed UK consumer price inflation picked up to 3.8% in July from 3.6% in June, exceeding FXStreet-cited market consensus expectations of 3.7%.
On a monthly basis, consumer prices rose 0.1%, defying the consensus forecast of a 0.1% decrease but slowing from a 0.3% rise in June.
Core consumer price inflation, which excludes energy, food, alcohol and tobacco, picked up to 3.8% annually from 3.7% in June, and against consensus expectations of another 3.7% rate.
Annual service price inflation, a gauge which has been in focus in recent months, picked up to 5.0% in July from 4.7% in June, ahead of 4.8% consensus.
The ONS said that “transport, particularly air fares, made the largest upward contribution” to the July annual inflation rate, partly due to the timing of school holidays.
Barclays said the figures increase the risk that the Bank of England will hold interest rates steady for longer.
Callum McLaren-Stewart, at Citi, thinks the hurdle for a September rate cut now looks “borderline impossible” although he continues to see a cut in November as likely on the basis of fiscal contraction in the autumn budget.
But Pantheon Macroeconomics thinks sticky inflation will keep rates on hold for the rest of the year.
“The big picture remains that inflation is set to stay miles above target for the foreseeable future,” Elliott Jordan-Doak, at Pantheon, said.
Rate sensitive housebuilders bucked the upbeat mood on the FTSE 100.
Persimmon fell 0.3% and Taylor Wimpey dipped 0.5%.
In better news for the sector, average UK house prices increased by 3.7% to £269,000 in the 12 months to June, picking up from a downwardly revised 2.7% in the 12 months to May, according to ONS data.
May’s figure was revised from growth of 3.9% before, partly reflecting a change in how new build inflation is assessed.
House prices rose 3.3% in England, 2.6% in Wales, 5.9% in Scotland and by 5.5% in Northern Ireland from a year ago.
Despite the fading rate cut hopes, the pound eased to 1.3468 dollars late on Wednesday afternoon in London, compared with 1.3503 dollars at the equities close on Tuesday. The euro edged down to 1.1661 dollars, lower against 1.1669 dollars. Against the yen, the dollar was trading lower at 147.15 yen compared with 147.75 yen.
In Europe, the CAC 40 in Paris ended slightly lower, while the DAX 40 in Frankfurt closed down 0.6%.
In New York, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.1%, the S&P 500 was 0.5% lower, and the Nasdaq Composite declined 1.2%.
The yield on the US 10-year Treasury was at 4.29%, narrowed from 4.31%. The yield on the US 30-year Treasury was 4.90%, trimmed from 4.91%.
Technology stocks bore the brunt of the losses on Wall Street after a report produced by a branch of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology suggested 95% of companies are getting zero return on their investment in generative artificial intelligence.
Russ Mould, at AJ Bell, noted these findings follow hot on the heels of comments from OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman that suggested investors are “over-excited” in this area.
“For now, this looks like a mild and possibly necessary correction after an extremely strong run for this space and the companies within it. Investors will be watching closely to see if AI stocks stabilise from here or the selling continues. Nvidia’s quarterly earnings next week now look even more crucial than they already were,” Mr Mould commented.
On the FTSE 100, ConvaTec gained 5.6% as the medical products supplier started a share buyback worth up to 300 million dollars.
United Utilities firmed 3.5% as Barclays upgraded to “overweight” and set a 1,535 pence share price target.
But the Nasdaq losses on Wall Street saw Polar Capital Technology Trust and Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust – both investors in the technology sector – fall 3.2% and 1.6% respectively.
On the FTSE 250, Ithaca Energy shot up 10% after reporting a big jump in half-year profit, confirming its dividend plans, and increasing its 2025 production guidance.
The North Sea-focused oil and gas company said pre-tax profit almost tripled to 146.2 million dollars in the second quarter from 52.9 million dollars a year before, as revenue more than doubled to 746.4 million dollars from 361.6 million dollars.
Average production in the first half was 123,600 barrels of oil equivalent per day, up from 53,000 a year before. Ithaca raised its full-year guidance to between 119,000 and 125,000 boe per day from between 109,000 and 119,000.
On AIM, Fevertree Drinks slumped 9.9% as Exane BNP downgraded to “underperform” with a 740p per share price target.
Elsewhere, positive trading updates supported timber distributor James Latham and fishing tackle and equipment retailer Angling Direct, up 3.2% and 6.7% respectively.
