Market Report
Europe close: Stocks run higher on strong Chinese data, Basel III bank rules
Stocks finished higher, led by a big push in bank stocks following news of a compromise on global financial sector regulation and on the heels of positive Chinese export data for November.
London close: Weak pound, Chinese trade data boost Footsie
London stocks jumped at the end of the week, helped by weakness in the pound and as investors digested better than expected Chinese trade data.
Banks jump on more favourable Basel III 'output floor' rule
Global financial regulators have agreed on the final element of the new capital rules under the Basel III regulatory framework which are less stringent than feared, delivering a boost to lenders' shares on both side of the Atlantic.
FTSE 250 movers: Construction data boosts builders, Investec slips on Steinhoff risk
London's mid-cap index finished the week on an high note with housebuilders leading the rally but Investec on the slide amid worries about its exposure to South Africa's embattled retail giant Steinhoff International.
FTSE 100 movers: Berkeley leads builder rally, banks boosted by Basel 'reprieve'
London's benchmark index was on the front foot as the week ended, led by gains from housebuilders and banks amid a drop in the pound despite early news of a Brexit breakthrough.
US open: Coal, Metals stocks jump on Chinese data
Wall Street is climbing going into the weekend with commodity stocks pacing gains on the back of strong Chinese trade data for the month of November, even as the latest jobs report revealed wage growth fell short of forecasts once again last month.
GlobalData buy MEED as Ascential completes 'heritage brand' sales
Events organiser Ascential has sold off its last 'heritage' publishing brand in a $17. 5m cash deal to GlobalData, the London-listed company formerly known as Progressive Digital Media.
Enteq Upstream signs on new international customer
Oilfield services technology and equipment supplier Enteq Upstream announced a contract from a new, unnamed international customer on Friday.
Vela agrees to invest £0.2m in cryptocurrency mining firm BlockchainK2
Technology investing company Vela has entered into a conditional agreement to invest £0. 2m to acquire a minority equity stake in BlockchainK2, it announced on Friday.
Touchstone Exploration planning £3m private placement
Touchstone Exploration intends to complete a private placement directed towards UK-based institutional investors, it announced on Friday.
US consumer confidence slips as Democrats fret about tax cuts, U.Michigan says
US consumer confidence cooled a tad at the start of December as some Americans reportedly fretted about the impact that the proposed tax cuts might have on economic prospects, according to the results of a widely-followed survey.
Berkeley increases profit guidance after bumper six months
Berkeley Group built more houses than expected in the first half of the year, generated piles of extra cash and upped its profits guidance for the coming few years.
Economists surprised by strong China trade data for November
China's foreign trade was surprisingly strong in November according to economists, amid export growth at two-year highs and import demand that slowed by much less than had been expected.
ANGLE confirms recent positive Parsortix tests
Liquid biopsy company ANGLE announced on Friday that the University of Southern California’s Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center has presented results of extensive work with its ‘Parsortix’ system at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, detailing how the system could be used to obtain comparable gene expression information from a simple blood test in place of an invasive solid tissue biopsy of a metastatic site.
Bluejay Mining completes maiden 2017 field work programme at Disko
Greenland and Finland-focussed Bluejay Mining has completed its maiden 2017 field work programme at the 100%-owned Disko nickel, copper, cobalt and platinum project in West Greenland, it announced on Friday.
Tiziana upbeat on latest Milciclib analysis
Clinical stage biotechnology company Tiziana Life Sciences announced on Friday that the independent data monitor committee (IDMC) has completed interim analysis of the safety and pharmacokinetic data from the first six patients in the Phase 2a trial of ‘Milciclib’.
Goldman Sachs upgrades Hammerson over 'significant' potential from Intu merger
Hammerson shares offer 25% upside after the acquisition of shopping mall rival Intu, said Goldman Sachs, seeing a deal that will "significantly enhance" the company's power in a polarising market and generate "significant" efficiencies.
US jobs growth beats forecasts in November, but wages fall short
The US jobs market continued generating jobs at a solid pace last month as accelerated hiring in mining and manufacturing offset a slowdown on the services side of the economy.
Abbey books solid profit increase in first half
Abbey reported a profit before tax of €23. 42m for the six months to 31 October in its interim statement on Friday, rising from €21. 76m from the same time last year.
Asia report: Markets finish week on a high
Markets in Asia finished higher on Friday, after a solid finish from Wall Street overnight, with investors eagerly awaiting tax reform progress out of the US and digesting trade data from Japan.