Market Report
Barclays downgrades Grainger on recent share price strength
Grainger was in the red on Friday as Barclays downgraded the stock to 'equalweight' from 'overweight' following recent share price strength.
Trump warns Kim Jong-Un to strike a deal or suffer the same fate as Gaddafi
US President Donald Trump contradicted his national security adviser John Bolton and said the 'Libya model' for denuclearisation is not the way forward with North Korea, but said it was a possibility if both countries don’t strike a deal in the near future.
Downing Street taps City vets to lead probe into 'toothless' FRC
Downing Street has handpicked a group of City veterans to launch a probe into the Financial Reporting Council just days after a report on recently collapsed facilities management and construction services company Carillion highlighted several failures in the market.
Asia report: Most markets higher as Trump plays down China talks
Markets in Asia finished mostly higher on Friday, with investors once again keeping an eye on trade talks between the US and China, and brushing off a disappointing session on Wall Street overnight.
US pre-open: Analysts debate scope for further gains, trade talks in focus
Wall Street is set for a higher open, with traders scanning the headlines swirling about the second round of trade talks between China and the US.
Barclays to buy Lloyds Irish mortgage portfolio for £4bn
Lloyds said it was selling its Irish residential mortgage portfolio to Barclays Bank for £4bn.
Altona Energy lays out objectives for upcoming drilling programme
Mining and exploration company Altona Energy on Friday provided further details of its planned initial drilling programme at the Westfield tenement in South Australia.
Ophir boss steps down from board
Ophir Energy chief executive Nicholas Cooper has reached a "mutual agreement" with the group's directors to walk away from the explorer with immediate effect, following a seven year stint.
Europe midday: Government coalition deal weighs on Italian stocks (only)
Italian stocks are slumping after Italy's main anti-establishment parties threw down the gauntlet to Brussels on austerity and against the bloc's fiscal rules.
London midday: Stocks retreat from record high; Astra drops on miss
London stocks edged a little lower by midday on Friday as investors paused for breath following a record closing high a day earlier, led by AstraZeneca after slightly disappointing quarterly numbers.
Rockhopper making good progress at Sea Lion and in the Med
Oil and gas exploration and production company Rockhopper Exploration told shareholders on Friday that it had continued to balance the progression of the Sea Lion project in the North Falkland Basin with building a material production base in the Greater Mediterranean throughout 2017, as the investors met for the annual general meeting.
Goldstone receives important licence extensions
GoldStone Resources announced on Friday that the extension for the prospecting licences in respect of the Homase-Akrokeri project in Ghana has been received.
TClarke maintains expectations as it adds more new contracts
TClarke was continuing to expect revenue and profits for 2018 in line with current market expectations, investors were told on Friday as they gathered for the company’s annual general meeting.
Andrews Sykes continuing operations solid as it continues to invest
Andrews Sykes Group reported a decent improvement in revenue from continuing operations in its preliminary results on Friday, with the figure rising to £71. 3m from £65. 39m year-on-year.
Unite's Richard Simpson to head up Watkin Jones
Watkin Jones announced on Friday that, following a “comprehensive” formal search process, Richard Simpson has been appointed to succeed Mark Watkin Jones as CEO.
China-USA trade talks stumble
China has denied offering to reduce its annual trade surplus with the US by $200bn through increased imports of American products, rebuffing earlier reports in American media.
Mkango sells three-quarters of Songwe operator to Noble subsidiary
Rare earths explorer Mkango Resources has set itself up to offload a 75% stake in its Lancaster Exploration arm to Noble Group subsidiary Talaxis.
Permira ditches its entire Just Group stake
Just Group fell on Friday as private equity investor Permira ditched its entire holding in the retirement services company a day after it surged on the back of solid first-quarter sales figures.
PayPal to buy Swedish payments group iZettle for $2.2bn
PayPal has agreed to buy Swedish payments group iZettle for $2. 2bn, in a deal that will "significantly" expand its in-store presence.
AstraZeneca confident of return to growth despite mixed Q1
AstraZeneca has a tough first quarter as sales and earnings came in lower than expected due to investment in drug launches and a larger erosion of its Crestor statin drug than expected, but there were encouraging performance from newer drugs.