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Europe close: Investors sit on their hands ahead of Fed, US tech earnings
Stocks across the Continent were little changed on Wednesday as investors waited on the US central bank's policy announcement scheduled for later in the session and a raft of corporate earnings Stateside over the coming days, including from tech giants Amazon, Alphabet, Facebook and Microsoft.
Thursday preview: US tech titans, AstraZeneca in focus
The market spotlight will fall on earnings reports from several of the largest corporates in the States, as they update shareholders on their performance over the three months to June, including Amazon, Alphabet, Facebook, and Microsoft.
Trump did not confront Putin over Russian Taliban bounty reports
President Donald Trump told Axios that he never questioned Russian President Vladimir Putin about reports that Russia paid the Taliban to kill American troops in Afghanistan.
Director dealings: Centralnic director lowers stake
Centralnic revealed on Wednesday that non-executive director Samuel Dayani had disposed of 800,000 ordinary shares in the AIM-listed internet domain registrar via his interest in Erin Invest and Finance.
London close: Benchmark manages positive close ahead of Fed
London’s benchmark finished in the green on Wednesday, boosted by strong performances from the likes of Next and Smurfit Kappa, but offset by ongoing concerns about the Covid-19 pandemic and ahead of the Federal Reserve’s latest policy announcement.
GlaxoSmithKline stands by full-year EPS guidance but with a caveat
GlaxoSmithKline saw its top line shrink over the second quarter, somewhat ironically as the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted its vaccines unit.
Broker tips: PureTech Health, Petropavlovsk, Relx
Analysts at Liberum raised their target price on biotechnology company PureTech Health from 450. 0p to 490. 0p on Wednesday, stating the firm had made some "underappreciated" progress.
Hastings confirms takeover approach from consortium led by Sampo, RMI
Hastings confirmed on Wednesday that it has been approached by a consortium led by Finnish insurer Sampo and its biggest shareholder, Rand Merchant Investment Holdings, about a possible cash offer.
Remote Monitored acquisition Cloudveil partners with Axis Security
Remote Monitored Systems announced a strategic partnership between its security and risk management consultancy subsidiary Cloudveil and UK-based integrated security provider Axis Security Services on Wednesday.
Directa Plus inks deal with Volkswagen's Italdesign
Graphene specialist Directa Plus has signed a technical and commercial agreement with automotive design and engineering company Italdesign.
Global Petroleum agrees extension on offshore Namibia licence
Global Petroleum announced on Wednesday that, in connection with licence PEL0094, or Block 2011A, offshore Namibia, the Namibian Ministry of Mines and Energy has agreed to extend the licence sub-period from September 2020 to September 2021.
FTSE 250 movers: Cineworld loses ground; Aston Martin rallies
London’s FTSE 250 was down 0. 1% at 17,263. 63 in afternoon trade on Wednesday.
Cineworld shares slump after AMC Entertainment-Universal agreement
Cineworld shares slid on Wednesday after US cinema chain AMC Entertainment and Universal Pictures reached a multi-year agreement that will result in films playing in theatres for less time.
Barclays increases Covid-19 provisions as profits plunge
Barclays raised its provisions for coronavirus-related bad debts by £1. 6bn in the second quarter as interim profits slumped and the bank forecast further headwinds into 2021.
Liberum raises target price on 'underappreciated' PureTech Health
Analysts at Liberum raised their target price on biotechnology company PureTech Health from 450. 0p to 490. 0p on Wednesday, stating the firm had made some "underappreciated" progress.
US pending home sales jump in June, NAR raises forecasts
A closely-watched lead indicator for US home sales edged past forecasts in June, underpinned in part by continued low mortgage rates.
Canaccord Genuity says 'buy' Petropavlovsk, despite boardroom battle
Analysts at Canaccord Genuity stuck to their 'buy' recommendation for shares of Petropavlovsk despite what some market commentary said was an ongoing board battle for control of the Russian gold miner.
US open: Stocks record modest gains, AMD shares surge to record high
US stocks opened slightly higher on Wednesday as market participants awaited testimony from the chief executives of some of big tech's most powerful names and the Federal Reserve's interest rate decision later in the day.
Breedon Group 1H sales nearly unchanged, says outlook is 'positive'
Breedon Group saw its first half profits wiped out as activity came to a stand- still during the second quarter.
Europe midday: Stocks little changed ahead of Fed
Stocks across the Continent were continuing to tread water on Wednesday afternoon as investors waited on the US central bank's policy announcement scheduled for later in the session and a raft of corporate earnings Stateside over coming days.