Market Report
Tracsis confirms consideration details for recent acquisitions
Tracsis issued further information on its recent acquisitions on Thursday, having announced the purchase of the entire issued share capital of Travel Compensation Services, Delay Repay Sniper and S Dalby Consulting on 1 February.
Sofology acquisition lifts sales at DFS Furniture
DFS Furniture posted a rise in first-half sales on Thursday thanks to its acquisition of Sofology, as it said full-year expectations remain unchanged.
Friday preview: Industrial production, construction and trade in focus
Friday should be quite quiet after recent events, with Victrex the biggest name expected to provide a trading update ahead of UK industrial production numbers later in the morning.
Carney's letter to Chancellor: inflation will be above target for three years
Bank of England Governor Mark Carney has written to Chancellor Philip Hammond to say inflation will remain elevated for several years and that while UK economic growth is likely to grow faster than he expected this year, Brexit could still throw a major spanner in the works.
BoE increases economic forecasts, signals tougher stance on rate rises
The Bank of England has increased its forecasts for economic growth and signalled that interest rates may rise sooner than it had indicated.
US initial jobless claims unexpectedly decline
The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits unexpectedly fell last week, according to data from the Labor Department.
LMS Capital sells minority interest in Brockton Capital LLP
LMS Capital announced continued progress in the realisation of its portfolio on Thursday, with the sale of its minority interest in Brockton Capital LLP.
Elektron Technology makes good full-year progress
Elektron Technology updated the market on its trading for the financial year to 31 January on Thursday, reporting that group revenue from continuing operations was expected to be approximately £30. 5m - a 10. 9% increase on a like-for-like basis compared to the previous year, returning the business to growth.
Epwin Group confident despite some trading turbulence
Low-maintenance building products manufacturer Epwin Group updated the market on its trading for the year to 31 December 2017 on Thursday, reporting that its operating profits before non-underlying items were expected to be in line with market expectations.
White House secretly offered Iran prisoner negotiations
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the Trump administration covertly communicated with Iran in an attempt to negotiate prisoner releases from both sides.
China Nonferrous Gold subsidiary extends procurement agreement
Mineral exploration and mining company China Nonferrous Gold announced on Thursday that LLC Pakrut, its wholly-owned subsidiary, has extended the procurement agreement with China Nonferrous Metals International Mining Company - the company’s 38. 36% shareholder.
Asia report: Markets finally stage recovery, SoftBank talks with Swiss Re
Markets in Asia finished higher on Thursday, as the region finally rallied together to stage a recovery on the big losses seen earlier in the week.
UK fund sales hit record £63bn in 2017, investors return to stocks
Investors in Britain put a record-breaking amount of money to work in 2017.
Marlowe buys Derbyshire-based water treatment business Future Water
AIM-listed support services group Marlowe has bought Derbyshire-based water treatment company Future Water for up to £640,000.
HSBC upgrades Randgold to 'buy', expects further dividend growth
Analysts at HSBC upgraded their recommendation for shares of Randgold Resources on Thursday from 'hold' to 'buy', telling clients they expect the outfit to hike its payout by 50% in 2018 after the company reported record production and increased profits for its most recent trading year.
London midday: FTSE extends losses as pound rallies on hawkish BoE
London equity markets extended losses just after midday on Thursday as the pound spiked higher on the back of an unexpectedly hawkish announcement from the Bank of England.
Beazley sees premiums rise after year of disasters
Beazley expects double-digit premium growth this year as the insurer emerges from a year when hurricanes, earthquakes and fires battered its profits.
US pre-open: Stocks seen muted as semblance of calm returns to Wall St
US futures pointed to muted open on Wall Street on Thursday as a semblance of calm returns to markets following heavy losses this week.
George Soros donates £400,000 to 'Remain' campaign
The campaign group Best for Britain that is fighting to keep the UK in the European Union has received £400,000 from billionaire George Soros through one of his foundations.
Tesla suffers record loss in fourth quarter of 2017
Elon Musk’s electric car and battery company Tesla has revealed the biggest quarterly loss in the company’s history, though it was not as bad as Wall Street estimates had feared.