A barrel of Brent traded at 66.70 dollars late on Wednesday afternoon, up from 66.08 dollars on Tuesday. Gold firmed to 3,341.46 dollars an ounce against 3,325.33 dollars.
The biggest risers on the FTSE 100 were ConvaTec Group, up 13 pence at 244.2p, United Utilities, up 39p at 1,159.5p, Unilever, up 148p at 4,692p, Cola Europacific Partners, up 200p at 6,840p and Imperial Brands, up 85p at 3,141p.
The biggest fallers on the FTSE 100 were Polar Capital Technology Trust, down 13 pence at 388.5p, Rolls-Royce, down 33.5p at 1,026p, easyJet, down 10.2p at 508.4p, ICG, down 38p at 2,162p and Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust, down 17p at 1,066p.
Thursday’s local corporate calendar has full-year results from recruiter Hays.
The global economic calendar on Thursday has a slew of composite PMI readings, UK public sector borrowing data, US weekly jobless claims figures and the Philadelphia Fed manufacturing index.
Contributed by Alliance News
Business
Best Buy reports modest sales recovery, but says tariffs are complicating its turnaround

Logo of Best Buy displayed outside a Best Buy store in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, on March 22, 2025.
Artur Widak | Nurphoto | Getty Images
Best Buy surpassed Wall Street revenue and earnings expectations for its most recent quarter on Thursday, but stuck with its full-year forecast, citing tariff uncertainty.
On the company’s earnings call, CEO Corie Barry said the retailer is “increasingly confident about our plans for the back half of the year.” She said the company is “trending toward the higher end of our sales range.”
Yet she said, “given the uncertainty of potential tariff impacts in the back half, both on consumers overall as well as our business, we feel it is prudent to maintain the annual guidance we provided last quarter.”
The consumer electronics retailer said it expects revenue of $41.1 billion to $41.9 billion and adjusted earnings per share in a range of $6.15 to $6.30 for its full fiscal year 2026. In May, Best Buy had cut its full-year profit guidance from a prior range of $6.20 to $6.60.
The middle of Best Buy’s expected full-year revenue range would be roughly flat to its revenue of $41.53 billion in the previous year. Best Buy said it expects full-year comparable sales, a metric that tracks online sales and sales at stores open at least 14 months, to range between a 1% decline and a 1% increase.
Chief Financial Officer Matt Bilunas said the company’s full-year guidance reflects that some shoppers could hold off on purchases in the third quarter. He said the retailer could see a slowdown in the business in October “as people are waiting for those holiday deals to come.”
For Best Buy, back-to-school season is a crucial time as families and students come to the store for laptops, tablets and more. Barry said the company has seen “a strong customer response” to its sales events during the season.
“These results demonstrate an important aspect of our thesis: Our model really shines when there is innovation,” she said.
Shares of Best Buy were down about 4% in afternoon trading.
Here’s how the retailer did for the three-month period that ended August 2 compared with what Wall Street was expecting, according to a survey of analysts by LSEG:
- Earnings per share: $1.28 adjusted vs. $1.21 expected
- Revenue: $9.44 billion vs. $9.24 billion expected
Best Buy’s net income for the fiscal second quarter of 2026 fell to $186 million, or 87 cents per share, from $291 million, or $1.34 per share, in the year-ago quarter. Adjusting for one-time items, including restructuring charges, Best Buy reported earnings per share of $1.28.
Revenue increased from $9.29 billion in the year-ago quarter.
Best Buy has been navigating a challenging trifecta of factors. Customers have bought fewer kitchen appliances as they put off home purchases and projects because of higher interest rates. Some have hesitated to splurge on pricier items because of tariff-related uncertainty or held out on tech replacements as they wait for new or eye-catching items. The company’s annual sales have declined for the past three years.
To spur growth, Best Buy launched a third-party marketplace earlier this month to offer shoppers a wider selection of consumer electronics, accessories and more. On the marketplace, sellers who apply for the platform can list their own brands and items on Best Buy’s website and app.
The company already increased prices on some items because of tariff-related higher costs, Barry said on a mid-May call with reporters. She did not specify which items now cost more and described price increases as “the very last resort.”
Still, tariffs did not have a material impact on fiscal second-quarter financial results, Barry said on the company’s earnings call Thursday.
Shopping patterns
Barry said that shopping patterns at Best Buy have not changed from previous quarters. She said customers are “resilient, but deal-focused” and have been attracted to the company’s sales events like the one it held in July.
