Market Pulse
US close: Street finishes higher as earnings season begins
Wall Street managed moderate gains on Tuesday, as investors turned their attention to the start of earnings season as a welcome distraction from recent trade war concerns.
FX round-up: Economists divided on August MPC hike, political uncertainty in focus
Sterling edged higher on Tuesday, even after the European Union's chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, said Brussels would continue to insist that the single market for goods was inseparable from that for services.
Commodities: Copper extends losses after Chinese investor cuts long position
Industrial metals sagged on Tuesday, helping to drag the entire complex lower, with some traders attributing the decline to the liquidation of a $1bn position in the red metal by a Chinese investor, as reported by the Financial Times.
Sector movers: Tech takes off, defensives decline again
Tech stocks were among the main risers on Tuesday, while utilities and telecoms again were the main presence on the downside.
Europe close: Stocks gain as oil prices grind higher, Blackrock downgrades Europe
Higher oil prices helped prop-up stocks on the Continent, despite a raft of negative headlines on the economic front, with a widely-followed German survey of analysts revealing clear concern about the storm clouds that were gathering over global trade.
London close: Stocks and sterling struggle for direction amid mixed data
London stocks and the pound were range-bound on Tuesday as investors where overwhelmed by a confusing political backdrop and a slew of UK economic data.
Tesla agrees to open 500,000 capacity plant in Shanghai
Tesla signed agreements with Shanghai authorities on Tuesday that will see the manufacturer open a plant in the city.
NIESR forecasts further small acceleration in third quarter GDP
Britain's economy is set to continue recovering after the unexpected slowdown seen at the start of the year, according to one of the country's leading think-thanks.
Collagen Solutions' losses widen ahead of 'transitional year'
Biomaterials developer Collagen Solutions lost more money in its last financial year amid lumpy revenues.
Director dealings: Impax CFO lowers stake ahead of placing
Charlie Ridge, chief financial officer of Impax Asset Management, offloaded 304,000 ordinary shares in the firm on Tuesday as part of a placing of 3. 48m shares conducted by Peel Hunt.
Jefferies downgrades fully valued Rentokil
Analysts at Jefferies chose to downgrade their stance on pest control firm Rentokil on Tuesday, saying that the group's accelerated growth had brought it to full valuation and moved the stock from 'buy' to 'hold'.
US open: Dow continues earnings streak ahead of earnings season
Wall Street trading began on a positive note on Tuesday as the start of earnings season provided a welcome distraction from recent trade war concerns.
Barclays downgrades Computacenter on valuation grounds
Barclays cut Computacenter to 'underweight' from 'equalweight' on Tuesday on valuation grounds.
Arcontech trading 'comfortably ahead' of expectations
AIM-listed market data provider Arcontech said profits from its recently ended trading year had come in "comfortably ahead of market expectations".
Peel Hunt upgrades Ascential to 'add''
Peel Hunt upgraded Ascential - the owner of the Cannes Lions festival - to 'add' from 'hold' and lifted the price target to 515p from 400p as it updated its forecasts for the sale of the events business, moves in the dollar and the acquisition of global digital subscription business WARC.
UK service sector on the rise amid warm weather and royal wedding
Services output in the United Kingdom increased by 0. 4% for the three months to May, with a surge in activity in the wholesale, retail and motor trade sector accounting for the bulk of the pick-up.
UK GDP growth picks-up to 0.3% in May, backing case for August rate hike
Britain's economy accelerated in May, driven by a surge in construction output, after flat-lining in April, leaving the MPC on track to hike Bank Rate come August, according to some economists.
FTSE 100 movers: Ocado zigzags higher, investors rotate out of defensives
London's FTSE 100 was struggling for direction on Tuesday, with Ocado leading the risers and defensive stocks weighing on the downside.
Chinese inflation edges higher in June, but only temporarily
Price pressures in Asia's largest economy picked-up last month, but that was unlikely to last, analysts said.
GoldStone makes progress at Akrokeri
GoldStone Resources updated the market on the progress of activities at its Akrokeri-Homase Gold Project in the Ashanti Region of Ghana on Tuesday, reporting the sinking of a new shaft to access the historic high grade gold mine - one of two previously producing operations at AKHM.