Science Group, unchanged at 552.5p, in its trading update, announced that it continued strong performance for the period, with adjusted operating profit in line or slightly ahead of expectations despite volatile markets. The company recorded a £24m exceptional pre-tax gain and cash inflow from an H1 strategic investment. R&D services, particularly in the medical sector, continued to recover as anticipated.
Xaar, up 12.2%, announced the latest evolution of its Versatex high-performance digital inkjet printbar, enhancing digital capability for analog print lines and converting machines. The upgraded Versatex supports label varnish, foil embellishment, and braille applications. It delivers high-opacity whites at 85% in a single pass and includes an improved Ink Delivery System that doubles the high build print mode speed. The system now jets 100 microns at 50 meters per minute, compared to 25 meters previously. Compact and low-maintenance, the new Versatex offers enhanced productivity and quality for high-value label and packaging printing applications.
GetBusy, unchanged at 83.5p, announced that its SmartVault platform has gone live with an integration into Intuit’s ProConnect Tax, Intuit’s leading cloud-based tax preparation and advisory solution. This milestone expands SmartVault’s partnership with Intuit, enabling access to up to 100,000 users of Lacerte and ProSeries products as they transition to the cloud. The deep, in-product integration allows ProConnect users to securely manage, store, and share documents directly within the interface, enhancing workflow automation, client data handling, and compliance efficiency.
1Spatial, down 6.4%, in its interim results for the six months ended 31 July 2025, announced that revenues advanced to £17.65m from £16.25m recorded in the same period of the previous month. Loss before tax widened to £0.31m from £0.16m. No dividend is proposed for the six months ended 31 July 2025 (31 January 2025: nil; 31 July 2024: nil).
Tristel, down 0.8%, in its final results for the year ended 30 June 2025, announced that its revenue advanced to £46.46m from £41.93m recorded in the previous year. Profit before tax widened to £8.42m from £7.08m. Its cash and cash equivalents stood at £8.64m for the period. Further, the company increased the dividend per share for the full year by 5% to 14.20p from 13.52p.
UK markets ended lower last week, weighed down by losses in financial sector stocks. On the data front, the UK ILO unemployment rate unexpectedly rose in August, while the nation’s BRC like-for-like retail sales rose at less than expected in August. Meanwhile, the UK gross domestic product grew as expected in August, following a rebound in the manufacturing industry. Additionally, the UK industrial production rose more than expected in August, while the nation’s manufacturing production advanced more than anticipated in August. The FTSE 100 index declined 0.8% to settle at 9,354.6, while the FTSE AIM 100 index fell 1.7% to close at 3,681.3. Additionally, the FTSE techMARK 100 index lost 1.8% to end at 7,938.3.
US markets ended higher in the previous week, after comments from Donald Trump eased trade concerns with China, as he acknowledged that his proposed 100% tariffs were “not sustainable,” boosting investor sentiment. On the macro front, the US NAHB housing market index climbed to a 6-month high in October, while the NY Empire State manufacturing index advanced more than anticipated in October. Meanwhile, the US Philadelphia Fed manufacturing index declined more than forecasted in October. The DJIA index rose 1.6% to end at 46,190.6, while the NASDAQ index gained 2.1% to close at 22,680.
