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Week ahead: Vaccination programmes, EU summit
The spotlight over the coming week is likely to be on progress with vaccination programmes around the world.
Europe close: Stocks slip as investors grapple with Covid-19 headwinds
European stocks slumped at the end of the week as investors ignored long-awaited US stimulus proposals from President-elect Joe Biden and focused on news a temporary slowdown of shipments of Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine.
Citigroup's shares slide as Q4 revenues miss analysts' estimates
US banking giant Citigroup's revenues fell short of analysts' estimates in the last quarter of 2020.
London close: Stocks finish weaker as UK economy contracts
London stocks closed in the red on Friday, as investors digested the latest UK GDP data, with US President-elect Joe Biden’s Covid relief package failing to lift markets amid growing worries about the pandemic and tightening restrictions.
Lidl cheapest UK supermarket of 2020 - Which?
Lidl narrowly beat Aldi as the cheapest supermarket in the UK of 2020 said Which?.
Russia to withdraw from Open Skies defence treaty
Russia said it will withdraw from a defence treaty that allows member states to make surveillance flights over each other’s territory.
Weekly review
The FTSE 100 ended the week 173. 55 points lower, closing on Friday at 6,735. 71.
Broker tips: Wood Group, Lamprell, Vesuvius
Barclays downgraded Wood Group to ‘equalweight’ from ‘overweight’ on Friday and cut the price target to 330p from 370p following recent outperformance.
Hikma temporarily suspends launch of generic Advair Diskus
Hikma Pharmaceuticals said on Friday that it had temporarily paused the launch of its generic version of GlaxoSmithKline's asthma treatment, Advair Diskus.
FTSE 250 movers: Indivior surges; Petrofac slumps
London’s FTSE 250 was down 0. 8% at 20,603. 61 in afternoon trade on Friday.
Pfizer to temporarily slow deliveries as key factory is revamped
Pfizer will slow deliveries of its Covid-19 vaccine over the next three to four weeks in order to upgrade a key facility and boost production across the remainder of 2021.
Director dealings: River And Mercantile CEO ups stake
River And Mercantile Group revealed on Friday that chief executive James Barham had acquired 10,000 ordinary shares in the London-listed management consulting company.
US industrial output jumps past forecasts in December
Industrial output in the US jumped past forecasts at the end of December with across the board gains in all sub-sectors.
US consumer confidence only dips in January, University of Michigan says
Consumer confidence in the States only dipped at the turn of the year despite the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic and poor political headlines, the results of a closely-followed survey revealed.
FTSE 100 movers: Aveva rallies on update; DS Smith slumps
London’s FTSE 100 was down 1. 6% at 6,695. 52 in afternoon trade on Friday.
US open: Stocks head south, Q4 bank earnings on tap
Wall Street stocks opened lower on Friday as several major US banks reported their latest quarterly earnings.
SEC said to be investigating Exxon Mobil over Permian Basin valuation
Exxon Mobil is reportedly being investigated by the US Securities and Exchange Commission after an employee filed a whistleblower complaint last autumn alleging the energy company overvalued its key asset in the Permian Basin.
US retail sales decline in December
US retail sales slipped even further in December amid renewed measures to curb the spread of Covid-19 weighed on spending at restaurants and led to lower levels of foot traffic in shopping malls.
New York manufacturing activity deteriorates in January
Manufacturing activity in the New York jurisdiction unexpectedly deteriorated in January, according to a survey released on Friday.