“In the current environment, customers continue to be thoughtful about big ticket purchases and are willing to spend on high price point products when they need to, or when there is technology innovation,” she said.
Best Buy’s comparable sales rose 1.6% in the fiscal second quarter compared to the year-ago period. That marked the company’s highest growth in three years, Barry said on the company’s earnings call.
In the U.S., comparable sales increased 1.1%, as customers bought mobile phones, video gaming equipment and items from its computing category. However, those sales trends were partially offset by weaker sales of appliances, home theaters, tablets and drones, the company said.
Investors have looked for signs that the replacement cycle is picking up about five years after consumers stocked up on laptops, kitchen appliances, computer screens and more during the Covid pandemic.
There were some indications of that rebound in Best Buy’s second quarter. Barry said the retailer’s computing category marked its sixth consecutive quarter of sales growth. It also recorded the highest number of second-quarter laptop unit sales in 15 years, she said.
Gaming in particular had stronger-than-expected sales in the quarter, thanks to the release of the Nintendo Switch 2, Barry said. The retailer capitalized on the highly anticipated launch by offering a way for customers to pre-order and opening stores at midnight when the gaming console dropped on June 5, so customers could line up and get it right away.
In the back half of the year, Barrie said Best Buy will try to rev up sales in slower categories like appliances and home theater by sharpening price points, adjusting the merchandise it sells and expanding the staffing devoted to them. The retailer has increasingly leaned on its vendor partners to staff stores, bringing in employees of Apple and Samsung for example, to support sales in different parts of its stores.
Barry said the retailer expects brands to ramp up those staffing contributions in the back half of the year.
Along with adding more dedicated brand experts to its stores, Best Buy has added new experiences to attract and engage customers. It’s testing mini-showrooms with Ikea that feature kitchen and laundry room appliances and merchandise from both retailers in 10 stores in Florida and Texas. It is also rolling out new experiences with Breville and SharkNinja to show off trendy coffeemakers, beauty items and more, Barry said. And it has areas in stores where shoppers can try out Ray-Ban and Oakley sunglasses with Meta AI technology.
For the Nintendo Switch 2 launch, Best Buy worked with Nintendo to double the space in stores ahead of the June launch. Nintendo also brought game trucks to select stores, physical trailers where customers could play with the new system and try out the latest videogames.
Best Buy’s fiscal second-quarter online sales in the U.S. rose 5.1% year over year and accounted for about a third of Best Buy’s total U.S. revenue in the quarter.
Business
Blue chips falter as FTSE outshone by European peers

The FTSE 100 closed lower on Thursday, despite gains elsewhere in Europe, held back by a number of stocks trading ex-dividend.
The FTSE 100 index closed down 38.68 points, 0.4%, at 9,216.82. The FTSE 250 ended 60.63 points lower, 0.3%, at 21,744.40 and the AIM All-Share finished down 1.16 points, 0.2%, at 761.21.
On the FTSE 100, insurer Aviva topped the fallers, 3.1% lower as it traded ex-dividend, while LondonMetric Property, down 2.0% and Auto Trader, down 1.6%, also lost ground as they traded without entitlement to their payouts.
Among the risers was sports retailer JD Sports Fashion, up a further 2.8%, building on Wednesday’s gains which followed a well received trading update.
Berenberg raised its share price target to 155 pence from 128p.
“We believe that the 8.5x PE valuation fails to reflect the company’s potential for moderate growth, margin recovery and strong free cash flow,” the broker said in a research note.
In New York, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.3%, the S&P 500 was 0.1% lower, while the Nasdaq Composite was up 0.1%.
Nvidia was down 1.1% in New York at the time of the London close as concerns over China took some of the gloss off strong results and guidance.
The chip maker has not included any sales from China in its guidance as it grapples with the fallout from its trade war with the US.
Chief executive Jensen Huang said Nvidia is talking to the Trump administration about the “importance of American companies to be able to address the Chinese market”.
Data showed the US economy grew at a stronger pace than expected in the second quarter of the year.
According to the latest reading from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the US economy rose 3.3% quarter-on-quarter on an annualised basis in the three months to June, upwardly revised from the first estimate which showed 3.0% growth.
The first quarter saw the US economy shrink 0.5%.
The annualised calculation shows how much the economy would expand if that quarterly pace of growth continued for a whole year, according to the BEA.
Friday sees the release of the monthly personal consumption expenditures inflationary gauge. An acceleration in the annual growth rate of core PCE prices to 2.9% is expected for July, from 2.8% in June, according to consensus cited by FactSet.
