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Week ahead: EU summit, China data in focus
All eyes over the coming week will be on the European Union leaders summit on Wednesday and Thursday, where the state of talks with Britain on its withdrawal from the bloc are scheduled to be the main item on the agenda.
Tobacco stocks get burnt as FDA sends letters
Shares in London's tobacco giants Imperial Brands and British American Tobacco were sent lower on Friday by worries about tougher regulations.
Europe close: Early bounce peters out, investors stay on sidelines
A weak bounce in stocks evaporated late in the day on Friday, tracking a similar move in shares across the Pond, on Wall Street.
Hammond sees 'double dividend' from Chequers Brexit deal
A Brexit deal that ensured smooth trade with the European Union could produce a double boost for Britain's finances, Chancellor Philip Hammond said on Friday.
Sector movers: Copper lifts miners, big tobacco hit by FDA letter
Miners led London stocks higher on Friday while tobacco stocks fell as investor remained sensitive to news.
Patisserie Holdings gets £20m cash injection from chairman, raises £15m
Patisserie Holdings said on Friday that chairman Luke Johnson will provide the company with loans of £20m while it raises another £15m through a heavily-discounted equity placing, as it battles to stay afloat after discovering a multimillion pound black hole in its accounts.
London close: Shares forfeit early bounce, strategists cautious
London stocks finished a bruising session on a negative note, despite solid performances from the mining and housebuilding sectors and a dip in the value of the pound, as a bounce on Wall Street following two days of heavy losses weakened a tad.
Hamleys remains 'confident' after swinging to £12m loss
The boss of Hamleys has insisted that the toy emporium is on track to return to profitability even though the company reported a £12m loss last year.
Director dealings: Sky CEO offloads shares to Comcast
Sky chief executive Jeremy Darroch sold £13. 4m of shares in the FTSE 100-listed broadcaster to new majority owner Comcast on Friday.
Ex Finnish govt minister among new board recruits at Telit
Telit Communications appointed four new non-executive directors to its board on Friday as non-executive director Lars Reger stepped down from the board with immediate effect.
US open: Wall Street begins to recover from two days of heavy losses
Wall Street trading began with some solid gains on Friday following two days of heavy losses, as banking heavyweights Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase and Citigroup kicked off the earnings season.
Broker tips: Chemring, Rio Tinto, Paddy Power Betfair
Chemring tumbled on Friday as Barclays cut its stance on the stock to 'underweight' from 'equalweight' and chopped the target price to 185p from 258p as it said company-gathered consensus is "materially" outdated after the Salisbury fatality in August and the premium valuation is unjustified.
FTSE 250 movers: Miners unearth gains as Thomas Cook takes a dip
London's mid cap index was up 1. 05% at 19,025. 28 on Friday afternoon as the index recovered from the global sell-off that impacted Thursday's trading.
RBS pays first dividend since 2008 taxpayer bailout
Royal Bank of Scotland on Friday paid its first dividend since it almost went under in the 2008 financial crisis.
Berenberg upgrades Paddy Power to 'hold', sees US concerns as being 'premature'
Analysts at Berenberg upgraded bookmaker Paddy Power to 'hold' on Friday, noting that it believes recent scepticism surrounding the newly opened-up US sports betting market had been "premature".
FTSE 100 movers: Miners shine but tobacco stocks slump
London's FTSE 100 was up 0. 1% to 7,014. 66 in afternoon trade on Friday, in the green but off earlier highs and still set to end the week with losses.
Rio Tinto's rising costs represent further challenges in RBC's eyes
Analysts at RBC Capital Markets adjusted their estimates on Rio Tinto on Friday, noting that challenges posed by elevated input costs had continued to erode EBITDA margins in the mining giant's aluminium unit.
US consumer sentiment deteriorates in October
Consumer sentiment in the US deteriorated in October, according to a preliminary reading from the University of Michigan.
US import price gains slow in September
The cost in the US of goods purchased from overseas advanced a tad more slowly than expected last month.