Market Pulse
Market buzz: May BoE hike 'not set in stone', FTSE 100 enters correction
1700:Close Global trade concerns sent stocks lower as traders debated the implications of the Bank of England's latest communications and that of its US central bank's counterpart overnight, with a global trade war brewing.
Europe close: Stocks take heavy hit from trade frictions
Stocks on the Continent got dinged on Thursday, weighed down by a slate of weaker-than-expected economic data ahead of the expected announcement of US trade tariffs against China later in the day.
Sector movers: Miners, software pace losses
Miners and oil equipment stocks gave back their gains from the previous session amid concerns ahead of the expected announcement by the US of tariffs on $50bn-worth of Chinese goods.
London close: FTSE flops to sub-7,000 finish for first time in 15 months
London stocks fell their lowest close since late 2016 as the pound held its gains after the Bank of England left the door open for a May rate rise, while miners and retailers leading the falls.
Trump's lead lawyer in Russia investigation quits
President Donald Trump’s lead lawyer for the investigation into alleged Russian election interference has resigned from the legal team according to media reports on Thursday.
Catalonia is set to vote-in a new president on Thursday
Catalan president, Roger Torrent has called for a vote in the regional assembly on Thursday afternoon on whether to nominate Jordi Turull as their candidate to Catalonia's presidency, despite the imminent risk that he might be sentenced to jail on charges of secession.
Sound Energy's losses widen ahead of seismic exploration programme
Moroccan focused upstream oil and gas company Sound Energy doubled down on its assertion that its assets in the North African country held the potential to be transformed into a material hydrocarbon province on Thursday.
Bernstein reiterates 'outperform' rating on Prudential, ups target price
Analysts at Bernstein took a fresh look at life insurance firm Prudential on Thursday, reiterating their 'outperform' recommendation on the group's shares, as well as upping their target price as a result of some tweaking to its post-FY17 results estimates.
Numis sees tangible commercial progress at Allied Minds, upgrades it to 'buy'
Analysts at Numis upgraded their rating on intellectual property group Allied Minds on Thursday, highlighting the fact that the 15% drop in its net asset value per share over the last year was merely the result of a "further clean-up in the portfolio".
Polo Resources' investee lands coal plant agreement with Chinese giant
Natural resource investment company Polo Resources announced on Thursday that its investee company GCM Resources has signed a contract framework agreement with China Gezhouba Group (CGGC).
US open: Stocks down across the board as selling accelerates on Wall Street
US stocks moved lower at the open on Thursday, as investors continued to mull over the latest policy announcement from the Federal Reserve overnight, amid worries about a trade war, leading to what one analyst referred to as "a veritable bloodbath" on Wall Street.
Trump boasts about $1.6bn budget to start border wall
Trump has taken to Twitter to boast about securing $1. 6bn from the US budget bill to start building the Mexican border wall. He claims that he had to "waste money on Dem giveaways".
FTSE 250 movers: Provident Financial stands out; Ted Baker drops on results
London's FTSE 250 was down 1. 6% to 19,354. 93 in afternoon trade on Thursday, mirroring broader losses in the market following the latest policy announcement from the Bank of England and amid growing worries about a US trade war.
Earthport issued with New York State money transmitter licence
Cross border payment services utility provider Earthport announced on Thursday that its wholly-owned subsidiary Earthport North America has received written confirmation of the issue of its New York State money transmitter licence, backdated to be effective from 15 February.
James Latham set to end year in line with expectations
James Latham updated the market on its trading on Thursday, ahead of its results for the year ending 31 March.
Goldman Sachs says Just Eat delivery investment is right decision
Goldman Sachs kept its 'buy' rating on Just Eat as it continued to include it in its Conviction List, saying the company's decision to invest in own its own delivery service "is the correct one".
Conference Board sounds note of caution on US leading economic indicators in February
Leading indicators for the US economy continued to point towards robust economic growth over the remainder of 2018, according to the Conference Board, despite recent volatility in the stock market.
FTSE 100 movers: Reckitt rallies but Micro Focus slumps again
London's FTSE 100 was down 1. 6% to 6,925. 83 in afternoon on Thursday trade as investors digested the latest policy announcement from the Bank of England.
Cadence Minerals begins work programme on recently-acquired assets
Cadence Minerals confirmed the start of its initial exploration programme on six lithium assets in Argentina, having bought the portfolio in San Luis Province after its initial announcement in early December.
EasyHotel signs franchise deal to open location in Malaga
Super budget branded hotel owner, developer and operator easyHotel has signed a franchise agreement with Continuum Hospitality Group for the development of a 146-room hotel in Malaga, Spain, it announced on Thursday.