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US close: Stocks notch fresh records as investors eye earnings season
All three of Wall Street's main indices notched record closes on Tuesday as investors looked ahead to the start of earnings season.
Europe close: Utilities yield as investors ponder central banks' next moves
Weakness in the single currency drove further gains in shares on the Continent, helping to offset weakness in the Utilities space as bond yields advanced.
Sector movers: Rising rates sink all utilities
Cyclicals were clearly in the lead come Tuesday, against a backdrop of rising government bond yields worldwide.
London close: FTSE reaches record close as Morrisons leads retail rally
London stocks notched up a record closing high on Tuesday as retailers were boosted by a strong Christmas trading update from Morrisons and strong supermarket industry data.
FTSE 100 movers: Festive spending spirit boosts supermarkets; utilities hit by bond yields
Supermarket shares were the toast of the FTSE 100 as new figures showed they notched up the busiest shopping day ever recorded on the Friday before Christmas, selling £1bn more groceries than the year before.
US open: Banks jump as Treasury yields head towards 2017 highs
Wall Street's main market gauges were trading mostly higher, propelled by an outsized move in lenders' shares as longer-term interest rates moved towards closer towards their 2017 highs after the Bank of Japan sprang a bit of a surprise overnight.
TP Group wins £0.9m submarine contract
AIM-listed engineer TP Group said it had won a £0. 9m contract from an unnamed defence client to overhaul an atmosphere management system on an operational submarine.
UK could vote to rejoin EU customs union after Brexit, minister admits
The UK parliament could vote in favour of rejoining the EU customs union after Brexit without further legislation, a Treasury minister admitted to MPs.
Treasury committee demands govt clarify impact of VAT rule change post-Brexit
Parliament's powerful Treasury select committee has demanded the government clarify how 130,000 UK firms will be affected by post-Brexit tax rules that will see them paying VAT up front on EU imports.
Stock Spirits reports strong growth from Polish and Czech businesses
Spirits distilling company Stock Spirits Group announced that momentum from its strong first half had carried on to the second, with the firm expecting results for the full-year to come in slightly ahead of expectations.
Ineos launches challenge to Scottish fracking ban
Ineon, the petrochemicals group owned by Jim Ratcliffe, has applied for a judicial review of the Scottish government's decision to ban fracking announced in October.
Harworth Group posts value gains 'appreciably' ahead of expectations
Brownfield land and property development firm Harworth Group returned another strong operational performance in the second half of its trading year.
JP Morgan boss says US GDP could grow by 4% in 2018
Chief executive of JP Morgan Chase, Jamie Dimon, offered a forecast for US economic growth that was comfortably ahead of even the most optimistic projections from economists.
Tasty hard to swallow for investors after second trading warning
Shares in restaurant owner Tasty fell almost 9% on Tuesday as the company warned of a “further deterioration” in 2018 trading.
Trump's plan to prop up coal and nuclear power rejected
The Republican- controlled Federal Energy Regulatory Commission rejected on Monday the Trump administration's plans to breathe new life into the country's coal and nuclear power plants through subsidies.
Cyber-security specialist Osirium confirms continued annual growth
Cybersecurity software provider Osirium Technologies confirmed that trading in the calendar year had continued to improve as hoped, and that results would be in line with market expectations.
Belgian coalition government rigged to implode
The coalition government of Belgium was said to be at risk of collapse over a scandal regarding the forced repatriation of more than 100 Sudanese nationals.
UK's May completes botched reshuffle
UK Prime Minister Theresa May completed her painful reshuffle on Monday, appointing some new faces to junior posts .
Tuesday broker round-up
Mothercare: JP Morgan downgrades to underweight with a target price of 40p.
North and South Korea hold first talks in two years
North Korea and South Korea are embracing talks aimed at improving relations between the two countries.