Latest News
Facebook will have stricter ad rules in countries with elections in 2019
Facebook is set to make some of its political advertising rules stricter for countries that will hold important votes in 2019, reported Reuters on Wednesday.
Wednesday broker round-up
Ashmore group: Berenberg downgrades to hold with a target price of 413p.
Morgan Stanley upgrades Petrofac and Hunting
Morgan Stanley upgraded Petrofac and Hunting on Wednesday as part of a broader note on the oil services sector.
TechFinancials reaches agreement to sell MarketFinancials
Fintech software provider TechFinancials said on Wednesday that, further to its announcement on 1 March, it has entered into legally binding, conditional share purchase agreement with Cyprus-incorporated Proverial to sell its holdings in MarketFinancials.
Europe midday: Stocks rise as traders hope for best on Brexit
Stocks are trading slightly higher amid a relative dearth of news, albeit with analysts trying to make sense of the implications of Tuesday night's vote in the British Parliament, which saw the Prime Minister's Brexit plans rejected by over two thirds of lawmakers.
Pubs need 'full review' of business rates, MPs agree
While Westminster remains starkly divided over Brexit a debate on the future of the nation’s pubs secured cross party support for a meaningful reform of business rates on Tuesday.
Serinus gas plant units finally depart Canada
Serinus Energy has confirmed that the ‘Low Temperature Separation’ (LTS) unit and the triethylene glycol (TEG) unit due for installation at its Moftinu gas plant in Romania have been loaded onto a freighter and have departed from Halifax, Canada, to Bremerhaven, Germany, it announced on Wednesday.
'No changes to Irish backstop', Barnier warns UK
EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier warned the UK on Wednesday there would be no changes to the Irish backstop in the withdrawal agreement.
SSE not out of the woods yet, warns UBS
SSE is highly rated by analysts, but UBS downgraded the energy giant to 'neutral' on Wednesday as it is "not out of the woods yet".
FCA looks into private polling from hedge funds
The UK financial watchdog is reviewing regulation over private political polling, which has been used by hedge funds to profit from events such as Brexit.
Berenberg downgrades Ashmore, sees better value elsewhere
Berenberg downgraded Ashmore to 'hold' from 'buy' on Wednesday, trimming the price target to 413p from 425p as it sees "significantly" more upside elsewhere in the sector.
Official house prices fall for third successive month
UK house prices continued to subside toward the end of last year, according to the official Land Registry figures.
US pre-open: Stocks to eke out gains as bank earnings roll in
US stocks looked set to eke out small gains at the open on Wednesday as investors braced for more bank earnings and the latest Brexit news from across the pond.
London midday: Stocks drop ahead of confidence vote; housebuilders buck up
London stocks had fallen into the red by midday on Wednesday as Theresa May faced a vote of no confidence, but losses weren't too pronounced, capped by a strong performance from the housebuilding sector and hopes of a Brexit delay.
GetBusy 'ahead of expectations' after switch to subscriptions
GetBusy on Wednesday reported that it expects to have achieved double-digit increases in revenue for 2018 after the business transitioned to a subscription model.
Van Elle dives after cutting expectations on 'challenging' third quarter
Van Elle Holdings shares plummeted on Wednesday after a “more challenging than expected” third quarter led to warnings of delayed orders and reduced revenue expectations.
Asia report: Markets mixed amid fresh Brexit concerns
Markets in Asia finished in a mixed state on Wednesday, as investors shrugged off a solid overnight session on Wall Street and instead focussed on renewed concerns around the UK’s exit from the European Union.
City Pub Group posts revenue rise after solid festive period
Pub owner City Pub Group reported a rise in full-year revenue on Wednesday as it enjoyed a solid performance over the festive period and benefited from new pub openings.
Norcros to acquire South Africa's House of Plumbing
Bathroom and kitchen products supplier Norcros announced on Wednesday that its subsidiary Norcros South Africa has entered into a conditional agreement to acquire 100% of the share capital of South Africa-based RAP Plumbing Supplies, trading as House of Plumbing.
Headlam confident in strength amid Brexit headwinds
Floorcoverings distributor Headlam Group updated the market on the 12 months ended 31 December on Wednesday, reporting that despite the UK market weakness that was evident throughout 2018, it expected to report final results for the year marginally ahead of 2017, and in-line with market expectations.