Ashmore posts positive second quarter, QinetiQ wins UK MoD contract

London open

The FTSE 100 is expected to open flat on Monday, having closed up 0.64% at 7,844.07 on Friday.

Stocks to watch

Ashmore posted a 2% rise in second-quarter assets under management to $57.2bn. This comprised a positive investment performance of $3.8bn and net outflows of $2.6bn. The company hailed a strong performance from emerging markets, reflecting a positive shift in investor sentiment against a backdrop of light positioning and "highly attractive" valuations.

Qinetiq said it has won an £80m contract with the UK's Ministry of Defence (MOD). The contract will provide expertise, training and support to accelerate and transform mission data production.

Food delivery group Just Eat has launched a new partnership with grocery giant Sainsbury's, marking the platform's second tie-up with one of the UK's "Big Four" grocers. The pair said the partnership will launch with more than 175 stores by the end of February in locations including London, Edinburgh, and Bristol, with plans to roll out to many more cities across 2023. Just Eat said that with over 2,000 grocery sites already on its platform, the deal marked "a significant step" in its plan to expand its grocery offering even further and will also widen the range of products available.

Newspaper round-up

Leading energy suppliers have stopped reclaiming debts from some prepayment meter customers amid calls for an industry moratorium on clawing back money owed through the devices. The Guardian understands that ScottishPower, which has nearly five million customers, has stopped recovering outstanding debts from people who have been moved on to prepayment meters in recent weeks. – Guardian

Britain’s most valuable fintech company, Revolut, is assembling a team to track whether staff are being “approachable” and “respectful”, as it tries to address criticism about an aggressive corporate culture and secure a UK banking licence. While the crypto trading to payments company is valued at $33bn (£27bn) and boasts 25 million customers and 6,000 staff in offices stretching from London to Tokyo to São Paulo, it has so far lacked a UK licence that would bring the firm within regulated customer protection schemes. – Guardian

Buy now, pay later payments are to impact the credit scores of millions of people for the first time, The Telegraph can reveal. Zilch, a British buy now pay later business with three million users, is to start sharing data on customers' balances and repayments with credit rating agencies in a move that could see people’s ability to borrow restricted if they fall behind on payments. – Telegraph

Marks & Spencer is stepping up its store opening programme with the launch of 20 “bigger and better” new shops throughout Britain and the creation of 3,400 jobs. While other retailers are switching online or are disappearing from the high street, Stuart Machin, the chain’s co-chief executive, said he was committed to offering “great shops”, in spite of previously announcing plans to close 67 underperforming branches. – The Times

Profits at Crispin Odey’s hedge fund business halved in its last financial year after a sharp drop in performance fees. Partners at Odey Asset Management shared in £18.8 million profits in the year to April 5, 2022, down from a bumper £39.7 million a year earlier, according to accounts filed at Companies House at the weekend. – The Times

US close

Stocks closed higher on Wall Street on Friday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average up 0.33% at 34.302.61.

The S&P 500 added 0.4% to 3,999.09, and the Nasdaq Composite was ahead 0.71% at 11,079.16.