Market Report
Fidessa agrees terms of £1.5bn Ion Investment bid; Temenos out in the cold
Financial technology group Fidessa agreed the terms of a £1. 5bn offer from Dublin-based Ion Investment Group on Friday, just hours before the deadline to make a formal bid.
FTSE 250 movers: Hikma rallies; Countryside hit by Oaktree stake sale
London's FTSE 250 was up 0. 2% to 20,191. 13 in afternoon trade on Friday.
Asia report: Semiconductor slide leads markets lower
Markets in Asia were sent falling on Friday, taking their lead from a weaker session on Wall Street overnight, with the technology sector leading the declines in the region.
Takeda bumps up proposed offer for Shire
Shire received an improved takeover offer from Takeda Pharmaceutical on Friday, a day after turning down a £46. 50 bid made up of shares and cash.
Regulators slap Wells Fargo with $1bn fine for car loan and mortgage abuses
US regulators fined Wells Fargo $1bn on Friday for car loan and mortgage abuses.
ECR Minerals acquires Victorian gold licence
Exploration and development company ECR Minerals has acquired 100% ownership of the Creswick gold project in central Victoria, Australia, via its wholly owned subsidiary Mercator Gold.
Burberry appoints former Belstaff boss as chief commercial officer
Burberry has appointed industry veteran Gavin Haig - the former chief executive of fashion heritage brand Belstaff - to the newly-created role of chief commercial officer, with effect from next Monday.
Rank's target price cut at Canaccord over challenging outlook
It's been a tough year for Rank, said analysts at Canaccord Genuity on Friday, and with tighter regulations, some seriously strong competition for its London casinos and its chief executive jumping ship, the broker has slashed its target price on the shares.
Esure's low-risk footprint undervalued, says Peel Hunt
Esure's low-risk footprint looks undervalued, Peel Hunt said on Friday as it bumped the stock up to 'buy' from 'add' and nudged the price target up to 300p from 295p.
SDX makes 'significantly' larger than expected Moroccan gas discovery
North Africa focused oil and gas company SDX Energy has made a conventional natural gas discovery at its LNB-1 exploration well on the Lalla Mimouna permit in Morocco.
London midday: Stocks maintain gains amid mixed signals on rate hikes
London stocks rose were holding on their gains by midday on Friday as investors mulled dovish comments from Bank of England governor Mark Carney against a more hawkish tone from rate-setter Michael Saunders.
Europe midday: Stocks little changed amid sharp moves in bond markets
Stocks are holding higher even as investors keep a close eye on government bond markets following a spate of sharp selling the day before which market commentary linked to expectations for faster rate hikes in the States, especially following recent sharp gains in commodity prices.
US pre-open: Stocks seen muted as investors eye more earnings
US futures pointed to a muted open on Wall Street on Friday as investors braced for more earnings releases.
Hikma launches generic injectable version of Zinecard
Hikma Pharmaceuticals has launched a generic injectable product to counter a shortage in the US market for products to counter heart problems associated with commonly prescribed chemotherapy drug.
Ironridge Resources signs JV in 'exciting' lithium developments
Mineral exploration company Ironridge Resources announced on Friday that it has signed joint-venture agreements with Ghanaian firm Joy Transporters regarding lithium assets in the country.
Sealand Capital disposes of SecureCom at considerable loss
Tech investment and acquisition firm Sealand Capital Galaxy has entered into a non-binding memorandum of understanding to dispose of its main business, SecureCom Media, to Creative Alpha for a nominal fee of £10,000.
Ten Lifestyle wins new contract with OCBC Bank
AIM-listed Ten Lifestyle has won a new contract with OCBC Bank, the second-largest financial services group in Southeast Asia, to provide concierge services to its high net worth clients as part of its Voyage Card Concierge programme.
Bonmarche Q4 sales drop but full-year profit to rise
Womenswear retailer Bonmarche posted a drop in fourth-quarter store like-for-like sales on Friday, although online sales grew and the company said 2018 pre-tax profit will be in line with the board's expectations.
Drax begins £50m share buyback programme
Drax Group announced on Friday that it is commencing a £50m share buy-back programme, in a bid to reduce its share capital.
Omega Diagnostics inks distribution agreement with IDS
Omega Diagnostics has signed a global distribution agreement with fellow AIM-quoted outfit Immunodiagnostic Systems for its Allersys range of allergy assays.