Kingfisher Plc Issues Update On Q4 Trading To Date – Quick Facts

Kingfisher plc (KGF.L) said, based on trading to date, the Group is comfortable with the top end of the range of current sell-side analyst estimates for fiscal year 20/21 adjusted profit before tax.

Fourth quarter Group like-for-like sales (to 9 January 2021) were up 16.9%, supported by e-commerce sales growth of over 150%. Financial year to date (1 February 2020 to 9 January 2021), Group like-for-like sales were up 6.5%.

Thierry Garnier, Chief Executive Officer, said: “While the strength of our fourth quarter trading, to date, is reassuring, uncertainty over COVID-19 and the impact of lockdown restrictions in most of our markets continue to limit our visibility.”

Cathie Wood Plans to Launch Space ETF After Skyrocketing Gains

After a stratospheric year, Cathie Wood’s Ark Investment Management is ready to take it a step further: Into space.

The New York-based firm is planning to launch the ARK Space Exploration ETF (ticker ARKX), according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The actively managed exchange-traded fund will primarily track U.S. and global companies engaged in space exploration and innovation.

After massive inflows over the past year, the once-niche firm now oversees about $41.5 billion in ETF products, compared with less than $3.5 billion in the same period in 2020, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Ark recently became a top-10 ETF issuer, thanks in large part to its $21.6 billion flagship Ark Innovation ETF (ARKK) that has Tesla Inc. as its biggest holding. While the vast majority of ETFs passively track indexes of stocks, Ark offers five actively managed U.S. ETFs, and Wood runs all of them.

Sweden Extends Alcohol Serving Ban Amid ‘Serious’ Covid Levels

Sweden extended a ban on serving alcohol at restaurants as the coronavirus situation in the country “remains serious,” Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said.

The alcohol ban after 8 p.m. was pushed back to Feb. 7, while a recommendation to wear face masks in public transport during rush hours was prolonged through spring, Lofven and the Health & Social Affairs Minister, Lena Hallengren, told reporters in Stockholm on Thursday.

Lofven’s government won the right to shutter businesses and fine citizens that fail to comply with tougher restrictions under a new temporary law passed earlier this month. Last week, the death toll from Covid-19 in Sweden passed 10,000, which is considerably higher than elsewhere in the Nordic region.

The government is “ready to do more” if the measures prove insufficient and also to use the new pandemic law for further restrictions, Hallengren said.

Still, the government eased some recommendations, including a gradual re-opening of upper secondary schools from Jan. 25, with at least 20% learning on-site.

There is “a certain improvement in several parts of the country,” but the situation is “so unstable that no major changes should be made regarding regulations,” Johan Carlson, director general of the Public Health Authority, said.

Read More: Odd Man Out Sweden, Slammed by Virus, Gets With the Program

Stock Alert: Danimer Scientific Hits New 52-week High

Shares of Danimer Scientific Inc. (DNMR), a bioplastics company, are rising more than 9 percent or $2.75 in Wednesday’s morning trade at $32.54, after hitting a new 52-week high of $33.19 despite no company-specific news.

U.S. stocks are extending gains on Wednesday from the previous session amid upbeat corporate earnings results and continued optimism about more fiscal stimulus. Investors also looked ahead to developments in Washington as former Vice President Joe Biden will be sworn in as the 46th President of the United States today.

In late December, Meredian Holdings Group, Inc., doing business as Danimer Scientific, and Danimer Scientific, Inc., f/k/a Live Oak Acquisition Corp., said they completed their previously announced business combination. In connection with the closing, Live Oak changed its name to Danimer Scientific, Inc. and its common stock began to trade under the ticker symbol “DNMR” on the New York Stock Exchange from December 30, 2020.

Danimer Scientific has traded in a range of $4.70 to $33.19 in the past 52 weeks.

Senior PLC Q4 Performance Slightly Ahead Of Board’s Expectations – Quick Facts

Senior PLC (SNR.L) issued a market update for the year ended 31 December 2020. The Group said its fourth quarter performance was slightly ahead of the Board’s previous expectations, although the lower level of activity first seen in second quarter 2020, due to the impact of COVID-19 on some of the key end markets, persisted for the remainder of 2020.

For the full year 2020, revenue is likely to be around 733 million pounds and the Group expects adjusted loss before tax to be slightly better than previous expectations.

Mets Fire General Manager Jared Porter After Texting Scandal

The New York Mets have terminated General Manager Jared Porter, according to a statement by billionaire owner Steve Cohen.

ESPN reported Monday that Porter had sent explicit and unsolicited text messages to a reporter in 2016 while he was employed by the Chicago Cubs. Porter, in the ESPN story, acknowledged sending pictures to the woman but said the more explicit ones weren’t of himself.

In a statement to ESPN, Mets President Sandy Alderson said the team was unaware of the events until Monday and would review Porter’s status with the club in light of the revelations.

The decision came swiftly. Cohen, the owner of Point72 Asset Management, announced the termination Tuesday morning, less than a day after the story was published.