Market Pulse
Peel Hunt upgrades DFS, says should benefit from Harveys' woes
Peel Hunt upped its stance on DFS Furniture to 'hold' from 'reduce' as it highlighted issues at Steinhoff-owned rival Harveys.
Capita wins internet network contract with Transport for London
Capita, the outsourcing group, has won an £80m contract to provide and manage Transport for London's internal internet network across its 1,000-plus stations, offices and other sites for the next five years.
Europe open: Stocks dip slightly ahead of Catalan elections
European stocks have begun the morning trading slightly lower, mimicking losses on Wall Street overnight despite passage of US Republicans' tax cut bill, and ahead of regional elections in the Spanish region of Catalonia, on Thursday evening.
Dunelm hires retail 'stalwart' Nick Wilkinson as new CEO
Dunelm has appointed former Evans Cycles boss Nick Wilkinson as its new chief executive, the homeware retailer's fourth in as many years.
McCarthy & Stone considers actions to reduce impact of government crackdown
McCarthy & Stone said it would renegotiate land prices and deals with local authorities and review prices and management fees if the government includes it in a crackdown on ground rents for leasehold properties.
London open: Stocks nudge lower as volumes thin out; consumer confidence in focus
London stocks nudged lower in early trade on Thursday as investors digested the passing of the US tax reform bill and the latest reading on UK consumer confidence, with trading volumes thin in the run-up to Christmas.
Babcock's growth and operations chief Bill Tame to retire
Babcock International has announced the retirement of Bill Tame, the engineering services group's chief executive of global growth and operations.
UK consumer confidence hits four-year low in December - GfK
Consumer confidence in the UK fell to a four-year low in December, according to a survey released on Thursday.
InterContinental Hotels eyes 'significant' benefit from Trump tax cuts
After President Donald Trump's tax reform bill was voted through overnight, Holiday Inn owner InterContinental Hotels was one of the first London-listed companies to emerge with a calculation of the impact on its finances.
Euromoney appoints Wendy Pallot as CFO
Euromoney Institutional Investor has appointed Wendy Pallot as its chief financial officer, succeeding finance director Colin Jones on a date to be confirmed.
Thursday newspaper round-up: Agency workers, car manufacturing, Bitcoin
Agency workers are collectively underpaid by £400m a year compared to their full-time counterparts, with the pay gap costing temporary admin staff £990 a year on average, according to new research. The Resolution Foundation said the loss of pay across all sectors took the average loss for each of the UK’s 800,000 agency workers to £500 a year, up from £430 last year. – Guardian.
London pre-open: Stocks to nudge up but volumes seen thin ahead of Christmas
London stocks were set for a marginally firmer open on Thursday, with volumes likely to be thin as many traders are already away from their desks for the Christmas break.