Market Report
London close: Miners lead top-flight index higher
London stocks closed in positive territory on Thursday, supported by a solid showing in the mining sector as investors turned their attention to earnings.
Glaxo shares rally as Elliott said to have built 'significant' stake
GlaxoSmithKline shares shot higher on Thursday as it emerged that activist hedge fund Elliott Management has built a multibillion-pound stake in the pharmaceuticals company.
Four more Tavistock shareholders set to reject TEAM takeover
The board of Tavistock reiterated its intention to reject a possible all-share takeover offer from rival TEAM at the proposed price.
Weekly initial jobless claims drop below post-2008 peak
The number of Americans signing up for unemployment fell last week below the peak hit in the aftermath of the Great Financial Crisis in 2008 - a major milestone.
Broker tips: Naked Wines, Jet2, Kingfisher, Essensys
Naked Wines is likely to revert to "pedestrian" growth once the pandemic subsides, Liberum said as the broker reduced its rating on the online wine merchant to 'hold'.
US March retail sales go into overdrive
US retail sales went into overdrive in March as Americans started receiving government stimulus checks from mid-month onwards.
React Group upbeat after half-year of growth
Cleaning, hygiene and decontamination provider React Group said it had continued to make “strong progress” in a trading update on Thursday, achieving year-on-year organic revenue growth of around 19% for the six months ended 31 March, to £2. 5m.
Director dealings: Spouse of Marshalls CEO makes share sale
Marshalls revealed on Thursday that chief executive Martin Coffee's spouse Gillian had disposed of 149,126 ordinary shares in the FTSE 250-listed landscape products company.
Philly Fed factory index hits 48-year high in April
A key gauge of factory activity in the US mid-Atlantic region jumped past market forecasts to its highest level for half a decade.
FTSE 250 movers: Investec in the black; travel & leisure stocks fall
London’s FTSE 250 hit a fresh high on Thursday and by 1550 BST, was trading up 0. 5% at 22,468. 50.
US open: Stocks advance on better than expected jobless claims report
Wall Street stocks were in the green early on Thursday thanks to some better-than-expected jobless claims data and corporate results.
Epwin Group reports strong second half
Epwin Group reported a strong second half performance in its final results on Thursday, after its performance was impacted by Covid-19 shutdowns in the first half.
FTSE 100 movers: Glaxo rallies; Legal & General goes ex div
London’s FTSE 100 was up 0. 6% at 6,977. 46 in afternoon trade on Thursday.
Harvest Minerals reports strong sales for KP Fertil
Remineraliser producer Harvest Minerals announced a strong first quarter sales performance for its organic multi-nutrient natural remineraliser ‘KP Fértil’ on Thursday, which it produces from its wholly-owned Arapua Fertiliser Project in Brazil.
Volex delivers 'robust' H2 perfromance
Power products supplier Volex said on Thursday that it had delivered "a robust performance" in the second half of the financial year, underpinned by strong demand from customers in the consumer electronics and electric vehicle markets.
Europe midday: Stocks buoyed by US bank earnings
Stocks in Europe were holding slightly higher come midday, buoyed by a strong quarterly update from one of the largest US lenders.
Thermo Fisher to buy PPD in $17.4bn deal
Thermo Fisher has agreed to buy PPD, a provider of clinical research services to the pharma and biotech industry, for $17. 4bn.
US pre-open: Futures in the green as earnings continue to roll in
Wall Street futures were in the green ahead of the bell on Thursday thanks to some better-than-expected corporate results.
Citi upgrades B&Q owner Kingfisher to 'neutral'
Citi upgraded its stance on shares of B&Q owner Kingfisher on Thursday to ‘neutral’ from ‘sell’ as it argued that ongoing DIY strength amid extended lockdowns provides good support to current expectations.
Bank of America posts higher than expected Q1 profits and revenues
Shares of Bank America made a renewed push towards their 13-year highs after announcing that its profits had more than doubled and sounded a very upbeat note on the outlook.