The yield on the US 10-year Treasury was at 4.22%, trimmed from 4.26% on Wednesday. The yield on the US 30-year Treasury was 4.89%, narrowed from 4.91%.
The pound climbed to 1.3513 dollars late on Thursday afternoon in London, compared to 1.3469 at the equities close on Wednesday. The euro rose to 1.1668 dollars.
In Europe, the Cac 40 in Paris ended up 0.2%, while the Dax 40 in Frankfurt closed little changed.
Back in London, Drax fell 7.5% as it said the UK’s financial regulator had started a probe over the UK energy company’s sourcing for biomass pellets.
The Yorkshire-based power generator said it was notified on Tuesday that the Financial Conduct Authority has commenced an investigation into the company covering the period January 2022 to March 2024.
In a brief statement, Drax said the probe relates to certain historical statements regarding biomass sourcing and the compliance of Drax’s 2021, 2022 and 2023 annual reports with the listing rules and disclosure guidance and transparency rules.
Drax said it will co-operate with the FCA as part of their investigation.
In August 2024, Drax paid £25 million after industry regulator Ofgem found there was an absence of adequate data governance and controls in place that had contributed to the firm misreporting data in relation to the period April 2021 to March 2022.
Elsewhere, Hunting fell 2.9% as it reported increased revenue but lower profit in the first half of 2025 against a “volatile” market backdrop.
Looking ahead, Hunting said oil and gas demand has remained “steady and is likely to remain at a consistent level in the medium to long term”.
But in the near term, the geopolitical and macro-economic outlook remains “choppy”, it added.
PPHE Hotel shares sank 16% as the hotelier lowered full-year earnings guidance, alongside half year results.
The Amsterdam-based operator of Park Plaza and Art’otel hotels, among other brands, expects its full-year earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation to be “similar” to that of 2024.
A barrel of Brent traded at 67.51 dollars late Thursday afternoon, down slightly from 67.55 on Wednesday. Gold pushed higher to 3,407.04 dollars an ounce against 3,387.91 on Wednesday.
The biggest risers on the FTSE 100 were Anglo American, up 64.00 pence at 2,265.00p, JD Sports Fashion, up 2.74p at 100.10p, Weir, up 42.00p at 2,496.00p, Rio Tinto, up 67.00p at 4,637.00p and DCC, up 56.00p at 4,696.00p.
The biggest fallers on the FTSE 100 were Aviva, down 21.00p at 656.20p, Land Securities, down 12.50p at 559.00p, Endeavour Mining, down 52.00p at 2,492.00p, Relx, down 70.00p at 2,492.00p and LondonMetric Property, down 3.70p at 186.40p.
There are no major events scheduled in Friday’s local corporate calendar.
The global economic calendar on Friday has US personal consumption expenditures data, Canadian GDP numbers, German retail sales figures and CPI prints in France and Germany.
– Contributed by Alliance News
Business
Dick’s Sporting Goods raises guidance after second-quarter earnings beat

A Dick’s Sporting Goods store is shown in Oceanside, California, U.S., May 15, 2025.
Mike Blake | Reuters
Dick’s Sporting Goods raised its full-year sales and earnings guidance after delivering fiscal second-quarter results that beat expectations.
The company is now expecting comparable sales to grow between 2% and 3.5%, up from a previous range of 1% and 3% and ahead of analyst estimates of 2.9%, according to StreetAccount.
Dick’s said its earnings per share are now expected to be between $13.90 and $14.50, up from a previous range of $13.80 to $14.40. Analysts were expecting $14.39 per share, according to LSEG.
Here’s how the company performed compared with what Wall Street was anticipating, based on a survey of analysts by LSEG:
- Earnings per share: $4.38 adjusted vs. $4.32 expected
- Revenue: $3.65 billion vs. $3.63 billion expected
The company’s reported net income for the three-month period that ended Aug. 2 was $381 million, or $4.71 per share, compared with $362 million, or $4.37 per share, a year earlier. Excluding one-time items related to its acquisition of Foot Locker and other costs, Dick’s posted earnings per share of $4.38.
Sales rose to $3.65 billion, up about 5% from $3.47 billion a year earlier. During the quarter, comparable sales also grew 5%, well ahead of expectations of 3.2%, according to StreetAccount.
