Market Pulse - Europe
May survives tough day as rebels seek support to knife PM in ballot
UK Prime Minister Theresa May moved on Friday to bolster her precarious position after ministerial resignations over Brexit and the continuing threat of a no confidence vote.
Europe close: More dovish ECB helps offset political uncertainty
Stocks on the Continent finished slightly lower amid jitters that a possible no-confidence vote against the British Prime Minister might crystallise over the weekend with sentiment further dampened by poor quarterly results from US tech giant Nvidia overnight.
London close: Investors cautious ahead of possible leadership challenge
London stocks finished the week lower, as did Sterling, as investors hedged their bets ahead of a weekend that might see Tory rebels push for a confidence vote against the Prime Minister.
Canaccord cuts target price on 'optimistic' Premier
Analysts at Canaccord Genuity lowered their target price on British oil and gas outfit Premier Oil on Friday, noting the firm's current projections may be "a little optimistic" given the recent oil price weakness.
UK banks lose two-thirds of branches in past 30 years - Which?
UK banks have shed two-thirds of their branch network in the past 30 years, instead ploughing millions into the Post Office to serve people’s basic banking needs, a new study from Which? has revealed.
ECB's Draghi confident, but argues for patience and persistence
Outgoing European Central Bank President, Mario Draghi, sounded a confident note on the outlook for the euro area economy, describing a recent slowdown as a 'soft patch', but said policymakers needed to be "patient and persistent" in providing monetary stimulus.
RBS cleared from FSB list of global systemically important banks
RBS has dropped out of the Financial Stability Board's list of global systemically important banks, which should translate into lower funding costs for the lender.
Europe midday: Stocks dip amid Brexit uncertainty, despite 'dovish' Draghi
Investors are exercising caution going into the weekend, given the risk that a no-confidence vote against the British Prime Minister might materialise and with sentiment further dampened by poor quarterly results from US tech giant Nvidia overnight.