Market Pulse
Glencore surprises with larger dividend but bumper profits disappoint
Glencore declared a $2. 9bn dividend to be paid out in two equal instalments in 2018 as the commodities giant's much-improved balance sheet left it feeling more confident about the future.
Treasury committee launches cryptocurrency inquiry
The Treasury committee has launched an inquiry into cryptocurrencies and distributed ledgers such as blockchain amid continuing debate about the dangers and opportunities presented by the technologies.
Flowgroup shares sink on short-term funding announcement
Gas and electricity supplier Flowgroup took on £5m of short-term funding from its loan-note holders, Palm Ventures and Lombard Odier Asset Management on Wednesday, and said that it was considering more long-term financing options as the energy sector continued to become more competitive.
Market buzz: Carney's inflation chat sends pound higher
1645: After starting in the red, the FTSE 100 has steadily strengthened as the session wore on. It finished at 7,281. 57, up 34. 8 points or 0. 48%. Here's a closing comment from market analyst Joshua Mahony at IG. "With a morning’s worth of disappointing eurozone PMI surveys, we have seen Carney’s inflation report testimony drag EURGBP lower despite today’s jump in UK unemployment. While Carney’s expectation of three rate rises over the next three years will grab the headlines, the fact that the bank aims to be ‘nimble’ given Brexit uncertainty points towards a strong chance we may never see all three hikes materialise should a preferential deal not be achieved.
London close: FTSE ends up as Lloyds, Glencore rally; pound slips on jobs data
London stocks reversed earlier losses to end Wednesday's session higher, helped along by well-received results from the likes of Lloyds and Glencore, as the pound slipped following an uptick in the UK unemployment rate.
US open: Stocks start on front foot ahead of FOMC minutes
Wall Street stocks rebounded on Wednesday, with the mood lifted by a pair of positive business surveys ahead of the release of the minutes from the latest Federal Reserve policy meeting.
Director dealings: Coca-Cola man cans £1.2m of shares
Jan Gustavsson, general counsel and company secretary of beverage bottler Coca-Cola HBC, has disposed of more than £1. 2m of shares.
Thursday preview: Barclays, Centrica, Playtech and Serco results in focus
Continuing the series of banks reporting this week, Barclays results on Thursday come alongside those from Anglo American, BAE Systems, British American Tobacco, Centrica, Playtech, RSA Insurance and Serco.
Alexander Mining signs partnership agreement with Proses
Alexander Mining announced on Wednesday that it has executed a commercial and technical partnership agreement with Turkish specialist mineral processing consulting company Proses.
SkinBioTherapeutics losses widen as it spends more on R&D
Life sciences company SkinBioTherapeutics announced its half year results for the six months ended 31 December on Wednesday, reporting “significant progress” in developing the SkinBiotix technology, and a successful initial scale-up of lysate manufacture.
May to ask EU for extended Brexit implementation phase
The UK wants to extend the Brexit transition period to the European Union, according to reports on Wednesday.
EVR Holdings enters multi-year agreement with music publishing giant
Virtual reality music content creator EVR Holdings announced on Wednesday that its subsidiary MelodyVR has entered into a multi-year agreement with Warner/Chappell Music.
Fidessa agrees to £1.4bn takeover by Switzerland's Temenos
Fidessa was flying high again on Wednesday as it agreed to a £1. 4bn takeover by Swiss banking software company Temenos a day after confirming that the two were in talks.
US business activity grows more than expected in February - IHS Markit
Activity in the US manufacturing and services industries grew more than expected in February, according to preliminary data released on Wednesday.
Concurrent Technologies launches new VPX board
High-end embedded computer board designer and manufacturer Concurrent Technologies announced the launch of a new 3U VPX I/O board on Wednesday.
FTSE 250 movers: Fidessa rallies on Temenos deal; AA tanks on profit warning
London's FTSE 250 was down 0. 3% to 19,744. 36 in afternoon trade on Wednesday, with M&A helping to keep things lively.
FTSE 100 movers: Glencore and Lloyds rally on earnings; Shire drops
London's FTSE 100 was up 0. 2% to 7,264. 28 in afternoon trade on Wednesday as investors sifted through earnings from Glencore and Lloyds and digested the latest UK jobs data.
Buy financial and energy shares and sell carmakers on rising euro, Morgan Stanley says
The euro is likely rise to against the dollar in 2018 and 2019, making European financial and energy shares attractive and carmakers a standout sector for selling, according to Morgan Stanley.
Maduro claims $735m raised by sale of new Venezuelan cryptocurrency
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro used his Twitter account on Tuesday to announce that the country has made $735m from the sale of its new cryptocurrency on the first day.
Bonds: US debt auctions see reasonable demand, according to analysts
These were the movements in some of the most widely-followed 10-year sovereign bond yields: US: 2. 89% (+1bp) UK: 1. 59% (-1bp) Germany: 0. 74% (+0bp) France: 1. 0% (+1bp) Spain: 1. 53% (+2bp) Italy: 2. 07% (+3bp) Portugal: 2. 05% (+3bp) Greece: 4. 40% (+13bp) Japan: 0. 07% (+1bp).