JD Sports cuts FY outlook, Johnson Matthey reshuffles board
By Iain Gilbert
Date: Thursday 20 Nov 2025
(Sharecast News) - LONDON PRE-OPEN
The FTSE 100 was expected to open 65.1 points higher ahead of the bell on Thursday after wrapping up the previous session 0.47% lower at 9,507.41.
STOCKS TO WATCH
Miniature wargames manufacturer Games Workshop said on Thursday that core revenues for the six months ending 30 November were expected to be no less than £310m at actual exchange rates, up from £269.4m a year earlier. Licensing revenue was expected to come in at no less than £16m, down from £30.1m in the prior period, while pre-tax profits were seen reaching at least £135m, compared to £126.8m last year.
Johnson Matthey said on Thursday that it had reshuffled its leadership team, with Alastair Judge appointed as chief financial officer and current CFO Richard Pike taking on the chief operating officer post. Judge joined Johnson Matthey in July 2018, while Pike previously worked at Pilkington and Associated British Foods, including the role of managing director of British Sugar.
NEWSPAPER ROUND-UP
US officials are privately saying that they might not levy long-promised semiconductor tariffs soon, potentially delaying a centerpiece of Donald Trump's economic agenda. Officials relayed these messages over the last several days to stakeholders in the government and private industry, according to two people with direct knowledge of the matter and a third person briefed on the conversations. A fourth person following the matter also said the administration was taking a more cautious approach to avoid provoking China. The discussions have not been previously reported. - Guardian
The government has been urged to take control of the sale of the Telegraph through an auction run by a body such as the UK competition regulator or the Cabinet Office. Peers called on the culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, to wrest the sale process from RedBird IMI, which is majority funded by the United Arab Emirates, in questions put to Labour minister Fiona Twycross in the House of Lords on Wednesday. - Guardian
The Tories have accused Rachel Reeves of "sullying the Budget process" and undermining the Office for Budget Responsibility after Labour claimed the watchdog drove its decision to shelve income tax hikes. The Conservatives have asked the OBR to verify claims that Ms Reeves dropped plans to increase the tax in response to better-than-expected economic forecasts. - Telegraph
Hotel tycoon Sir Rocco Forte has attacked Labour plans for a Venice-style tourism tax across England, branding it "deeply unfair". The luxury hotelier, who is behind the Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh and Brown's in London, said it would be "beyond belief" if the Chancellor unveiled a new holiday tax in her Budget next week. - Telegraph
Border to Coast, the council pension schemes group, and the wealth manager City Asset Management have swelled the ranks of rebels planning to vote against proposals to create Britain's largest infrastructure investment trust. As a £70bn investment giant and a small shareholder in HICL Infrastructure, one of the merging entities, Border to Coast called the proposed merger with The Renewables Infrastructure Group "illogical" and "unjustifiable". - The Times
US CLOSE
US stocks trimmed earlier gains to finish only moderately higher on Wednesday, partially bouncing back after a four-day losing streak, as investors awaited crucial quarterly figures from AI-darling Nvidia.
At the close, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.10% at 46,138.77, while the S&P 500 advanced 0.38% to 6,642.16 and the Nasdaq Composite saw out the session 0.59% firmer at 22,564.23.
Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com
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