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London close: Footsie slips below the line in late trading
London stocks ended Friday in a mixed state, with the benchmark falling below the waterline during the afternoon, after data showed that UK economic growth picked up in the first quarter.
Europe close: Shares defy tariff anxiety to finish in the green
European shares finished in the green on Friday, continuing to defy expectations of another day in the red after the US more than doubled tariffs on $200bn (£153bn) worth of Chinese goods.
Weekly review
The FTSE 100 ended the week 148. 02 points lower, closing at 7,203. 29 on Friday.
Friday broker round-up
Auto Trader: Citigroup downgrades to neutral with a target price of 580p.
Chance of Brexit being cancelled is 20-30%, says Tusk
There is a 20% to 30% chance Brexit could be cancelled, according to the president of the European council, Donald Tusk.
US open: Stocks drop amid trade war concerns; Symantec tumbles
US stocks were weaker in early trade on Friday as President Trump went ahead and lifted tariffs on Chinese goods.
FTSE 250 movers: Funding Circle rallies, Brewin loses ground
London's FTSE 250 was up 0. 8% at 19,442. 72 in afternoon trade on Friday.
FTSE 100 movers: IAG flies high but British Land hit by downgrade
London's FTSE 100 was up 0. 4% at 7,233. 40 in afternoon trade on Friday as investors eyed more Sino-US trade talks after US President trump lifted tariffs on $200bn of Chinese goods.
Tribal Group buys Swansea-based Crimson for up to £10m
Tribal Group said on Friday that it has bought Crimson, a Swansea-based provider of customer relationship management based solutions to the education market, for up to £10m.
Director dealings: Hiscox chief underwriting officer offloads 50,000 shares
Andrew Formica, the chief executive officer of Jupiter Fund Management, purchased 140,000 shares in the company at 354. 08p each, forking out at total of £495,712. 01.
Broker tips: Auto Trader, British Land and Landsec
Citi downgraded its stance on shares of Auto Trader to ‘neutral’ from ‘buy’ on Friday as it said the risk/reward is now more balanced.
Barclays downgrades British Land ahead of results
British Land was under the cosh on Friday after Barclays cut its stance on the stock to 'underweight' from 'equalweight' ahead of the company's full-year results next week.
Week ahead: Vodafone and Burberry report; UK jobs data and US retail sales eyed
Next week sees the release of results from the likes of Vodafone, Tui and Burberry, while investors will also be keeping an eye out for the latest UK jobs data, US retail sales and the German ZEW survey.
RA International expands work with UN in Somalia
Remote locations service provider RA International has been awarded a new contract by the United Nations Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS) to provide vehicle and equipment fleet operation and first line maintenance services in up to 10 locations, it announced on Friday.
Advanced Oncotherapy secures £12.35m through loan and subscription
Proton therapy developer Advanced Oncotherapy has secured additional financing of £12. 345m in the form of a two-year secured debt facility with Credit Suisse for £10m, and a direct subscription raising a total of £2. 345m from predominantly Swiss institutional investors, it announced on Friday.
Symphony pleased with recent EC decision over oxo-degradable plastics
Symphony Environmental Technologies advised on Friday that, further to its statement on 15 March, that the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) had been instructed by the European Commission to close the oxo-degradable plastics restriction process which began in December 2017.
Acquisitions help boost Premier Technical Services Group in first quarter
Niche specialist services provider Premier Technical Services Group announced a trading update for the 12 weeks ended 31 March on Friday, reporting that trading during the first quarter had been “strong”, with the recent acquisitions of Guardian and Trinity performing ahead of management expectations.
Oncimmune begins study to bring 'EarlyCDT-Lung' to China
Oncimmune Holdings, alongside its partner Genostics Company, announced the start of a multi-centre case control study on early lung cancer detection for screening and nodules in the People's Republic of China on Friday, using an extended panel of autoantibodies to accommodate variations in the biomarkers expressed on cancer cells in Asian populations.
Danske Bank appoints former ABN Amro banker as new CEO
Danske Bank has appointed the former head of ABN Amro's global retail and private banking activities, Chris Vogelzang, as its new chief executive officer.
Asia report: Most markets higher even as Trump hikes tariffs
Markets in Asia were mostly higher on Friday, as investors remained upbeat even after Washington made good on its promise to hike tariffs on Chinese goods overnight.