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May promises to set out departure date in June
UK Prime Minister Theresa May on Thursday agreed to set out a plan for her departure from office after another vote on the Brexit withdrawal deal in June.
US close: Stocks finish higher as Walmart surpasses first-quarter expectations
Wall Street trading finished in the green on Thursday, extending their gains from a decent session on Wednesday.
Friday preview: US consumer confidence, Easyjet in focus
The spotlight at the end of the week, barring surprises on the international trade or Brexit fronts, will be on US consumer confidence data for May.
Broker tips: Spirax-Sarco, Ten Lifestyle, Hurricane Energy
Berenberg started coverage of "outstanding" Spirax-Sarco Engineering at 'buy' on Thursday as it took a look at the capital goods and industrial engineering sector.
Europe close: Stocks jump despite ongoing trade jitters
Stocks across the Continent jumped even after the US President threatened to block China's main telecommunications equipment providers from the US market and to cut their access to American suppliers.
Nestle plans sale of $10bn skincare group to EQT
Nestle is in talks to sell its skincare business to a group led by private equity outfit EQT Partners for $10. 1bn (£7. 88bn) in what would be the second largest private equity-backed M&A deal on the Continent since the financial crisis, according to data from Refinitiv.
Jefferies ups target price on Ten Lifestyle
Analysts at Jefferies raised their target price on British travel outfit Ten Lifestyle on Thursday, citing greater confidence over the firm's revenue growth moving forward.
BT boss to handout £500 a year in shares to staff
BT’s CEO announced on Thursday that the company would hand out £500 worth of shares per year each employee in an attempt to boost morale.
Morgan Stanley reiterates 'buy' for shares of Hurricane Energy
Analysts at Morgan Stanley reiterated their 'buy' recommendation for shares of Hurricane Energy, telling clients they continued to see a "realistic bull case" for the company under which its shares would trade over five times higher by the end of 2020.
Metro Bank launches discounted share placing
Metro Bank confirmed after the close of markets that it was looking to raise £350m in a placing at a discounted price of 500p a share.
Director dealings: Valeura CEO ups stake
Upstream natural gas producer Valeura Energy's chief executive officer Sean Guest acquired 20,000 ordinary shares in the dual-listed outfit on Thursday.
PureCircle sweetens Merisant partnership with new supply agreement
Stevia producer PureCircle on Thursday entered a new supply agreement with tabletop sweetener producer Merisant that expands the partnership between the two companies and includes PureCircle's new generation of stevia products.
Pound dips as Theresa May promises to provide timeline for stepping down
Sterling is coming under renewed selling pressure after the Prime Minister took a major step on Thursday towards standing down.
London close: Stocks end up as sterling drops; Burberry slumps
London stocks ended in the green on Thursday, boosted by a weaker pound, as investors shrugged off heightening trade tensions between the US and China.
Thomas Cook tanks as it posts £1.46bn loss
Thomas Cook shares tanked on Thursday as the company said losses widened in the first half of the year amid "challenging" trading conditions, warned over second-half earnings and confirmed that several bids had been received for all and part of its airline.
Pret a Manger reportedly nearing deal to buy Eat
Sandwich chain Pret a Manger was on Thursday said to be close to a deal to buy smaller rival Eat.
FTSE 100 movers: 3i gains on results; Burberry out of fashion
London's FTSE 100 was up 0. 6% at 7,339. 00 in afternoon trade on Thursday, boosted by a weaker pound.
FTSE 250 movers: Sophos surges, Just Group slides
London's FTSE 250 was up 0. 59% at 19,484. 51 in afternoon trade on Thursday, with Sophos leading the index upward.
Trump declares national emergency and bans Chinese telecoms
Donald Trump declared a national emergency on Wednesday, banning Chinese telecommunications companies such as Huawei and ZTE from selling their equipment in the US as he claims they pose “unacceptable risks”.
RA International scores $10.7m humanitarian contract
RA International on Thursday won a $10. 7m contract from a large humanitarian client in Central Africa to construct accommodation facilities for peacekeeping troops in up to 10 locations.