Market Report
UniVision enters cooperation framework deal with joint venture partners
Hong Kong-based closed circuit television and surveillance systems company UniVision said on Friday that, further to the sub-contractor announcement it made on 19 November, it has now also entered into a cooperation framework agreement with the China Railway Engineering Hong Kong (CREHK) and China Railway Wuhan Electrification Engineering Group (CRWE) joint venture.
FTSE 100 movers: IAG flies higher; Whitbread hit by downgrade
London’s FTSE 100 was up 1% at 7,684. 62 in afternoon trade on Friday, underpinned by a weaker pound after disappointing retail sales data.
UK retail sales unexpectedly fall in December
UK retail sales unexpectedly fell in December, according to figures released by the Office for National Statistics on Friday, adding weight to expectations of a rate cut by the Bank of England this month.
OptiBiotix eyes profitability in 2020, explores Nasdaq listing
Life sciences business OptiBiotix Health provided revenue guidance for its recently wrapped up trading year on Friday and told investors it was now eyeing up a dual-listing on the New York Stock Exchange as it forecast profitability in 2020.
IAG cancels limit on non-European share ownership
British Airways and Iberia parent IAG flew higher after ditching its rule to impose a limit on non-EU shareholders.
US pre-open: Futures point to positive open following Chinese data
US futures had stocks opening higher ahead of the bell on Friday following the release of some economic data out of China overnight.
London midday: Stocks push higher as retail sales dent sterling
London stocks had extended gains by midday on Friday as sterling was dented by weak retail sales figures.
Star Phoenix gets go-ahead for sale of Range Resources Trinidad
Trinidad and Indonesia-focussed oil and gas company Star Phoenix has received the required approvals from Heritage Petroleum Company - the state oil and gas company of Trinidad and Tobago - for the sale of Range Resources Trinidad to LandOcean Energy Services, it announced on Friday.
Novacyt division signs distribution deal with VGS Group
Clinical diagnostics specialist Novacyt announced on Friday that its molecular testing division, Primerdesign, has signed an exclusive commercial agreement with Atothis - part of VGS Group - for the distribution of certain molecular diagnostic products in France, for the aquaculture and aquamarine markets.
Kazera Global reports solid start to year at African Tantalum
Investment company Kazera Global, which has an interest in the Tantalite Valley Mine (TVM) in Namibia through its stake in African Tantalum (Aftan), updated the market on its operations on Friday.
Asia report: Markets advance as China meets GDP expectations
Markets in Asia were in the green as they closed on Friday, as investors reacted to decent growth figures from China, and stocks in Japan and South Korea leapt to 15-month highs.
The Gym Group revenues rise as membership numbers grow
The Gym Group reported a rise in full-year revenues on Friday as membership numbers grew.
Mike O'Leary to take up role as chairman at Dotdigital
Marketing automation and customer engagement software-as-a-service (SaaS) provider Dotdigital Group has appointed Michael O'Leary to its board as non-executive chairman, it announced on Friday, effective immediately.
Itaconix and Nouryon terminate agreement over detergent polymers
Specialty polymer company Itaconix announced on Friday that itself and Nouryon have mutually agreed to terminate their agreement for Nouryon to exclusively distribute Itaconix polymers with chelating properties worldwide for detergent applications.
Record puts in decent third quarter despite fee pressure
Specialist currency manager Record updated the market on its trading for the three months ended 31 December on Friday, reporting that assets under management equivalents expressed in dollars grew 8% over the period, to $64. 7bn.
PetroNeft gets to work on licences 61 and 67
Russia-focussed oil and gas exploration and production company PetroNeft, which is the 50% owner and operator of licences 61 and 67, announced on Friday that a contract had been awarded and construction started on a mini oil processing facility at licence 61, with completion due in 2020.
Character Group warns on profit after challenging Christmas
Toymaker Character Group warned on profits on Friday after an "extremely challenging" 2019 Christmas trading period, with the total toy market in the UK contracting for the second successive year.
Live Company warns of weaker-than-expected FY results
Children's entertainment and education group Live Company warned on Friday that full-year results looked set to be below market expectations despite recording some strong growth in 2019.
GVC Holdings sees FY profits at top end of guidance
GVC Holdings said on Friday that it was "well placed" for 2020 as it progressed with integrating recently-acquired Ladbrokes Coral and continued to grow its US joint venture.