Full List Of Stories
GKN calls Melrose out over 'misleading' offer statement, Melrose bites back
The tit-for-tat exchanges between Melrose Industries and GKN continued on Thursday, as Melrose responded to comments from its bid target, which said earlier in the day that the company's offer statement was "misleading", after the engineer rejected a hostile, sweetened bid of £7. 4bn a day earlier.
FTSE 100 movers: Hargreaves shines on Barclays note; AB Foods drop on update
London's FTSE 100 was down 0. 5% to 7,690. 03 in afternoon trade on Thursday, succumbing to a bout of profit-taking and led lower by a stronger pound.
ZPG raises £200m through issue of senior notes
ZPG, the owner of uSwitch and Zoopla, has raised £200m through the issue of senior notes due 2023 at 3. 750%.
JPMorgan downgrades Rightmove, starts Purplebricks at 'overweight'
Rightmove was under the cosh on Thursday as JPMorgan Cazenove cut the stock to 'underweight' from 'neutral' and trimmed the target price to 4,168p from 4,183p, pointing to limited scope for earnings upside.
Jobless claims drop to lowest level since 1973
The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits dropped more than expected last week, according to figures from the Labor Department.
Imperial Brands sees little impact from US tax changes
Imperial Brands said on Thursday that it does not expect changes to the US tax system to materially impact its adjusted effective tax rate as it already benefits from "substantial" US tax amortisation of goodwill and intangibles, which contributes to a relatively low adjusted effective tax rate.
US pre-open: Stocks seen flat as Morgan Stanley, BNY Mellon report
US futures pointed to a muted open on Wall Street on Thursday as investors digested more bank earnings, with Morgan Stanley and Bank of New York Mellon both reporting.
Chemring full-year revenue up 15%; SFO opens criminal investigation
Chemring posted a rise in full-year revenues on Thursday as the Serious Fraud Office announced that it has launched an investigation into the defence group and one of its subsidiaries.
London midday: Stocks fall further as pound rallies, traders book profits
London stocks had extended losses by midday on Thursday, dragged lower by a stronger pound and a bout of profit taking as investors sifted through a torrent of trading updates.
Halfords third-quarter revenue rises, hails record Christmas and Black Friday sales
Halfords reported a rise in third-quarter sales on Thursday and solid trading over the Christmas period.
Finsbury Food H1 sales rise thanks to diversification strategy
AIM-listed cake manufacturer Finsbury Food said on Thursday that it performed in line with management expectations in the six months to 30 December thanks to its diversification strategy.
CVS posts jump in H1 sales on strong Animed performance
Integrated veterinary services provider CVS posted a rise in first-half sales on Thursday thanks to strong growth at its online pharmacy and retail business, Animed Direct.
Capita extends £70m customer contract with Marks & Spencer
Capita said on Thursday that Marks & Spencer has extended its longstanding customer contact partnership with the outsourcer by a further five years.
Babcock wins 'significant' Italian firefighting contract
Engineering services company Babcock International has been awarded a "significant" national contract by the Italian Ministry of Interior for a fully outsourced aerial firefighting service.
EU Supply wins contract with Norwegian airport operator
AIM-listed e-procurement software provider EU Supply has won a contract with Avinor, the Norwegian state-owned airport operator.
Countrywide craters as it warns over full-year income
Property services group Countrywide warned on Thursday that 2017 income will be down on the previous year following a disappointing performance from its sales and lettings business.
London open: Stocks slip as investors sift through trading updates
London stocks slipped in early trade on Thursday as positive cues from Wall Street were offset by profit taking and shares going ex-dividend day amid a torrent of trading updates.
Thursday newspaper round-up: Carillion collapse, Bitcoin, Barclays, RBS
Taxpayers will be forced to hand over nearly £200bn to contractors under private finance deals for at least 25 years, according to a report by Whitehall’s spending watchdog. In the wake of the collapse of public service provider Carillion, the National Audit Office found little evidence that government investment in more than 700 existing public-private projects has delivered financial benefits. – Guardian.
London pre-open: Stocks to tick higher after Wall Street rally
London stocks were set to tick just a touch higher at the open on Thursday following a positive finish on Wall Street thanks to a solid performance from technology giant Apple.