BBC: Sir David Attenborough has said he has been “completely overwhelmed” by the messages he has received ahead of his 100th birthday. The veteran broadcaster and environmentalist celebrates the milestone on Friday, with a special concert planned in the evening at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
Comment: It is rather wonderful that despite all the best efforts of everyone else in the world, as well as many British people themselves, it is still the case that so many of the greatest people in so many fields, are from this country.
PA reports, Prime Minister Keir Starmer finds himself under pressure following disastrous local election results. Early results have seen Labour haemorrhage hundreds of councillors and eight local authorities across England while Reform, the Greens and Liberal Democrats are all making gains.
Comment: Local elections never have and never will be a decisive factor in the fate of a Government. In fact, one can say that even if Sir Keir Starmer resigns today, it will not have been because of the results revealed this morning. At the end of the day people barely care about the General Election, let alone councils and worst of all, councillors.
Rightmove (RMV), the UK’s number one property portal, updated on trading for the period from 1 January 2026. “Unless otherwise stated, figures relate to the four-month period ending 30 April 2026. Current trading and outlook: Guidance remains unchanged since our 2025 full-year results, and we are reaffirming our expectation of 8-10% revenue growth in 2026. Our Strategic Growth Areas of Commercial Property, Mortgages and Rental Services are on track to deliver 20-30% revenue growth for the year.”
Comment: Although one feels that Zoopla is winning the PR / marketing battle currently, it is interesting to see RMV release a defiant statement. This is especially after the AI own goal from last year, which has knocked the stuffing out of the share price, and will probably mean the company will never be the same again.
WSJ: British Airways Owner IAG (IAG) Cuts 2026 Outlook on Soaring Jet-Fuel Prices. The group said demand was strong, with booked revenue for the second quarter already at 80%. British Airways owner International Consolidated Airlines Group IAG – lowered its forecasts for 2026 despite a jump in its first-quarter profit, citing the impact of the Iran war and the increase in jet fuel prices. IAG, which also owns Iberia and Vueling among other airlines, said Friday that it expects its fuel bill for 2026 to reach 9 billion euros ($10.55 billion), and that it hedged 70% of its fuel needs for the remainder of the year.
Comment: Always worth IAG results time when genius journalists dovetail the words “headwinds” and “tailwinds” to the story. That said, it is impressive that the company has hedged 70% of its fuel needs. Why have other airlines not apparently done this, or even been made to do this?
Arrow Exploration Corp. (AXL), the high-growth operator with a portfolio of assets across key Colombian hydrocarbon basins, is pleased to provide an update on operational activity at the Mateguafa Attic field on the Tapir Block in the Llanos Basin of Colombia where Arrow holds a 50 percent beneficial interest. The Mateguafa HZ12 well (M-HZ12) was spud March 27, 2026, and reached target depth on April 7, 2026. The M-HZ12 well was drilled, on time and under budget, to a total measured depth of 13,824 feet (8,455 feet true vertical depth) and encountered multiple hydrocarbon-bearing intervals.
Comment: It has taken a lot of effort, but the powers that be at AXL still successfully manage to keep a lid on the share price, despite the heady mix of every increasing production and like today, discovery. But of course, the longer this state of affairs continues, the greater the value lies therein.
URU Metals Limited (URU) announced the commencement of the ground-based frequency-domain electromagnetic (“FDEM”) survey at the Zeb Nickel Project. The FDEM survey follows the successful completion of the ground-based gravity survey and forms a key component of the Company’s ongoing geophysical programme aimed at refining and prioritising drill targets identified from the previously completed airborne surveys.
Comment: Shares of URU tripled briefly during September – October last year, but have gone sideways at the lower levels since. Presumably, the company is hoping that today’s announcement will relight the autumnal fire / enthusiasm.
EARNZ plc (EARN) announced a significant contract awarded to the Group, which closely aligns to our strategic aim of building long term partnerships with new and established Tier One clients in the public and private sectors, responsible for residential and non-residential property portfolios. A&D Carbon Solutions, which EARNZ acquired in July 2025, has been successfully awarded a contract by Fortem, working on behalf of Sanctuary Housing, on an initial two-year contract.
Comment: If nothing else, EARN keeps on delivering on a regular basis, something which underlines the expectation that this is another Bob Holt winner in the making. Indeed, one could argue that the man has already got there with a proven business model.
Seraphim Space Investment Trust plc (SSIT), the world’s first listed SpaceTech investment company, is pleased to announce the completion of an equity raise via an issue of C Shares, announced on 27 April 2026 and conducted under the authorities granted by shareholders at the Company’s General Meeting on 6 May 2026. Pursuant to the Issue, a total of 136,508,663 new C Shares will be issued at a price of 100 pence per C Share, raising gross proceeds of approximately £137 million.
Comment: Shares of SSIT have more than doubled since December, ironically making the stock one of my father’s most successful investments. It is therefore unfortunate that he died at Christmas. That said, it would appear that he was and the company is right on the money in terms of the massive expansion in space, led by SpaceX.
Quantum Blockchain Technologies plc (QBT), the AIM-listed investment company focused principally on a research, development and investment programme within blockchain technology, update on its quantum computing research programme in relation to Bitcoin mining. Further to the Company ’ s previous announcement of 6 January 2023, QBT confirms that it has resumed its quantum computing research activities. This research was put on hold at the end of 2023 due to the lack of quantum computers with enough qubits to run QBT’s quantum version of SHA 256. The same team at Milan University originally selected for the original project will also feature upon its resumption. This team continuity enables the Company to build directly on prior work and accelerate progress in this strategically important area.
Comment: The devil is in the detail as far as QBT and all things quantum, especially as there are probably only five people in the country who truly understand the technology. What is interesting here is that the company has apparently been sitting on its hands over the past three years, at the most pivotal time in the space.
Disclaimer & Declaration of Interest:
The information, investment views, and recommendations in this Zaks Traders Cafe interview are provided for general information purposes only. Nothing in this interview should be construed as a promotion or solicitation to buy or sell any financial product relating to any companies under discussion or referred to or to engage in or refrain from doing so or engage in any other transaction. Any opinions or comments are made to the best of the knowledge and belief of the commentator but no responsibility is accepted for actions based on such opinions or comments. The commentators may or may not hold investments in the companies under discussion.
