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Thursday newspaper round-up: Anglo American, BT, Selfridges
A Teesside factory that makes Covid-19 vaccines has received a £400m injection from its Japanese owners, the largest single investment in UK pharmaceutical manufacturing in decades. The biotechnology arm of the Japanese conglomerate Fujifilm, which is better known for its photography heritage, said the package would more than double its Billingham site’s development and manufacturing capability, creating the largest biopharmaceutical factory with several different technologies in the UK.
UK store visits drop as bad weather deters shoppers - BRC
Visits to UK shops fell in November as bad weather kept shoppers away and Black Friday failed to boost footfall, a survey showed.
Week ahead: US non-farm payrolls, global services PMIs in focus
The market spotlight at the end of the week was expected to be squarely on the US labour market and the latest monthly jobs report.
Europe close: Stocks decline as Covid-19 worries weigh on investor sentiment
European shares fell back again on Thursday amid worries about the impact that Covid-19 restrictions across the Continent might have and with big declines on Wall Street the night before weighing on investor sentiment.
London close: Stocks weaker on ongoing Omicron concerns
London stocks closed below the waterline on Thursday, as concerns about the new Omicron Covid variant and potential rate hikes weighed on investors’ minds.
OPEC+ to raise output, but leaves itself room for manoeuvre
The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies surprised some oil traders with their decision to go ahead with their previously planned output hike in January - despite the appearance of Omicron, the new strain of Covid-19.
Broker tips: Drax, EasyJet, Berkeley Group
Citi downgraded its stance on Drax on Thursday to 'neutral' from 'buy' as it said the stock's risk/reward scenario was now less attractive following its 50% share price rise over the last six months.
Director dealings: Burberry director makes share purchase
Burberry Group revealed on Thursday that new non-executive director Danuta Gray had acquired 3,000 ordinary shares in the FTSE 100-listed luxury fashion house.
Bigblu Broadband ends year in strong position
Super- and ultra-fast broadband service provider Bigblu Broadband said in a trading update on Thursday that it delivered growth across all four of its key metrics in the year ended 30 November, being its customer base, revenue, EBITDA and free cash flow.
FTSE 250 movers: Aston Martin falls on CFO departure; Workspace rises
London’s FTSE 250 was 1% lower at 22,694. 61 in afternoon trade on Thursday.
Duke Royalty completes £4.2m follow-on investment in BIL
Royalty capital provider Duke Royalty announced on Thursday that it has completed the follow-on investment of £4. 2m into its existing royalty partner Bakhchysarai Ireland (BIL).
US open: Dow Jones erases yesterday’s losses in early trade
Wall Street stocks were trading higher early on Thursday after America's first omicron case fuelled yet another sell-off in the previous session.
FTSE 100 movers: Darktrace slumps on relegation news; BP rallies
London’s FTSE 100 was down 0. 4% at 7,138. 52 in afternoon trade on Thursday.
Vesuvius to buy US-based Universal Refractories in $57.1m deal
Molten metal flow engineer Vesuvius has agreed to buy US-based Universal Refractories, a specialty refractory producer, in a $57. 1m deal.
Live Company pleased with progress at Start Art investment
Live Company Group updated the market on progress with its minority investment in Start Art Global (StART) on Thursday, confirming that the platform formally went live in October.
Emmerson moves to pre-construction at Khemisset
Morocco-focussed potash developer Emmerson updated the market on progress at the Khemisset project on Thursday, as it moved into the pre-construction phase of development.
Clinigen confirms takeover talks with Triton, shares surge
Clinigen shares surged on Thursday after the company confirmed it has received a non-binding indicative proposal from investment firm Triton about a possible offer.
SEEEN delivers strong YTD performance
Media and technology platform provider Seeen said on Thursday that it had delivered a strong performance so far in 2021, with the group securing two major contract wins.
Weekly US jobless claims bounce back by less than expected
US jobless claims rebounded a little following a steep drop during the previous week that saw them fell to a level not seen since November 1969.
Omicron cases outside South Africa no deadlier, Australian official says
On current evidence, the Omicron variant of Covid-19 did not yet appear to be any deadlier than previous ones, Australian health officials said.