Weekly review
The FTSE 100 ended the week up 44.17 points at 7,661.87.
Equity view
Antofagasta confirmed on Friday that its subsidiary Mineral Centinela was selling Centinela Transmisión - the company which holds its electricity transmission lines.
Flexible office space provider Workspace said on Friday that it saw good customer demand in the first quarter and that it is actively exploring acquisition opportunities.
Halfords Group announced the appointment of Loraine Woodhouse as its chief financial officer on Friday, which would take effect from 1 November.
DCC said first quarter group operating profit was “well ahead” year-on-year, driven by completed acquisitions.
Dunelm reported flat like-for-like revenues and a large pile of unsold clearance stock in the fourth quarter, meaning the homewares retailer expects full year underlying profit to fall almost 7%.
Investors in London-focussed residential property developer Telford Homes were told that the company was continuing to perform “well” on Thursday, as they gathered for its annual general meeting.
Caledonia Mining Corporation announced quarterly gold production from the Blanket Mine in Zimbabwe for the period ended 30 June on Thursday, with approximately 12,657 ounces of gold produced during the quarter - 2% below production in the first quarter, and 1% above production in the second quarter of 2017.
Rio Tinto has agreed to sell its stake in the Grasberg copper mine to Indonesia’s state mining company PT Inalum for $3.5bn.
NewRiver REIT on Wednesday said it had bought the Hollywood Retail & Leisure Park, Barrow-in-Furness, for £15.3m.
Burberry got off to good start in the first quarter as it announced a move to a new model of "frequent and sometimes unexpected drops" of new limited-edition products or collaborations with celebrities or other designers.
Financial technology company NEX on Wednesday said group revenue for the first quarter to 30 June 2018 increased by 7% on a constant currency basis and 3% on a reported basis benefiting from divisional performance and foreign exchange hedges.
Paddy Power Betfair confirmed on Wednesday that the previously-announced combination of its US business with FanDuel, initially announced on 23 May, completed on 10 July.
Softcat said on Tuesday that it expects 2018 adjusted operating profit to be "materially ahead" of its previous expectations thanks to favourable market conditions.
Tesco's UK and Ireland chief executive Charles Wilson is stepping down as he recovers from throat cancer, the company said on Tuesday.
Interdealer broker TP ICAP on Tuesday fired chief executive John Phizackerley as it said it would need to cut synergy targets in the face of rising costs.
Infrastructure services provider Kier Group has secured three-year extensions on its Highways England contracts for Areas 3 and 9, with a total value of around £250m per annum, it confirmed on Tuesday.
Workspace Group said it had exchanged contracts for the disposal of three properties, Belgravia Workshops, N19, The Ivories, N1, and Spectrum House, NW5, for a total of £51.85m.
Cairn Energy updated the market on its ongoing arbitration with the Government of India under the UK-India Bilateral Investment Treaty on Monday, reporting that all written submissions by the two parties had now been made, with the final arbitration hearings set down for two weeks from 20 August in The Hague.
Centamin announced preliminary production results for the second quarter ended 30 June from its Sukari Gold Mine in Egypt on Monday, reporting that gold production for the period was 92,803 ounces, a 25% reduction year-on-year.
Stobart Group revealed that chairman Iain Ferguson received just enough votes at Friday's shareholder meeting to remain in his position.
Economic news
US President Donald Trump started the second day of his tour to the UK amid the usual controversy after he attacked Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit plans, suggesting they would sink any future free trade deal with the US.
UK mortgage lending picked up in May, figures from the industry on Thursday showed, while the Bank of England reported slightly higher credit availability for residential mortgages in the second quarter.
Britain's economy is set to continue recovering after the unexpected slowdown seen at the start of the year, according to one of the country's leading think-thanks.
Services output in the United Kingdom increased by 0. 4% for the three months to May, with a surge in activity in the wholesale, retail and motor trade sector accounting for the bulk of the pick-up.
Britain's economy accelerated in May, driven by a surge in construction output, after flat-lining in April, leaving the MPC on track to hike Bank Rate come August, according to some economists.
Consumer spending grew 5. 1% year-on-year in June, according to Barclaycard's newest monthly report on Britain's spending habits.
The UK government should ditch its plans to build more nuclear plants and invest in cleaner, cheaper and safer renewable energy, the National Infrastructure Commission advised on Tuesday.
UK industrial production made a negative contribution to national growth in May but manufacturing activity made a subdued recovery, official figures showed on Tuesday.
UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson resigned on Monday following the departure of Brexit Secretary David Davis in protest at Prime Minister Theresa May's plans for a final deal with Brussels.
Britain's declining pub numbers are set to slow this year with possible growth picking up within the next few years, new industry data indicates.
International events
Consumer sentiment in the US deteriorated in July amid trade war concerns, according to a preliminary reading from the University of Michigan.
Consumer price inflation in the US edged higher last month on the back of dearer cars and trucks and medical care services, although economists believed that for the moment price pressures might have peaked.
The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits fell more than expected last week, according to data released by the Labor Department on Thursday.
US President Donald Trump claimed on Thursday he had forced other countries in the NATO alliance to increase their spending by $33bn, according to media reports.
Emerging market investing legend Mark Mobius is raising new funds in anticipation of buying opportunities on the horizon.
Global stock markets have been sent crashing as Washington prepares to launch a new $200bn worth of tariffs on Chinese goods, including fruit and vegetables, handbags, refrigerators and clothing.
Price pressures in Asia's largest economy picked-up last month, but that was unlikely to last, analysts said.
The US small business optimism index on Tuesday posted the sixth highest reading in its history, at 107.2 in June, down 0.6 from May but well above its 45-year average of 98.
German economic sentiment deteriorated more than expected in July as political uncertainty and worries about a trade war took their toll, according to the latest survey from the ZEW Center for European Economic Research in Mannheim.