Betting against BT has long been a lucrative trade. Rewind to 2015 and the shares were just shy of £5. So it makes a change to see a new boss finally dial up a good day on the stock market, complete with the official unveiling of the company’s new motto: “I always love to squeeze the shorts.”
It’s the line from Allison Kirkby, who took charge in February and for a few months was marooned in what she called “no-man’s land”, a strategic purdah, while the market wondered whether the new chief might “throw everything up in the air” and the short-sellers piled in.
Her answer to that has now arrived with the full-year figures. The result? Shares up 17 per cent to 132½p,
