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Eurozone economy continues to falter - PMI
Eurozone output nudged higher in September, a closely-watched survey showed on Friday, but the struggling manufacturing sector continued to weigh on growth.

Blencowe shares soar on US government investment
Shares in Blencowe Resources surged on Friday after the Uganda-focused graphite miner said it had received $5m in US government support for its Orom-Cross project.

R&Q in advanced talks with possible Accredited buyer
R&Q Insurance Holdings responded to press speculation on Friday morning regarding a potential sale of its programme management business Accredited.

Ergomed unveils promising set of interim results
Pharmaceutical service provider Ergomed announced a promising set of interim results for the first half on Friday.

Business activity contracts through third quarter in Germany
Private sector business activity remained in contraction territory in the third quarter, according to Friday's HCOB flash Germany composite purchasing managers’ index (PMI) output index.

UK private sector output unexpectedly falls - PMI
UK output unexpectedly fell in September, a closely-watched survey showed on Friday, dragged lower by a weaker service sector.

Mothercare swings to loss, still beats expectations on earnings
Infant and young children’s retailer Mothercare reported a loss of £0. 1m in its full-year results on Friday, swinging from a profit of £12. 1m in 2022.

Ascential swings to small first-half operating profit
Information, analytics and e-commerce company Ascential reported a positive trajectory in first-half revenue growth on Friday, as well as a strategic positioning to bolster its long-term success.

UK watchdog set to clear Microsoft-Activision deal
Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard looked set to clear regulatory hurdles on Friday, after the US tech giant changed the structure of the deal.

Asia report: Markets mixed as BoJ maintains ultra-loose policy
Markets in the Asia-Pacific region displayed mixed outcomes at the end of the trading week on Friday.

Bitcoin suffers after the Fed's latest decision: "It could fall even further"
The cryptocurrency market faces notable declines. Bitcoin (BTC) falls sharply in the last 24 hours and stands at $26,600, while Ethereum (ETH), which followed in its wake, is just below $1,600.

AstraZeneca reports positive findings from breast cancer threatment trial
New high-level results from AstraZeneca's TROPION-Breast01 phase three trial, released on Friday, carried encouraging news for patients with inoperable or metastatic hormone receptor (HR)-positive, HER2-low or negative breast cancer.
Europe open: Shares lower as German data, hawkish central banks hit sentiment
European shares opened lower on Friday as investors digested rate news from central banks this week, while weaker German business activity survey data also dampened sentiment.

London open: Markets directionless in wake of central bank decisions
UK stocks were struggling for direction in early deals on Friday as investors continued to digest market-moving central bank decisions across the globe.

Compass shakes up board positions as North American boss retires
Catering giant Compass has announced that director Gary Green is retiring from the board later this year.
Frasers tries to drag Morgan Stanley boss into margin call legal fight
Mike Ashley's Frasers Group on Friday confirmed it had asked a New York court to order Morgan Stanley chief executive James Gorman to hand over evidence for a UK lawsuit against the bank over an almost $1bn margin call covering trades in Hugo Boss.

Croda appoints Danuta Gray as new chair
Chemicals group Croda International has appointed the chair of Direct Line as the successor to Anita Frew, who has been at the helm of the board since 2014.
London pre-open: Stocks to slip early on
UK stocks were expected to slip again on Friday on a busy day for economic data as investors continue to digest central bank decisions across the globe.
BoJ holds rates steady again
The Bank of Japan left its monetary policy unchanged on Friday with rates left at -0. 1%, in line with expectations.
UK retail sales rise 0.4% in August after wet July
UK retail sales rebounded in August from the rain affected prior month, rising 0. 4% on the back of strong food and clothing purchases by consumers, according to official data published on Friday.