Market Report
Europe close: Stocks finish off one-week highs
European stocks ended the session higher despite another stronger than expected reading on US inflation, in the former of the latest producer price data.
Director dealings: Entertainment One CEO disposes of nearly £4m worth of shares
Entertainment One chief executive Darren Throop cashed in more than 1. 35m ordinary shares in the firm on Thursday, collecting just shy of £4m for his efforts.
London close: Stocks shrug off another strong US inflation print
London equities on Thursday, underpinned by strength in the mining sector and an impressive showing from stocks with exposure to South Africa, as investors appeared to shrug off yet another higher than expected print on US inflation.
Earthport sees revenues grow as payments network expands
Cross-border payments network Earthport issued an unaudited trading update for the six months ended 31 December on Thursday, reporting 8% growth in revenues over the prior year to £15. 4m.
Per-user revenues fall at The People's Operator
Cause-based mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) The People's Operator updated the market on its trading and operations for the 12 months ended 31 December on Thursday, confirming that revenues for the 2017 financial year would be about £3. 55m, in line with management forecasts.
Venn Life Sciences trades in line as it looks to future strategy
Integrated drug development company Venn Life Sciences issued a trading and strategy update on Thursday, with the board describing 2017 as “another solid year”.
Jefferies reiterates 'buy' on Indivior's strong guidance
Jefferies, RBC Capital Markets and Numis reiterated their positive recommendations on Indivior as the opioid addiction drug maker's shares slipped on the back of final results on Thursday.
Friday preview: Silver lining for UK retail sales, Segro results due
Data from the Office for National Statistics is unlikely to lift the dark clouds over UK retail but a better month is expected and could prove a thin ray of sunshine.
Anisa acquisition sees Sanderson make solid start
Investors in digital retail technology and enterprise software specialist Sanderson Group were told of the company’s performance since its expansion through the acquisition of the Anisa Group at its annual general meeting on Thursday.
Melrose appends another chapter to long-winded war of words with GKN
As if investors weren’t tired of it already, the board of Melrose felt it necessary on Thursday afternoon to respond to a document issued by GKN earlier in the day, in which the latter defended its decision to pursue a new strategy in a bid to return £2. 5bn to shareholders over the next five years.
US open: Wall Street wobbles as more inflation data digested
US stocks opened higher on Thursday but were unsteady on their feed, meaning a fifth day of gains was not assured as investors eyed higher-than-expected inflation print from a day earlier and mixed jobs and producer prices data.
Indivior increases profits, legal provisions, 2018 guidance
Indivior, the opioid addiction drug specialist, increased its financial provisions over potential US litigation by $210m as it reported 3% revenue growth for last year and guided to further growth in 2018.
JPMorgan Cazenove upgrades Bodycote after pullback
Bodycote, which provides heat treatment services and specialist thermal processes, was boosted on Thursday as JPMorgan Cazenove upped the stock to 'overweight' from 'neutral' and bumped up the price target to 960p from 850p.
US homebuilder sentiment remains strong in February - NAHB
Sentiment among US homebuilders remained strong in February, according to data released on Thursday.
Market buzz: Bitcoin approaching $10K, US econ data 'unspectacular'
1500: Despite the recent more than havling in its price, Bitcoin is still out there (somewhere . probably), with prices edging back towards the $10,000 mark. "Volatility and bitcoin go together hand-in-hand, so expect plenty more highs and lows over the coming weeks and months," writes Dennis de Jong at UFX. Despite Berkshire Hathaway's Charles Munger dubing it "noxious poison", de Jong believes that won't stop investors from plunging their money in. As an aside, CBoE's VIX down 4.
South African assets lifted as Ramaphosa replaces Zuma
Cyril Ramaphosa was voted in as President of South Africa, senior members of the African National Congress party confirmed on Thursday, lifting the rand and companies exposed to the currency.
FTSE 100 movers: SA-exposed stocks rally; Standard Life slides
London's FTSE 100 was up 0. 2% to 7,228. 87 in afternoon trade on Thursday, helped along by a solid performance from miners, while companies with exposure to South Africa did well as investors welcomed Jacob Zuma's resignation.
US final demand PPI "solid" in January, economists say
Factory gate prices in the US rose more quickly than expected last month, driven by steep gains in energy costs, but economists said the underlying details were "solid" too.
CapCo confirms talks with Mayor's Office of West London building
Capital & Counties is in talks with the office of the Mayor of London over the ongoing use of the Empress State Building in West London by the Metropolitan Police.
Jobless claims rise as expected
The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits rose as expected last week, according to data released by the Labor Department.