Weekly review
The FTSE 100 ended the week down 124 points at 6,721.17.
Equity view
Just Eat has come under attack from activist investor Cat Rock Capital Management, which owns 2% of the FTSE 100 takeaway food marketplace and demanded management "address key issues" and produce a new three-year plan within 30 days.
British energy supplier SSE on Monday pulled out of its planned merger with Innogy's Npower retail unit, saying the two companies could not agree on commercial terms and citing "challenging" market conditions.
Rio Tinto has completed the sale of its aluminium smelter at Dunkerque, France, to Liberty House for $500m, it confirmed on Monday.
Chemicals group Croda International has wrapped up a deal to buy Denmark-based vaccine adjuvant specialist Brenntag Biosector for €72m.
Anglo American said on Tuesday that the value of rough diamond sales at its De Beers unit rose in the tenth sales cycle of 2018.
AstraZeneca's roxadustat drug has been approved in China for the treatment of anaemia in chronic kidney disease patients on dialysis.
Oil giant Royal Dutch Shell has begun negotiations to acquire North Sea explorer Endeavor Energy for around $8bn, roughly half of what the Texan outfit was expected to go for when it put itself up for sale earlier this year, according to reports.
New York regulators have fined Barclays $15m over the efforts made by the bank’s chief executive to reveal the identity of a whistleblower.
Meanwhile, Spanish bank Santander was fined £33m for failing to pass on £183m of deceased customers' funds to 40,000 of their relatives, the Financial Conduct Authority said.
GVC Holdings confirmed it would be able to cancel the potential payment to former Ladbrokes Coral shareholders in early January after the government enacted the cut in maximum stakes for fixed-odds betting machines to £2.
Virgin Atlantic said on Wednesday that it still in talks with Flybe about potentially making a takeover offer for the regional carrier.
Industrial thread maker Coats said it had bought Asia-based material planning company ThreadSol for up to $12m in cash.
Stagecoach has agreed to sell its North America bus and coach division to a US private equity firm for up to $207m (£163m) cash.
Renewable infrastructure fund Greencoat UK Wind on Thursday said it was buying the Douglas West wind farm in Scotland from Blue Energy for £45m.
Online gaming operator and platform provider 888 Holdings has been awarded a licence by the Swedish Gambling Authority to provide online casino, sport and poker services in Sweden.
Dutch online food delivery company Takeaway.com has agreed to buy the German business of Delivery Hero for around €930m in cash and shares.
Vodafone confirmed on Friday it was sacking PricewaterhouseCoopers over litigation concerns, though it was not doing so immediately.
Cafe bar operator Loungers is planning on going through with its £250m initial public offering despite the growing uncertainty generated by Brexit, The Times reported without citing sources.
Sportswear colossus Nike revealed a strong quarterly performance overnight and gave three "shout outs" to Anglo-US retailer JD Sports as it reaffirmed the importance of its strategics partners.
Economic news
Britain’s goods exports have fallen to its lowest levels in three years due to the growing uncertainty generated by Brexit and the ongoing trade war between China and the US.
A change in the way of accounting for student loans will add more than £12bn to the government’s annual deficit and could wipe out the Chancellor's recent budget windfall.
The Bank of England has published a proposed framework under which the UK’s biggest banks will need to publicly demonstrate they have plans in place to allow them to wind down without a government bailout.
The Financial Conduct Authority is cracking down on the UK’s “dysfunctional” £2.4bn overdraft market, including banning banks from charging higher fees for unauthorised borrowing.
Inflation eased to a 20-month low in November, as a planned rise in the cost of tobacco was offset by falling prices at the petrol pump.
The UK’s manufacturing sector saw output improve as 2018 came to an end, as growth in exports helped overcome softer domestic demand.
The Bank of England stood pat on interest rates on Thursday, as widely expected, amid growing Brexit uncertainty.
Motor manufacturers became the latest lobby group to demand the government avoid a no-deal’ Brexit, saying they were “exasperated” with the current lack of political progress.
British car making output fell by almost 20% in November, as Brexit and weak export demand hit the industry, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said on Friday.
Lacklustre UK economic growth was confirmed on Friday, though public finances were a little better than expected.
International events
North Korea warned on Monday that US sanctions were a "deliberate provocation" that could block the denuclearisation of the peninsula.
The US and China sparred again over their respective trade policies at a World Trade Organisation meeting in Geneva at the start of the week.
Asian markets tumbled on Tuesday after a much-anticipated speech by Chinese president Xi Jinping failed to deliver.
However, as the nation stressed its openness for trade, China National Offshore Oil Corp signed nine oil and gas deals with different firms including Royal Dutch Shell.
The US Federal Reserve on Wednesday defied President Donald Trump and raised interest rates by 0.25% to a target range of 2.25%-2. 5%, but lowered forecasts for future increases.
After months of intense negotiations, Italy and the European Union have come to an agreement on the Mediterranean country’s budget with the European Commission.
North Korean state media claimed on Thursday that the denuclearisation deal must include "completely removing the nuclear threats of the US".
China and the US will hold more trade talks in January, China’s Commerce Ministry spokesman Gao Feng confirmed on Thursday.
China’s foreign ministry slammed "slanderous”" accusations from the US and allies claiming China was engaged in economic espionage.
Third-quarter economic growth in the US was revised down to 3.4% by the Commerce Department on Friday.