Market Report
Sector movers: Oil and aerospace drag on market
Oil was the biggest laggard by sectors in the stockmarket on Thursday, weighed down by prospect for near-term weakness in demand to the Covid-19 pandemic, but also on account of longer-term concerns.
Europe close: Shares dip as ECB keeps policy 'steady' but says there are still downside risks
European shares were mostly lower on Thursday remained as the single currency gained altitude following the European Central Bank's policy meeting.
ECB keeps 'steady' stance, ready to adjust policy if needed Lagarde says
The European Central Bank kept all of its policy levers unchanged but did leave the door open to further easing if needed.
London close: Stocks weaker as ECB leaves policy unchanged
London stocks closed in the red on Thursday, as investors digested the latest policy announcement from the European Central Bank.
Friday preview: Global manufacturing, UK consumer confidence in focus
The focus at the end of the week will shift to the release of a raft of factory and services sector Purchasing Managers Indices in the UK, US and euro area.
Broker tips: Ashtead, Cairn Energy, Hiscox, Sainsburys
Deutsche Bank upgraded its stance on equipment rental firm Ashtead to 'buy' from 'hold' on Thursday and hiked the price target to 4,100p from 3,000p, based on "growth opportunity and lower cyclicality", as it said the Specialty business was a game changer.
Director dealings: Halfords CEO makes share sale
Halfords Group revealed on Thursday that chief executive Graham Stapleton had disposed of 185,872 ordinary shares in the London-listed retailer.
ECSC Group earnings rise as revenues slip
Cybersecurity service provider ECSC Group said on Thursday that its adjusted EBITDA profit for 2020 was in excess of £0. 4m, rising from the breakeven it achieved in 2019.
FTSE 250 movers: Ibstock rallies on update; IG moves lower
London’s FTSE 250 was down 0. 1% at 20,852. 79 in afternoon trade on Thursday.
Keystone Law reports 'exceptionally strong' December trading
Challenger law firm Keystone Law updated the market ahead of the end of its financial year on Thursday, reporting that trading throughout December and early January had been “exceptionally strong”.
Anglo Asian Mining contract areas restored after conflict
Azerbaijan-focussed gold, copper and silver producer Anglo Asian Mining updated the market on its three restored contract areas in formerly-occupied territories and Nagorno Karabakh on Thursday, following the agreement between Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia ending the military conflict over the enclave of Nagorno Karabakh.
US open: Stocks record early gains on Biden's first full day in office
Wall Street stocks opened higher on Thursday after major indices hit fresh record highs on Inauguration Day.
FTSE 100 movers: Informa hit by downgrade; Sage on the rise
London’s FTSE 100 was down 0. 3% at 6,720. 11 in afternoon trade on Thursday.
US housing starts grow more quickly than expected in December
Homebuilding in the US continued to accelerate at a brisk pace at the tail-end of the previous year.
Twitter blocks Chinese US embassy account after tweets defending Xinjiang policies
Twitter locked the account of China’s US embassy after it posted a tweet defending China’s policy towards Muslim Uighurs in Xinjiang.
China imposes sanctions on top Trump officials
China has imposed sanctions on 28 Trump administration officials including former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for violating its sovereignty.
Philly Fed index beats expectations in January
Manufacturing conditions in the Philadelphia region improved significantly in January, according to a survey released on Thursday.
Evgen reports 'highly positive' data from SFX-01 trial
Clinical-stage drug development company Evgen Pharma announced on Thursday that its collaboration with a prominent European university had generated “highly positive” data for ‘SFX-01’ in pre-clinical models of glioma and glioblastoma.
US jobless claims fall slightly in latest week
US jobless claims undershot economists' forecasts slightly over the past week.
Eco Animal Health FY revenues and earnings 'significantly ahead' of expectations
Pharmaceutical company Eco Animal Health said on Thursday that full-year group revenues and underlying earnings were both expected to be "significantly ahead" of market expectations.