Market Report
Hays Q2 net fees jump 13% on strong international performance
FTSE 250 recruiter Hays posted a jump in second-quarter net fees on Thursday on the back of growth in its international businesses.
Marks & Spencer's disappointing food sales sour Christmas trading
Marks & Spencer reported disappointing sales over the festive period, with UK like-for-like sales down 1. 4%.
Tesco reports strong Christmas, M&S sales fall
London open The FTSE 100 was being called 13 points higher by City traders on Thursday, having closed the previous session at 7,748. 51.
Weir says effective tax rate to be around 25% after US reforms, effect on group broadly neutral
FTSE 250 engineer Weir said on Thursday that US tax reforms, which cut the corporate tax rate to 21% from 35%, are likely to give rise to an initial one-off non-cash tax credit in 2017 resulting from the revaluation of the group's aggregate US deferred tax assets and deferred tax liabilities.
Thursday newspaper round-up: BHS, Carillion, Deloitte
The former BHS owner Dominic Chappell has told a court that workers were seen shredding bin bags of documents prior to his purchase of Sir Philip Green’s doomed high street chain in 2015. Chappell, 51, said the staff tipped the bags into an “industrial-sized” shredder, which was located in a lorry or a van in the car park of the Arcadia-run BHS offices in London. – Guardian.
London pre-open: Stocks seen muted with retailers in focus again as M&S, Tesco update
London stocks were set for a muted open on Thursday following uninspiring sessions in the US and Asia, amid reports that China is thinking of halting its buying of US treasuries.
Commodities: Traders eyeing multiple risks in 2018, including from US policy
Commodities were little changed on Wednesday despite the generally risk-off tone in other markets on the back of a report that China might be mulling reducing or stopping its purchases of US government debt.
Bonds: Bill Gross called end to US Treasury 'bull' market
These were the movements in some of the most widely-followed 10-year sovereign bond yields: US: 2. 55% (-0bp)UK: 1. 29% (+0bp)Germany: 0. 54% (+8bp)France: 0. 81% (-1bp) Italy: 2. 04% (+0bp)Spain: 1. 55% (+4bp)Portugal: 1. 84% (-2bp) Greece: 3. 71% (+2bp)Japan: 0,09% (+2bp) .