Weekly review
The FTSE 100 ended the week up 22.52 points at 7,701.31.
Equity view
Pharma-to-consumer products group Reckitt Benckiser said first-half pretax profit rose 9.5% as it lifted its full year revenue target on the back of strong instant formula sales.
Equiniti Group, the provider of corporate governance and shareholder administration services, published a its strongest reporting period yet for the first half of 2018, with double-digit revenue and underlying EBITDA growth, ahead of expectations.
Rightmove posted a jump in first-half revenue and profit on Friday as it lifted its interim dividend and said it was confident of delivering on its full-year expectations.
BT Group updated the market on its trading for the first quarter to 30 June on Friday, reporting a 2% decline in underlying revenue as regulated price reductions in Openreach and declines in its enterprise businesses offset growth in the consumer business.
Catering company Compass Group reported a jump in third-quarter revenue on Thursday as it said it continues to trade "well" and backed its full-year expectations.
British American Tobacco reported a fall in pro forma revenue for the first half of the year due to currency swings and a fall in cigarette and tobacco heating product volumes, though underlying earnings remained solid and on track for the full year.
Schroders reported a rise in first-half pre-tax profit on Thursday as assets under administration and net inflows edged higher and the asset manager lifted its interim dividend by 3%.
Royal Dutch Shell launched a $25bn (£19bn) share buyback as the oil producer posted a 30% increase in second-quarter profit that fell short of expectations.
Antofagasta said second quarter copper production rose 6.1% to 163,200 tonnes compared with the previous three months and expected it to increase throughout the year as grades improve.
Speciality chemical company Croda posted a small rise in reported half-year profit on Wednesday as sales dipped on the back of a stronger pound.
Metro Bank said on Wednesday that it has raised gross proceeds of around £303m in a share placing to support its growth and replace liquidity used for its acquisition of a UK mortgage book in March.
ITV unveiled a plan to focus on production and sell more to consumers as the Love Island broadcaster announced a reduction in first-half earnings caused by the cost of the FIFA World Cup.
Fizzy drinks maker Britvic said it was held back from fully capitalising on the hot weather in the third quarter due to the UK shortage of carbon dioxide.
AstraZeneca has agreed to sell the commercial rights to Atacand - candesartan cilexetil - and Atacand Plus - a fixed-dose combination of candesartan cilexetil and hydrochlorothiazide - in Europe to Cheplapharm Arzneimittel, it announced on Tuesday.
Hammerson posted its half-year report on Tuesday, reporting stability in valuations as well as earnings per share at 15.1p, and also announced a reshaped strategy to “elevate and accelerate” performance.
Drax Group posted its half-year results to 30 June on Tuesday, reporting that while its full-year expectations remained unchanged, its first half was impacted by two unplanned outages.
BHP Billiton said it would defend a class action brought by investors over the Samarco dam disaster of 2015 that killed 19 people and devastated communities.
FDM Group posted a 12% increase in first-half profit as the company invested in expanding its more profitable "Mountie" IT consultancy operation.
Convenience retailer McColl's was under the cosh on Monday as it posted a drop in first-half like-for-like sales following the demise of cigarette wholesaler Palmer & Harvey, said full-year adjusted earnings would be in line with the previous year and announced the resignation of chief financial officer Simon Fuller.
Budget airline Ryanair posted a 20% drop in first-quarter pre-tax profit on Monday as higher costs and strikes took their toll.
Economic news
Supermarkets would be unable to stockpile fresh food including vegetables, fruit, meat and dairy in the case of a no-deal Brexit, a former Waitrose managing director said on Thursday.
The European Union plans to grant UK Prime Minister Theresa May a "final" chance to sell her Brexit plan directly to the bloc's leaders in September.
Mortgage approvals fell in June amid a stagnant housing market though remortgage figures rose as borrowers sought out new deals ahead of a potential interest rate increase.
Growth in UK retail sales eased in July while the outlook was weaker, according to the latest survey from the Confederation of British Industry.
UK employers, industry groups and community groups will be given a “toolkit” by the government to give EU citizens living in Britain practical advice on how to apply for a settled status that will be legally required post-Brexit.
Asking rents in London have increased more than anywhere else in the UK, with the monthly rate hitting £2,000 in the second quarter of 2018 as a lack of new property available in parts of the city led to the time to find renters speeding up.
The government will be given more powers to block overseas takeovers that could pose a threat to national security across all sectors of the British economy.
UK manufacturing output picked up the pace in recent months but investment intentions have deteriorated, the CBI found in its latest industrial trends survey released on Tuesday.
Amazon’s UK boss Doug Gurr warned Brexit secretary Dominic Raab in a meeting with senior business executives on Friday that Britain could face "civil unrest" within two weeks of a no-deal Brexit, the Times reported on Monday.
Newly-appointed Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has said the European Union risks forcing the UK out without a deal – and warned that the country will not "blink" in negotiations.
International events
US President Donald Trump and European Commission counterpart Jean-Claude Juncker agreed to work towards “zero tariffs” in new deal struck on Wednesday in the White House.
The European Central Bank stood pat on interest rates on Thursday, as expected, and confirmed plans to end its bond-buying programme in December.
The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits rose more than expected last week, according to data from the Labor Department.
US President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened Turkey with sanctions if it did not release an American pastor being held on espionage charges.
German business confidence deteriorated a little in July, according to a widely-followed survey released on Wednesday, most likely due to worries about a trade war.
Sales of new US single-family homes fell to an eight-month low in June, according to figures released by the Commerce Department on Wednesday.
China has announced a fiscal boost intended to inject life back into the slowing economy and counteract jitters created by heated rhetoric on trade relations with the US.
Activity in the US manufacturing sector picked up a little in July, according to data released on Tuesday.
Economists at UBS no longer see the US central bank hiking interest rates in the fourth quarter 2018, anticipating instead that the drag on growth from tariffs will stay the Federal Reserve's hand.
US president Donald Trump warned Iran late on Sunday night via twitter not to threaten the US ever again or it would suffer severe consequences.