3D iPhone rumour lifts chip maker’s shares 7pc
Cardiff-based tech firm
IQE hovered close to a record high yesterday as rumours that its software will be heavily featured in the new iPhone reached a fever pitch.
in its results for the first half of the year, the firm said its outlook ‘ has never looked better’ and reported a 48pc jump in sales of its laser-based photonics technology, designed in part for use in the latest generation of 3d devices.
With the iPhone 8 widely expected to include a range of 3d features when it is released, broker N+1 singer said it was likely that this jump in sales can be pinned on apple.
The hint comes just weeks after iQe confirmed that it has secured multiple multi-year contracts for the mass market release of its products, which many saw as confirmation of a deal with apple.
iQe’s shares have nearly trebled in value this year and yesterday, the firm rose 6.5pc, or 9p, to 147p.
The FTSE 100 fell 0.52pc, or 38.55 points, to 7372.92 as nuclear tests in North Korea continued to drive caution.
Telecoms firm TalkTalk rose after it said it was talking to several networks over the future of its mobile operations.
TalkTalk announced that it no longer plans to launch its own mobile network in May.
a spokesman said: ‘ We are in advanced discussions with a number of potential partners, including O2, to agree a low-touch, retail arrangement that will enable us to continue to offer a competitive service.’
according to the financial Times, the firm has been discussing a deal with operators which would see it sell their sim cards alongside its own broadband packages. shares rose 0.8pc, or 1.7p, to 203.1p. investors in gambling firm 888
Holdings were dealt a losing hand as the company revealed the full effects of a whopping historical tax charge and a penalty from the UK’s gambling regulator.
it suffered a £13.3m loss in the first half of the year, down from a £27.8m profit in the first half of 2016 and had to cough up around £34.8m to German authorities for unpaid taxes arising from its operations there prior to 2015.
Last week, the firm was also hit with a record penalty of more than £7.8m from the UK Gambling Commission as a result of ‘serious failings in its handling of vulnerable customers’.
despite this, 888 saw year- onyear revenues jump 9pc in the first half of 2017 to £207.5m, boosted by a 35pc jump in sports betting revenue. Yesterday, shares fell 3.7pc, or 9.75p, to 253.75p.
Packaging giant DS Smith failed to deliver returns to investors yesterday despite strong demand across europe and a recovery in paper prices since the beginning of its financial year in May.
smith, which makes one in four of all packages in UK supermarket trolleys and recently entered the Us market, said sales volumes are ‘well ahead’ of the same period in 2016. shares edged down 0.8pc, or 4p, to 491.6p.
More good news for medical research firm OptiBiotix Health, which advanced a healthy 3.5pc, or 2.5p, to 73.5p, after securing a huge manufacturing deal with indian giant Tata Chemicals.
The deal will see Tata manufacture a chemical designed to help reduce cholesterol by up to 22pc. The product will be used in Tata’s food and nutrition business. Online instrument retailer Gear
4music, which sells everything from kazoos to electric guitars, sank 2.2pc, or 17.5p, to 792.5p, despite a 30pc jump in UK revenues to £17.9m over the first half.
and AppScatter Group, a platform that lets mobile app developers sell their products, rose 15.4pc, or 10p, to 75p, on its first day of trading in London.