“Our performance shows how well our long-term strategies are working, the strength and resilience of our operating model and the impact of our team’s consistent execution,” CEO Lauren Hobart said in a news release. “Our Q2 comps increased 5.0%, with growth in average ticket and transactions, and we drove second quarter gross margin expansion.”
While Dick’s comparable sales guidance came in ahead of expectations, its full-year revenue outlook was slightly below estimates. The company said it’s expecting revenue to be between $13.75 billion and $13.95 billion, below estimates of $14 billion, according to LSEG.
Dick’s said its raised profit guidance includes the impact of tariffs that are currently in effect. In an interview with CNBC’s Courtney Reagan, Dick’s executive chairman Ed Stack said the company has implemented some price increases to offset the impact of higher duties but has been “surgical” in its approach.
“We’ve been able to do what we need to from a pricing standpoint, whether that’s from the national brands or from our own brands, and then other places where we’ve held price, we’ve been able to do that, and we’ve offset it someplace else, which is what you have to do in these in these situations, and the team’s done a great job doing that,” Stack said.
Hobart said during Thursday’s call with analysts that the retailer hasn’t seen its shoppers balking at the “small-level” price increases that have gone into effect.
Hobart said broadly Dick’s hasn’t seen any signs of a consumer spending slowdown as a result of tariffs. She said Dick’s saw growth across all of its key segments during the quarter.
Foot Locker tie-up
The company said its guidance doesn’t include any potential impact from its acquisition of Foot Locker, such as costs or results from the planned takeover, which is expected to close on Sept. 8.
In May, Dick’s announced it would be acquiring its longtime rival for $2.4 billion, giving it a competitive edge in the wholesale sneaker market, most importantly for Nike products, along with a bigger global presence.
Nike is a critical brand partner for both Dick’s and Foot Locker and, at times, their performance is reliant on how well the sneaker brand is doing. During the quarter, Stack said new drops from Nike’s revamped running portfolio, including the Pegasus Premium and the Vomero Plus, are performing so well, it can’t keep the shoes in stock.
“Anything that’s new, innovative and kind of the cool factor, is blowing out,” Stack said.
However, the acquisition also comes with risks. Foot Locker’s business has been in the midst of an ambitious turnaround under CEO Mary Dillon but the company is still struggling.
In the quarter ended Aug. 2, Foot Locker’s sales fell 2.4% and it posted a loss of $38 million. The company faces a range of existential challenges, including its heavy mall footprint, its small online business and a core consumer that often has less discretionary income than the core Dick’s consumer.
Once the businesses are combined, Foot Locker’s struggles could ultimately weigh on Dick’s overall results. On the other hand, the combined company will become the No. 1 seller of athletic footwear in the U.S., which will allow it to better compete against its next biggest rival, JD Sports.
Stack acknowledged to CNBC that Foot Locker’s earnings “were not great” but said the company has a strategy.
“We have a game plan of how to turn this around,” Stack told Reagan. “We think that we can return Foot Locker to its rightful place in the top of this industry and we’re excited to roll up our sleeves and get started with that.”
Dick’s plans to operate Foot Locker as a separate entity. Moving forward, Stack said the company plans to break out details on how each brand is performing when releasing quarterly results. It’ll provide separate details on how Dick’s performed and how Foot Locker performed so investors can get a sense of what’s going on in each part of the business.
Hobart said during Thursday’s earnings call that as part of the acquisition, Dick’s plans to invest in Foot Locker stores and marketing. She also said Dick’s sees opportunities in merchandising and bringing in a new assortment of products.
“As Foot Locker becomes part of the Dick’s family, we are an even more important brand to our wholesale partners, and that’s part of the thesis,” Hobart said.
Earlier this week, Dick’s said it had received all regulatory approvals associated with the transaction. It’s unclear if it had to divest any stores to satisfy the FTC’s requirements.
— CNBC’s Ali McCadden contributed to this report.
-
Business1 week ago
RSS Feed Generator, Create RSS feeds from URL
-
Tech1 week ago
Korea develops core radar components for stealth technology
-
Fashion1 week ago
Tariff pressure casts shadow on Gujarat’s textile landscape
-
Fashion1 week ago
Rent the Runway to swap debt for equity in revival effort
-
jobs1 week ago
Data Analyst at Easy Agile – Australia
-
Fashion1 week ago
US retailers split on holiday prospects amid consumer caution
-
Tech1 week ago
Qi2’s Magnetic Wireless Charging Finally Arrives on Android
-
Sports1 week ago
Dan Quinn says Terry McLaurin is healthy, ‘closer’ to Commanders return