Europe close: Stocks slip as central banks hold rates
European shares closed lower on Thursday as hawkish signals from the US Federal Reserve offset optimism over the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran.
Friday preview: UK retail sales, borrowing figures in focus
There are no FTSE 350 corporate releases due on Friday, but investors will turn their attention to the latest UK borrowing and retail sales figures for May.
London midday: FTSE extends losses as oil dips; BoE stands pat as expected
London stocks had extended losses by midday on Thursday as investors digested a hawkish outlook from the Federal Reserve, and as the Bank of England stood pat on interest rates as expected.
London close: FTSE 100 drops 1% on central bank hawkishness
News of a signed peace deal between the US and Iran wasn’t enough to lift UK stocks on Thursday, with the FTSE 100 falling over 1% after central bank meetings highlighted the risks of rising inflationary pressures.
Broker tips: Anglo American, Rathbones
Berenberg downgraded Anglo American on Thursday to ‘hold’ from ‘buy’ as it took a look at metals and mining stocks, saying it was taking a "breather" following a strong share price performance.
FTSE 100 movers: Informa rallies on update; Persimmon goes ex-div
London’s FTSE 100 was down 1. 2% at 10,385. 75 in afternoon trade on Thursday.
Kroger disappoints with mixed Q1 profits
Kroger's stock fell sharply on Thursday after the American supermarket and multi-department store chain reported a mixed batch of fiscal first-quarter results.
Director dealings: Social Housing chair invests, Costain CFO associate sells share
Among the director dealings disclosed to the market in London on Monday involved Social Housing REIT, whose chair Jonathan Short and a person closely associated with Benedict Green bought shares in the company, while Costain reported a share sale by a person closely associated with finance chief Helen Willis.
Edenred confirms approach from investment funds, shares surge
Edenred surged on Thursday after the French payment service provider confirmed it has been "approached in an exploratory way by investment funds".
US open: Stocks rebound, oil drops on US-Iran peace deal
US stocks rose on Thursday, staging a partial rebound after heavy falls the previous session, following the signing of an initial peace deal between Washington and Tehran, causing oil prices to drop.
US initial jobless claims fall in line with expectations
US initial jobless claims fell more or less in line with expectations last week, according to figures released on Thursday by the Labor Department.
Accenture shares drop on Q4 guidance, $4bn cyber spending spree
Shares in Accenture were falling sharply in pre-market trade on Thursday after the consultancy firm disappointed with current-quarter guidance and went on a spending spree of over $4bn to beef up its cyber operations.
Advanced Medical Solutions gets extension to deadline for H.B. Fuller bid
Advanced Medical Solutions said on Thursday that the deadline for US adhesives maker H. B. Fuller to make a takeover offer has been extended as the two are still in talks.
HSBC slapped with A$35m fine over Australia scam protection failures
HSBC has been fined AUD $35m after admitting it failed to protect Australian customers from being scammed out of their life savings.
RBC Capital cuts Rathbones price target after regulatory update
RBC Capital Markets cut its price target on Rathbones on Thursday to 1,950p from 2,400p following the company’s surprise regulatory update earlier in the week, which it said will likely complicate and lengthen the group's turnaround story.
UK unemployment rate ticks lower
The UK unemployment rate unexpectedly eased in April, official data showed on Thursday.
Bank of England leaves rates on hold at 3.75%
The Bank of England left interest rates on hold on Thursday, as widely predicted.
Time Out signs market franchise deal for Brazil
Time Out Group announced on Thursday that it has signed a master franchise agreement with Giunina LLC to bring Time Out Market to Brazil, marking the hospitality and media group’s first market in South America.
US pre-open: Partial rebound expected as oil prices slide
US stock markets were expected to partially rebound on Thursday after sinking sharply the previous session on the back of a hawkish outlook from the Federal Reserve, with a falling oil price helping to repair sentiment.