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German industrial output tumbles as construction crashes
German industrial output suffered its biggest drop since the financial crisis as construction activity tumbled in Europe's biggest economy.
BioPharma Credit puts $165m into pharma firm Collegium via loan
Specialist life sciences investor BioPharma Credit has entered into a definitive senior secured term loan agreement with Collegium Pharmaceutical, alongside the BioPharma-V fund, it announced on Friday.
UK house prices unexpectedly pick up in January - Halifax
UK house prices unexpectedly rose in January, according to the latest figures from mortgage lender Halifax.
Co-founder sells £550m of Hargreaves Lansdown shares
Hargreaves Lansdown shares fell on Friday after its co-founder, Peter Hargreaves, sold just under 34. 4m shares in the company.
Midwich enters US market with Starin acquisition
Specialist audio visual distributor Midwich has bought US value-added AV distributor Starin for an enterprise value of up to $46. 1m (£35. 7m).
London open: Stocks edge lower ahead of payrolls; Burberry falls
London stocks edged lower in early trade on Friday, with traders reluctant to make any big bets either way ahead of the release of the latest US non-farm payrolls report.
Chinese central bank to support coronavirus-hit economy
China's central bank will increase support for the economy to reduce the impact of the coronavirus but it expects output to recover when the disease is under control, a leading official said.
HgCapital Trust puts £17.5m into smartTrade Technologies
HgCapital Trust said on Friday that it was acquiring stakes in France-based multi-asset trading technology company smartTrade Technologies from Keensight Capital and Pléiade Venture.
TUI sells Hapag-Lloyd to joint venture for €1.2bn
TUI has agreed to sell its Hapag-Lloyd Cruises business to TUI Cruises, the company's 50:50 joint venture with Royal Caribbean Cruises, for an enterprise value of €1. 2bn (£1bn).
Mediclinic gets green light for South Africa purchase
Healthcare services group Mediclinic International said South Africa's competition appeal court had cleared its purchase of a controlling stake in Matlosana Medical Health Services.
Admiral profit to beat expectations
Admiral's annual profit will be higher than expected after the insurer benefited from lower costs for UK motor injury claims.
Burberry warns coronavirus has hit sales in China
Burberry warned on Friday that the coronavirus was damaging its sales in China and Hong Kong and that the outbreak had forced it to close more than a third of its stores in mainland China.
Bellway reports record H1 output; Sees FY in line
House builder Bellway reported record first half volume output, with the completion of 5,321 new homes, a rise of 6. 3%, as it said full year profits would be in line with estimates.
London pre-open: Stocks seen lower ahead of payrolls
London stocks were set to edge lower at the open on Friday as investors eyed the release of the latest US non-farm payrolls report and continued to mull the impact of the coronavirus.
Bellway sees record first-half volume, Burberry sales hit by coronavirus
London open The FTSE 100 is expected to open 17 points lower on Friday, having closed up 0. 3% at 7,504. 79 on Thursday.
Friday newspaper round-up: John Lewis, Hargreaves Lansdown, Hurricane Energy
The new chairman of the John Lewis Partnership has warned of potential store closures and job losses as part of a plan to shore up its finances. Sharon White told the employee-owned group’s staff council that it faced making “difficult decisions about stores and about jobs” during what was its “most challenging period” since its inception in the 1920s. Despite the hard work of employees, trading results were disappointing and not generating enough profit to invest in the business, she told the meeting.
US close: Stocks finish higher on China tariff cut
Stocks on Wall Street finished in the green on Thursday, after China announced it would lower tariffs on some US exports and amid optimism ahead of the monthly non-farm payrolls data due out the next day.