Market Pulse
Bonds: Gilts underperform as investors take positions at start of 2018
These were the movements in some of the most widely-followed 10-year sovereign bond yields: US: 2. 46% (+5bp)UK: 1. 29% (+10bp)Germany: 0. 47% (+4bp)France: 0. 82% (+4bp)Spain: 1. 61% (+5bp)Italy: 2. 10% (+8bp)Portugal: 2. 01% (+7bp)Greece: 4. 11% (-1bp)Japan: 0. 05% (Bank holiday) .
US close: S&P 500 sets new record as oil and tech stocks gain
Wall Street got off on the front foot as trading floors opened for 2018 with stock indices led higher by oil and tech as the dollar and Treasuries suffered a new year hangover.
Day of the Mifid: warning for financial firms as new regulation begins
Mifid II, a new regulatory regime governing the European financial sector, will come into effect on Wednesday 3 January 2018 with new rules that are expected be "somewhat negative" for brokers, most investment banks and asset managers, analysts have warned.
FTSE 250 movers: Greene King rises in the face of JP Morgan downgrade
Shares of Evraz topped the leaderboard on the second-tier index following data showing a re-acceleration in Chinese factory sector activity.
BBA, Biffa and Stock Spirits among JPM Cazenove's top mid-cap picks
UK businesses that are resilient to a domestic slowdown and have significant exposure to growing overseas markets are the foundation for JP Morgan Cazenove's top small and mid-cap share picks for 2018, including BBA Aviation, Clarkson and Hollywood Bowl.
Director dealings: Morgan Advanced Materials boss gives shares to spouse
Morgan Advanced Materials's boss gave his spouse the shares, net of taxes, resulting from the vesting of the second and final tranche of stock in the company following his appointment as chief executive officer of the engineer.
US open: Stocks start New Year on strong note
Wall Street looks headed to start the year firmly on the front foot, amid sizeable gains on all the main indices and against the backdrop of a weaker US dollar and heavy losses in Treasuries.
Asia close: Stocks storm out of the gates
Asian stocks stormed out of the gates at the start of the New Year, despite the release of mixed readings on factory sector activity in China and on the heels of a possible overture to deescalate tensions on the Korean peninsula from the North's leader, Kim Jong Un.
Barclays begins coverage of GVC Holdings with positive rating
GVC Holdings' takeover of Ladbrokes Coral should bring greater scale and geographic diversity as well as boosting earnings and cash growth, said analysts at Barclays as they initiated coverage on the online gaming group on Tuesday.
China factory PMIs for December paint mixed picture
Purchasing managers' surveys for China's factory sector painted a mixed picture for activity in the Asian giant's factory sector last month.
Wednesday preview: Next's festive trading update to set the retail tone
Wednesday will see a post-Christmas update from Next as the first trickle of news from the retail sector before the floodgate opens in coming weeks.
Seoul proposes talks with North Korea on 9 January
South Korea responded positively to the North's decision to open the door to talks, with an invitation to hold face-to-face meetings on 9 January and for North Korean athletes to participate in next month's Winter Olympics.
US manufacturing PMI hits highest level since March 2015 - IHS Markit
Growth in the US manufacturing sector accelerated in December, according to figures released on Tuesday.
Deutsche Bank upgrades ASOS to 'buy'
Deutsche Bank upgraded online fashion retailer ASOS to ‘buy’ from ‘hold’ and hiked the price target to 7,400p from 5,800p.
JP Morgan hikes target price for WizzAir on improved growth prospects
Analysts at JP Morgan hiked their target price for WizzAir sharply higher, from 3,625p to 4,100p, driven by the airline's recent investments in expanding capacity, including through the acquisition of 146 Airbus jets and after clinching Monarch's slots at Luton.
FTSE 100 movers: IAG flies higher but Reckitt Benckiser takes a hit
London’s FTSE 100 was down 0. 6% to 7,645. 13 in afternoon trade on Tuesday, kicking off the new year on a downbeat note after ending 2017 at a record high, with broker notes providing much of the action.
Surface Transforms appoints Michael Cunningham as new FD
AIM-listed Surface Transforms has appointed Michael Cunningham as its new non-board finance director, with immediate effect.
US pre-open: Stocks to start the year higher as dollar stumbles
Stocks on Wall Street looked set to kick off the new year in the black, with futures pointing to a higher open as the dollar fell back.
Tehran regime cracks down on protests, oil prices little moved
Clashes between protestors and police across Iran have moved into a sixth day on Tuesday, with more than 450 arrests in Tehran over the past three days, with financial markets eyeing the impact on global oil prices.
London midday: Stocks drop as pound gains versus dollar, miners retreat
London stocks were in the red at midday on Tuesday following a steady start, as weakness in the mining sector, a worse-than-expected reading on UK manufacturing and a stronger pound weighed on the top-flight index.