Morning, I’m Chloé Meley from Bloomberg UK’s breaking news team, bringing you up to speed on today’s top business stories. Clothes, dishwasher tablets, construction tools for hire – British companies across the board are starting to feel the impact of the war in Iran. Just this morning, trading updates from two smaller UK firms outlined the hit to performance from the conflict in the Middle East, ...
Morning, I’m Chloé Meley from Bloomberg UK’s breaking news team, bringing you up to speed on today’s top business stories. Clothes, dishwasher tablets, construction tools for hire – British companies across the board are starting to feel the impact of the war in Iran. Just this morning, trading updates from two smaller UK firms outlined the hit to performance from the conflict in the Middle East, as the energy price shock and disruption to shipping feed through supply chains. Tool rental company Speedy Hire said market conditions had weakened over the course of the most recent quarter, and predicted earnings of £90 million for this year. That was just below what analysts had expected. Cleaning products manufacturer McBride also warned this morning of high input costs this month, which could go up further in the near future, as chemical and packaging suppliers hike prices. Already, we’ve seen European chemical makers BASF and Lanxess raising prices, triggering a knock-on effect that could hit consumers. This follows on from retailer Next , which warned last week of higher costs and the possibility of price rises by September. As earnings season gets underway in a few weeks time, more such warnings are likely. P.S.: We’ll be back on Tuesday April 7, enjoy your long weekend. What’s your take? Ping me on X , LinkedIn or drop me an email at cmeley@bloomberg.net. Oh, and do subscribe to Bloomberg.com for unlimited access to trusted business journalism on the UK, and beyond. What We’re Watching A record surge in the price of petrol , triggered by the Iran war, is heaping pressure on Keir Starmer to help motorists. He has so far stopped short of announcing any major support package, though he acknowledged the impact of the energy price shock on consumers. Lloyds said it didn’t need to change to its motor finance redress provisions, after the Financial Conduct Authority tightened the conditions for compensation for consumers who were missold car loans. Plus, power generator ...
undefined Several brokerages cut their price targets on Xiaomi Corp’s stock even after the electronics giant reported record revenue and profit for 2025, reflecting growing investor anxiety over whether the company can sustain growth across its core smartphone and emerging automotive businesses amid supply chain and policy headwinds. CMB International lowered its price target on Xiaomi’s shares to...
undefined Several brokerages cut their price targets on Xiaomi Corp’s stock even after the electronics giant reported record revenue and profit for 2025, reflecting growing investor anxiety over whether the company can sustain growth across its core smartphone and emerging automotive businesses amid supply chain and policy headwinds. CMB International lowered its price target on Xiaomi’s shares to HK$44.47 from HK$47.16, citing rising memory prices and Beijing’s decision to cut back its tax break for new-energy vehicle (NEV) purchases as headwinds for the Chinese tech giant. BofA Securities made a similar prediction, cutting its price target on Xiaomi to HK$40 from HK$45.