(Sharecast News) - LONDON PRE-OPEN

The FTSE 100 was expected to open 27.9 points lower ahead of the bell on Monday, after wrapping up the previous session 0.24% higher at 10,497.29.


STOCKS TO WATCH

Recruiter PageGroup held annual guidance after a rise in second quarter gross profit driven by a strong performance in the Americas, offsetting weaker trading in France, Northern Europe and the UK, although it warned of "a high degree of uncertainty in the outlook for the rest of the year". Gross profits rose 1.3% to £197.6m. The company still expects full-year operating profits of £28m based on its own compiled consensus of analyst forecasts.

A treatment for rectal cancer being developed by GSK has shown positive results in interim testing, the pharma giant announced on Monday. Jemperli, the brand name of immunotherapy drug dostarlimab, met its primary objective in interim analysis, GSK said, with a clinically significant rate of participants showing no detectable signs of cancer a year or more after treatment. The data will now be shared with health authorities for regulatory review, including an accelerated review in the US.

Rank Group said it has appointed Richard Harris as chief executive officer with immediate effect. Harris, who has been serving as interim CEO since 30 January, joined the board as chief financial officer in May 2022. Rank said he has "extensive knowledge of the business, a track record of driving business performance and the strategic leadership required to maximise shareholder returns". Prior to joining Rank, he held senior leadership roles in a number of consumer facing businesses, including Marks & Spencer, Foxtons and Laird.

Fintech group Plus500 reported a record first half, with customer income and revenues both rising sharply year‑on‑year, and the firm reconfirming full‑year revenue and underlying earnings guidance after several upgrades to market expectations earlier in 2026. Revenue rose 12% to $462.9m, a three‑year high, supported by broad‑based strength across business lines and heightened market volatility, which Plus500 said its proprietary trading platforms were well positioned to capture, while EBITDA edged 1% higher to $187.5m, giving a margin of 41%.

NEWSPAPER ROUND-UP

The beleaguered pub sector is getting a boost from England's World Cup run, with some landlords reporting roaring sales as anticipation builds for a bumper night on Wednesday for the semi-final clash with Argentina. Lisa Mayall, the manager of the British Oak in Kingswinford near Dudley in the West Midlands, was jubilant after England's 2-1 win against Norway on Saturday night and brisk takings at the pub's till. She expects hundreds more customers for the team's next game at 2000 BST. - Guardian

Britain's biggest community solar project has been forced to shut for the duration of its first summer by the government's energy system operator to avoid overloading the local grid with renewable energy. The north Devon solar farm was ordered to shut weeks before record high temperatures across Europe led to power supply warnings, due to concerns that the large amount of rooftop solar in the area could destabilise the power grid by triggering a "thermal overload". - Guardian

Eurostar is locked in a row with London St Pancras International over fears that surging passenger numbers will push the station to breaking point. Gwendoline Cazenave, Eurostar's chief executive, said she was at loggerheads with station bosses over how best to cope with a significant increase in trains using the Channel tunnel over the next few years. Unless more space is freed up for millions more passengers a year, the influx will lead to a meltdown at St Pancras, where people already have to queue to complete EU border formalities, she told The Telegraph. - Telegraph

Almost a third of Britons would be more likely to back "war bonds" to help fund defence if they could invest their money tax-free, Hargreaves Lansdown has found. A survey of 2,000 people by the investment platform found 31% of respondents would invest in government-backed bonds earmarked for defence spending if they were granted financial incentives to do so, while only 10% would buy the bonds purely to support national security. - The Times

Economic growth stuttered to a five-year low in June, prompting businesses to freeze hiring as they shifted into "survival mode". Sluggish consumer spending, sapped business confidence and a sustained rise in production costs since the Iran war erupted four months ago have combined to squeeze economic output. - The Times

US CLOSE

After a rocky start, US stocks pushed into positive territory by the closing bell on Friday, helped by renewed optimism in the AI and semiconductor sectors on the back of a strong market debut from South Korean memory chip maker SK Hynix.

At the close, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.29% at 52,637.01, while the S&P 500 had advanced 0.42% to 7,575.39, and the Nasdaq Composite saw out the session 0.29% firmer at 26,281.61.





Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com

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