Market Report
London close: Shares gain as pound slips on 'dovish' remarks from Carney
London stocks held onto gains made early on Friday, as investors mulled dovish comments from Bank of England Governor Mark Carney from the night before against a more hawkish tone from fellow rate-setter Michael Saunders, amid weakness in Sterling.
Market buzz: Top flight index boosted by pound weakness
1700:Close Britain's top-flight index pushed higher on Friday, boosted by weakness in the pound on the back of 'dovish' remarks overnight from BoE Governor Mark Carney himself.
Europe close: Stocks close higher for fourth week in a row
Stocks finished little changed on Friday even as investors kept a close eye on government bond markets following the spate of sharp selling seen during the previous session, which market commentary linked to expectations for faster rate hikes in the States, especially following recent sharp gains in commodity prices.
Director dealings: Crest Nicholson chairman offloads 250,000 shares in Friday sale
Stephen Stone, executive chairman of housebuilder Crest Nicholson, disposed of 250,000 ordinary shares in the Surrey-based firm on Friday, collecting more than £1. 2m in the process.
Week ahead: All eyes on first quarter GDP
The focus over the coming week will - easily - be on the first reading on UK gross domestic product for the first quarter, at least according (sort of) to the Governor of the Bank of England.
Sector movers: Building materials lead gains
The building materials sector was the top riser on Friday, with auto parts and household goods the laggards.
FTSE 100 movers: CRH climbs on US speculation, Reckitt disappoints
The FTSE 100 extended its gains thanks to a weaker pound on Friday, though the rise was led by CRH on the back of comments from chief executive Albert Manifold about a possible US listing.
Euro area consumers remain in buoyant mood
Consumers in the single currency bloc were in a more buoyant mood in April, contrary to expectations and to recent more downbeat readings readings on other major surveys.
Credit Suisse likes Weir's deal for ESCO, ups price target
Following Weir's acquisition of US mining tools-maker ESCO, and the announcement of its intention to sell-off its Flow Control business, analysts at Credit Suisse approved of the course the deal had set the company on, in terms of revenue and market share expansion.
US open: Stocks head south as Trump attacks OPEC
Wall Street opened on a somewhat sombre note on Friday, with all major indices down as corporate earnings fell short of repairing the damage done by yet another Donald Trump tweet.
Breedon completes acquisition of Lagan Group
Breedon Group confirmed on Friday that it has completed the acquisition of Belfast-based construction materials business Lagan Group.
Wolf Minerals reaches settlement in dispute with GR Engineering Services
Specialty metals producer Wolf Minerals updated the market on its ongoing disputes with GR Engineering Services on Friday, which are associated with the EPC contract for the Hemerdon tungsten and tin project in Devon, south west England.
EU dismisses UK post-Brexit plan for Irish Border
European Union officials are set to reject a solution proposed by the UK to solve the Irish border problem post-Brexit.
Cluff raises £0.75m ahead of 30th offshore licensing round results
Natural resources investing company Cluff Natural Resources announced a subscription of a total of 46,875,000 new ordinary shares on Friday, to raise a total of £0. 75m before expenses.
Leaf Clean Energy considers options after Invenergy court disappointment
Leaf Clean Energy said it was "evaluating our options" after winning just $1 in damages from a Delaware court in a dispute with wind farm developer Invenergy Wind over a previous $126m damages payment claimed by the AIM-listed company.
New Ethopian government gives KEFI the go-ahead to move families
Gold exploration and development company KEFI Minerals announced on Friday that, in connection with its Tulu Kapi gold project in western Ethiopia, the joint committees of the company and the Ethiopian authorities have now triggered the formalisation of the resettlement arrangements for each of the affected individual households in the area.
Wishbone Gold's Honduran processing plant up and running
Precious metals firm Wishbone Gold announced on Friday that its Honduran processing plant is now fully operational after having suffered delays from adverse weather conditions last year.
SDX makes conventional natural gas discovery at Lalla Mimouna
North Africa-focussed oil and gas company SDX Energy announced on Friday that a conventional natural gas discovery has been made at its LNB-1 exploration well on the Lalla Mimouna permit in Morocco, of which it owns 75%.
Distil gets RedLeg Rum another big pub chain listing
Premium drinks brand owner Distil announced on Friday that another leading pub chain with national coverage has listed RedLeg Spiced Rum for its outlets, further increasing the brand's presence and availability throughout the UK.
Sigma acquires another three development sites
Private rented sector residential development and urban regeneration company Sigma announced the acquisition of three private rented sector development sites in the new financial year to date on Friday.