Weekly review
The FTSE 100 ended the week 148.02 points lower, closing at 7,203.29 on Friday.
Equity view
BBA Aviation said trading remained in line with expectations, with revenue for the first four months of 2019 up 23.1% year-on year, reflecting organic growth along with the acquisitions of EPIC, Firstmark and Ontic licences acquired during 2018.
Morgan Advanced Materials said first quarter trading was in line with expectations as the company maintained its full year guidance.
Specialist international distribution and services group Bunzl said on Friday that finance director Brian May has decided to retire after more than 13 years in the role and 25 years at the company.
Wealth manager Brewin Dolphin confirmed on Friday that it has agreed to buy the Irish wealth management business of Investec for around €44m, as it announced a placing to raise approximately £60m to "maintain a strong regulatory capital level".
Millennium & Copthorne posted a drop in first-quarter revenue and pre-tax profit on Friday as it took a hit from the refurbishment of some of its hotels.
Higher prices and acquisitions helped paper and packaging maker Mondi report a 16% rise in first quarter earnings.
Defence contractor BAE Systems maintained full year guidance but sounded a note of caution on “geopolitical uncertainties” as it continued to deal with a German ban on arms exports to key customer Saudi Arabia.
Morrisons reported solid sales growth as the supermarket chain benefited from a busy Easter and continued its revival in a fiercely competitive market.
Beazley suffered higher claims in the first quarter of 2019 as the insurer posted strong business growth.
Housebuilder Barratt Developments on Thursday said it expected full year results to be “modestly” above expectations.
AstraZeneca and its partner Daiichi Sankyo Company announced positive top-line results for the pivotal phase 2 ‘DESTINY-Breast01’ trial of trastuzumab deruxtecan (DS-8201) on Wednesday.
ITV's topline was hit by the poor performance of its broadcast and digital arm at the start of the year, although video-on-demand saw a strong uptake and is audience figures were characterised as "good".
Refractory products supplier RHI Magnesita updated the market on its trading in the first quarter on Wednesday, saying it remained confident in its expectations for the full financial year after a “solid” trading performance, which continued to reflect the trends seen in the latter part of 2018.
Buildings materials supplier SIG on Wednesday said that like-for-like sales fell more than 9% in the UK for the first four months of 2019 due to a challenging market.
Imperial Brands posted a dip in profits for the front half of the year as it continued to build-out its portfolio of next generation products as sales of its traditional wares continued to shrink, in line with the trend in place across the broader sector.
Pan-African lubricant and fuel maker Vivo Energy said first quarter volumes rose 7% to 2.4bn litres due to good underlying growth in its existing Shell-branded markets, a contribution from new Engen-branded markets and additional sites in Kenya.
Hiscox said it made a solid start to the year as the specialist insurer’s gross written premiums rose 3.3%.
Vodafone Group has entered into a definitive agreement for a cable wholesale agreement in Germany with Telefónica Deutschland, it announced on Tuesday.
Syncona on Tuesday said its portfolio company Blue Earth Diagnostics had reported positive results from a study into prostate cancer diagnosis.
HgCapital Trust announced on Tuesday that it would invest in Litera Microsystems, which it described as a “leading provider” of end-to-end document lifecycle solutions to the legal and life sciences industries, based in Chicago.
Economic news
There is a 20% to 30% chance Brexit could be cancelled, according to the president of the European council, Donald Tusk.
Strong growth in factory output drove a stronger-than-expected increase in production in the first quarter of 2019, official figures showed.
The UK economy grew 0.5% in the first quarter, according to preliminary figures released by the Office for National Statistics on Friday.
The British Medical Journal have called for an overhaul of gambling laws and the introduction of a tax fund for treating addictions.
The government has allocated £200m to remove and replace unsafe Grenfell-style cladding from around 170 privately owned high-rise buildings as frustration mounts against developers who have still failed to detach the flammable material.
Britain's property market is stuck in the doldrums as Brexit uncertainty deters potential buyers and sellers, a survey showed.
UK GDP would be 3% lower if the UK retained a customs union with the EU after Brexit than if it had remained in the bloc, according to a report on Thursday.
Business lobby group the CBI has warned that the current business rates system is “entrenching regional unfairness” and have called for a review.
The Financial Conduct Authority is proposing shaking up rules governing mortgage advice, the regulator said on Tuesday.
Demand for UK cars fell in April, as the market for alternative fuelled vehicles hit a roadblock and sales of diesel cars continued to decline.
International events
US President Trump has ramped up the trade dispute with China by more than doubling tariffs on $200bn of Chinese imports before the final day of talks between the countries.
German exports unexpectedly rose in March, according to data released by Destatis on Friday.
Billionaire Amazon owner Jeff Bezos has unveiled plans to send a rocket to the moon by 2024.
The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits fell less than expected last week, according to figures from the Labor Department.
Wholesale prices in the States edged up last month, buoyed by dearer energy as well as transportation and warehousing costs and for some economists the most likely direction of travel going forwards was pointing upwards.
Hackers breached the security of the Binance exchange, making off with 7,000 bitcoins worth around $40m in a single transaction, revealed a post on the bitcoin market's website.
Chinese export growth fell back unexpectedly last month and while an acceleration in imports pointed to an improvement in the domestic economy, economists were somewhat divided on the strength one could expected of any rebound.
Iran announced on Wednesday that it would drop two of the key commitments that it entered into as part of the 2015 nuclear deal in response to America's withdrawal and its decision to reinstate sanctions on the Islamic Republic.
A correction in stock market prices was possible but any weakness was unlikely to be "material or prolonged", said strategists at JP Morgan, who advised clients to use any weakness on the back of seasonals and the US President to add to their positions.
German factory orders rose less than expected in March, according to figures released by Destatis on Tuesday.