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UK consumer confidence continues to strengthen - GfK
UK consumer confidence sparked in May, a long-running survey showed on Friday, as households become more upbeat about the economy and their finances.
Friday preview: UK retail sales, US consumer confidence in focus
Investors' focus at the end of the week will be on UK retail sales figures for April.
Europe close: Stocks edge up after May PMIs
European stocks were mostly firmer on Thursday, buoyed by the latest reading on eurozone business activity and blowout earnings from US tech giant Nvidia.
London close: Stocks slip on UK election, US jobless claims
London stocks ended lower on Thursday, mirroring Wall Street's decline as jobless claims in the US fell more than anticipated.
AJ Bell founder Andy Bell to sell 7.5m shares in placing
AJ Bell said late on Thursday that founder Any Bell plans to sell around 7. 5m ordinary shares in the investment platform in a placing.
Broker tips: Unilever, Integrafin
JPMorgan Cazenove double-upgraded Unilever on Thursday to 'overweight' from 'underweight' and hiked its price target on the stock to 5,100. 0p from 3,600. 0p after several years of caution on the equity story.
James Gorman to leave Morgan Stanley at end of year
Morgan Stanley executive chairman James Gorman announced on Thursday that he would step down from his role at the end of the year, in remarks at the bank's annual shareholder meeting.
FTSE 100 movers: St James's Place rallies; NatWest in the red
London's FTSE 100 was down 0. 4% in afternoon trade on Thursday.
Activist fund Palliser urges Rio Tinto to ditch London listing
Activist hedge fund Palliser Capital urged Rio Tinto to shift its primary stock market listing from London to Sydney, it emerged on Thursday, to potentially increase its share price by nearly 40%.
Sector movers: Utilities pummeled, Aerospace and Defence seen impervious to politics
The Utilities sector was pummelled after the Chancellor announced general elections for 4 July, instead of in autumn as many analysts had anticipated.
Director dealings: SSP CEO raises stake
SSP revealed on Thursday that chief executive Patrick Coveney had acquired 40,000 ordinary shares in the FTSE 250-listed food and beverage outlet operator.
FTSE 250 movers: Drax and Pennon hit by political risk
Drax Group was struggling at the bottom of the pile on a down day for the second-tier index.
Avacta reports further progress in chemotherapy trial
Avacta Group announced the successful completion of the first cohort and the start of dosing for three patients in the second cohort of the second arm in its phase one trial of AVA6000, a peptide drug conjugate form of doxorubicin chemotherapy, on Thursday.
Cohort ends year slightly ahead of expectations
Technology company Cohort said in a trading update on Thursday that its full-year performance was slightly ahead of expectations, with growth in both revenue and profits year-on-year.
US open: Stocks mixed following Nvidia earnings, data points
Wall Street trading got off to a mixed start on Thursday as investors digested a number of data points and earnings from chipmaker Nvidia.
US economic activity picks up to more than two-year highs, PMIs show
Economic activity in the US picked up unexpectedly in May, the results of two surveys revealed.
Berenberg ups target price on Integrafin
Analysts at Berenberg raised their target price on Integrafin shares from 360. 0p to 390. 0p on Thursday following the group's interim results a day earlier.
Moto owner CVC planning sale - report
The owners of Moto, one of Britain's biggest operators of motorway service stations, are reportedly preparing to put the company up for sale for more than £2bn.
Royal Mail owner IDS delays results amid takeover bid
Royal Mail owner International Distribution Services said on Thursday that it has had to delay the publication of its full-year results - which were originally due on Thursday morning - after auditor KPMG requested additional time to complete procedures.
US jobless claims fall to 215,000
Americans lined up for state unemployment benefits at a decelerated clip in the week ended 18 May, according to the Labor Department.