Weekly review
The FTSE 100 ended the four-day week up 124.54 points, or 1.7%, at 7,438.50.
Equity view
Less than two weeks into its stewardship of the South West franchise, the FirstGroup-MTR consortium is facing the threat of strike action over the role of guards on its trains.
Digital property and household-related services owner ZPG announced on Friday that it has acquired Ravensworth, the “UK's leading provider” of on-demand print and creative marketing services to estate and letting agents, for an undisclosed sum.
Rio Tinto confirmed the completion of the sale of its wholly-owned subsidiary Coal & Allied Industries Limited to Yancoal Australia on Friday.
Rathbone Brothers has terminated discussions to acquire wealth management rival Smith & Williamson, the FTSE 250 announced overnight.
Anders Kristiansen has stepped down as chief executive officer of fashion retailer New Look after nearly five years in the role.
Interim pre-tax profits at international building materials distributor Grafton rose 18% to £74.1m driven by organic growth across its core businesses.
Luxury retailer Jimmy Choo, which agreed to be bought by Michael Kors back in July, reported a big jump in first-half profit on Thursday.
Redefine International said had completed on the sale of the Sytner BMW showroom in High Wycombe for £26.1m to an unnamed UK pension fund.
Ultra Electronics announced on Thursday that it has expanded its relationship with Jupitor Corporation of Japan to support the introduction of its latest technologies on major Japanese aerospace programmes.
FTSE 250 recruiter Hays posted a rise in full-year profit on Thursday as it announced its first special dividend following a solid performance in Europe and a stabilisation in the UK.
International technical products group Diploma said it had traded well in the second half and was on track to post full year results in line with expectations with the weak pound lifting revenues.
UK and continental Europe-focussed industrial property investor Hansteen Holdings announced the sale of Carvers Trading Estate in Ringwood, north east of Bournemouth on Wednesday for £7.06m, reflecting a net initial yield of 4.93% and a capital value per square foot of £137.
Workspace has exchanged contracts for the disposal of Zennor Road Industrial Estate in Balham, London, for £30m.
Homewares retailer Dunelm Group announced on Wednesday that John Browett will be stepping down as chief executive for personal reasons, with immediate effect.
Half year pre-tax profits at marine service provider James Fisher were flat at £17.6m from £17.4m with the company indicating stronger growth for the second half of the year.
WPP’s wholly-owned operating company, AKQA, the global brand experience studio, has acquired a majority stake in digital agency DIS/PLAY in Denmark for an undisclosed sum.
AstraZeneca announced on Tuesday that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Faslodex (fulvestrant) 500mg as monotherapy for expanded use in women with hormone-receptor positive (HR+), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 negative (HER2-) advanced breast cancer, who have gone through menopause and have not received previous endocrine therapy.
Independent oil and gas company Nostrum Oil & Gas said interim earnings rose to $119.8m from $100.9m.
Residential landlord Grainger has agreed to acquire a 375-home build-to-rent development in Salford, North West England for roughly £80m.
Polymetal International reported a 15% increase in revenue to $683m in its half-year report on Tuesday, which it said was driven by production growth and tighter management of the seasonal gap between production and sales at Dukat, Omolon and Albazino.
Economic news
The price of a litre of unleaded petrol could rise by up to 4p, taking the average price of fuel over 121p per litre for the first time since December 2014, according to the RAC, largely due to Hurricane Harvey.
UK manufacturing activity surprisingly strengthened in August to its second best level in three years as output, new orders and rates of hiring all improved.
Consumer confidence in the UK recovered slightly in August after plumbing a 12-month low in July, however, the mood surrounding prospects for the coming year remained somewhat gloomy according to a survey performed by German market research firm GfK.
Bank of England rate setter Michael Saunders has used a speech in Cardiff to explain the thinking behind his recent votes for higher interest rates.
Guy Verhofstadt, the EU's Brexit negotiator said the UK was drawing out Brexit negotiations, saying the process needed to move to actual, meaningful negotiations as he expected no breakthroughs in negotiations later this week, and that sufficient progress by October would be difficult.
Bank lending figures paint a mixed picture for households and businesses, with a further reduction in consumer credit but a rise in mortgage approvals and business lending.
UK economic confidence worsened this month in stark contrast to the buoyant mood across the Channel where eurozone economic sentiment has hit its highest level since July 2007.
An Oxford Economics research briefing released on Tuesday said that the recent weakness in pound sterling was more than just a "Brexit story".
UK manufacturers have called for urgent clarity from the government over their concerns about an impending recruitment crunch due to an exodus of European Union workers.
Prime Minister Theresa May is under pressure from her own party after the Labour party changed its mind and announced it would be campaigning for the UK to remain within the EU single market.
International events
Donald Trump's chief White House advisor, Gary Cohn denied that Trump's tax plan would benefit the wealthy more than others, saying it could actually see higher earners paying more.
US manufacturers continued their long run of growth in August, the Institute for Supply Management confirmed on Friday.
A private sector survey confirmed earlier data pointing to a pick-up in Chinese manufacturing in August, but some economists remained unconvinced about the staying power of the upturn.
The unemployment rate in the eurozone was steady in July, according to the latest figures from Eurostat.
Personal incomes and spending grew more quickly than expected in America last month, even as price pressures fell short of the mark once again.
German consumer prices in Germany advanced at a quicker pace than expected in August.
America's economy picked-up by more than expected during the second quarter on the back of quicker personal consumption and business investment.
US crude oil stockpiles drew down sharply last week as imports fell off and refineries ramped up production.
Just before 2200 BST on Monday a missile was launched from near the North Korean capital of Pyongyang over Hokkaido, on the northern island of Japan, before falling into the Pacific Ocean about 773 miles of the coast.
France, the euro area's second-largest economy, registered a steady expansion in its gross domestic product in the second quarter, led by contributions from foreign trade and household spending.