Weekly review
London's FTSE 100 index ended the week up 44.54 points at 7,553.24.
Equity view
Ted Baker saw its shares surge on Monday as the fashion brand's founder, Ray Kelvin, was said to be mulling plans to back a private equity buyout of the company just months after he resigned following sexual harassment allegations.
Shares in Premier Inn owner Whitbread were under pressure on Monday as it emerged that they could be a target for short-sellers.
Homebase confirmed the acquisition of Bathstore, taking control of 44 stores and the collapsed bathroom retailer's website.
Apple was said to be in talks to buy Intel's modem chip division for approximately $1bn within the next week.
FDM Group reported growth in line with expectations as interim revenues jumped despite challenging conditions in the UK and North America.
Beazley's year-on-year profit before tax almost tripled in the first half of 2019 amid higher rates, as it achieved double-digit premium growth.
The two ride-hailing rivals Uber and Ola were among a "handful" of parties that are interested acquiring minicab firm Addison Lee Group, according to a Sky News report on Wednesday.
The Competition and Markets Authority said it had launched an investigation into JD Sports' takeover of Footasylum.
GlaxoSmithKline said that full-year earnings were set to drop less than it previously expected, as it posted a rise in second-quarter sales and profits.
Shares in Sports Direct surged on Wednesday after the retailer said that its delayed full-year results will be published on Friday and confirmed that they will be in line with the guidance it gave back in December.
Japanese tech conglomerate SoftBank Group will invest $40bn in its second Vision Fund, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Shares of Aston Martin Lagonda tanked as the luxury car maker cut its forecasts for this year, pointing to macroeconomic uncertainty and weakness in the UK and Europe.
Vodafone agreed to share 5G active equipment, such as radio antennas, on joint network sites across the UK with its rival network O2.
Car maker Nissan said it would cut 12,500 jobs worldwide as first quarter net profits were almost wiped out.
Car maker Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) reported deeper first quarter losses as plant shutdowns and Brexit contingency planning took their toll.
Aerospace and defence supplier Cobham agreed to be bought by US private equity firm Advent International for £4bn.
AstraZeneca reported first-half product sales growth of 12%, or 17% at constant exchange rates, to $11.18bn (£8.96bn) in its interim results on Thursday, including an acceleration in second-quarter product sales to $5.72bn, which was ahead 14% year-on-year, or 19% at constant currency.
Embattled Metro Bank said it would be replacing chairman Vernon Hill as interim pre-tax profits plunged after customers withdrew £2bn in deposits.
Sports Direct's shares dropped after it once again delayed the release of its preliminary results on Friday.
Pearson backed its full-year guidance on Friday as it said it saw interim underlying growth across all divisions as it starts to benefit from accelerating its shift to a digital subscription-style service.
Vodafone said it was spinning off its mobile tower infrastructure into a separate unit that could be listed.
A California judge on Thursday slashed a $2bn jury verdict against Bayer to $86.7m in the case of a couple who claimed the pharmaceutical giant's weed killer Roundup caused their cancer.
Economic news
The Confederation of British Industry has urged the next Prime Minister to "act fast" to get the stalled economy back on the path of growth in a business manifesto.
The Brexit crisis may have tipped Britain into a recession, a report by a leading think tank stated on Monday.
UK energy regulator Ofgem was accused by a leading business lobby group of failing to include climate change when considering policy goals.
UK manufacturing orders fell at their fastest pace in the three months to July since the financial crisis, according to the latest survey from the Confederation of British Industry.
UK mortgage approvals hit their second-highest level in more than two years in June, according to figures released by UK Finance on Wednesday.
Retail sales in the UK fell for the third month in a row in July, marking the longest period of decline since 2011, according to the latest data from the Confederation of British Industry.
Around 3.6 million tonnes of food, with a value of £1.2bn, goes to waste on UK farms every year, according to a fresh report from the charity WRAP.
International events
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) cut growth forecasts for the global economy for this year and next as it warned that an escalation of the China-US trade war or a hard Brexit could harm it further.
United States negotiators are expected to travel to China next week as the two nations re-enter discussions for another attempt to end their long-running trade war.
The eurozone manufacturing sector saw its steepest drop in production in July since April 2013, according to data released on Wednesday.
The US Department of Justice is opening an antitrust review into major technology firms such as Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google to control the reach of their power and complaints of unlawful detriment of competitors.
The European Central Bank left interest rates unchanged on Thursday but signalled that a rate cut and more monetary easing were on the cards, pushing the euro to a two-month low against the dollar.
Economic growth in the US slowed in the second quarter, according to preliminary figures released on Friday by the Commerce Department, albeit less than expected.
Acting Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez vowed to avoid a new general election and will work towards a coalition after he failed to gain support from MPs twice this week.