Market Report
Randall & Quilter makes acquisitions in UK and US
Run-off insurance investor Randall & Quilter has agreed to snap up two more businesses, one in the UK and the other in the US.
UK inflation jumps to six month high, boosting pound
UK inflation jumped unexpectedly last month, according to official data released on Wednesday, triggering a jump in the pound to an eight-week high against the dollar.
Europe open: Stocks edge higher as resources gain; Danske Bank drops
European stocks edged higher in early trade on Wednesday, underpinned by a solid performance from the basic resources sector.
London house prices fall at fastest rate since 2009
London house prices have fallen by the most in almost a decade, official figures showed, at odds with the slow-and-steady growth in overall UK house prices.
Comptoir Group narrows losses as revenue grows despite 'challenging' backdrop
Yalla Yalla and Comptoir Libanais owner Comptoir Group said on Wednesday that losses narrowed in the first half as revenue rose despite a "challenging" backdrop.
Shield Therapeutics irons losses, agrees commercialisation deal
Iron deficiency treatment specialist Shield Therapeutics narrowed losses as revenues grew in the first half of that saw a series of positive developments.
Avast proposes capital reduction and subscriber share cancellation
Cybersecurity provider Avast announced a proposed capital reduction of its share premium account, and a proposed cancellation of the non-voting subscriber share, on Wednesday.
Cambridge Cognition announces first NeuroVocalix commercial partnership
Neuroscience technology company Cambridge Cognition Holdings announced its first commercial partnership for its recently launched ‘NeuroVocalix’ voice biomarker technology on Wednesday.
London open: Stocks rise as miners rally; Sainsbury's Asda merger in focus
London stocks rose in early trade on Wednesday, helped along by a solid performance from the mining sector as investors eyed key UK inflation data.
Double upgrade for SSE as Deutsche sees buying opportunity
Deutsche Bank upgraded SSE to 'buy' from 'sell' on Wednesday, lifting the price target to 1,250p from 1,200p after shares tanked last week on the back of a profit warning.
Falanx Group selected as SolarWinds Threat Monitoring Service Provider
Cybersecurity and intelligence provider Falanx Group has been selected by SolarWinds MSP as the first ‘SolarWinds Threat Monitoring Service Provider’ (TMSP) for the UK and South Africa, it announced on Wednesday.
Sequoia Economic Infrastructure plans £200m fundraise
Sequoia Economic Infrastructure Income Fund announced it was proceeding with a partially pre-emptive issue of ordinary shares to raise £200m gross proceeds, in light of what its board called a “growing set” of attractive investment opportunities in the economic infrastructure debt market.
Aveva backs full-year outlook, sets out medium-term targets
Aveva said on Wednesday that its full-year outlook remains in line with the board's expectations and that it aims to increase its adjusted EBIT margins to 30%.
NEX Group to pay $50m penalty over ISDAfix benchmark
NEX Group has reached a settlement with the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) as part of an industry-wide investigation into the setting of the US dollar ISDAfix benchmark, it announced on Wednesday.
John Laing Infrastructure board urges shareholders to accept takeover offer
John Laing Infrastructure Fund updated the market on the planned acquisition of it by Jura Acquisition on Wednesday - a transaction initially announced on 3 August.
Babcock trading in line, reiterates outlook for the year
Engineering services company Babcock International said on Wednesday that it is trading in line with its expectations, the order book and pipeline are strong and its outlook for the year is unchanged.
Balfour Beatty pockets £22m from sale of Fife Hospital stake
Balfour Beatty has sold its 50% stake in Fife Hospital for £43m in cash to Semperian PPP Investment Partners, which will result in a profit of £22m for the FTSE 250 infrastructure group.
NewRiver signs asset management agreement with Canterbury council
NewRiver has signed an asset management agreement with Canterbury City Council for the asset management of Whitefriars Shopping Centre, it announced on Wednesday.
UK Commercial Property REIT buys M8 Industrial Estate for £24.6m
UK Commercial Property REIT announced the acquisition of M8 Industrial Estate near Glasgow from Grayling Capital on Wednesday, for a headline price of £24. 6m, based on a topped-up net initial yield of 5. 9%.
Wednesday newspaper round-up: Brexit, Tesco, Tesla, Unilever, North Korea, BAE Systems
Theresa May’s plans for a tough new immigration regime were given a boost yesterday after a key report called for an end to low-skilled migration from the EU after Brexit. A year-long independent report by the government’s advisers into the link between migration and the economy recommended a “global” system. This would make EU citizens subject to the same rules as immigrants from non-European countries after January 2021 and could mean that those who want to live in Britain for more than six months would need visas.