Weekly review

The FTSE 100 finished the week 89.39 points higher to 7,203.94.

Equity view

The executive chairman of popular fast-food mobile app Just Eat was to take a leave of absence in order to undergo medical treatment.

Actuator manufacturer and flow control company Rotork reported a rise in order intake and revenue for the first quarter as it reiterated its expectations for the full year.

The government has cut its stake in Lloyds Banking Group to under 1%.

Old Mutual issued a slew of announcements on Friday, including confirmation that it had agreed to sell its 26% stake in Kotak Mahindra Old Mutual Life Insurance to its joint venture partner Kotak Mahindra Bank.

Fund manager Schroders reported a 5% jump in assets under management and administration for the first quarter.

FTSE 250 aerospace and defence group Cobham said on Thursday that first-quarter trading was in line with the board's expectations, following a string of profit warnings.

Vodafone and its Belgium-based partner Proximus announced on Thursday that they had agreed to renew their strategic partnership for Belgium and Luxembourg for a further five years, building on a “successful long-term relationship” that began in 2003.

Howden Joinery said first half profits would be hit by currency movements and extra operating costs as it reported a 3. 9% rise in UK revenues for the 16 weeks to April 15.

Building materials group CRH said on Wednesday that it had had a "satisfactory" start to the year, with a 4% increase in first-quarter sales as European growth offset a flat US performance.

Antofagasta reasserted its guidance for 2017 as it posted a 9.4% jump in first-quarter copper production.

Asset manager Jupiter Fund Management reported a rise in first-quarter inflows and assets under management as its diversification strategy bore fruit.

High-performance ingredients and technology speciality chemicals company Croda International updated the market on its trading during the first quarter to 31 March on Wednesday, reporting that the improving sales trend seen in the fourth quarter of 2016 hax continued.

Wealth manager St James's Place said first quarter gross inflows rose 32% to £3.23bn with net inflows up to £1.99bn from £1.36bn.

Tullow Oil has received acceptances for around 95.3% of the new shares offered in its $750m rights issue, which was announced back on 17 March.

Retail bank Virgin Money released a trading statement on its first quarter on Tuesday, claiming continued “strong progress” as gross mortgage lending reached £2bn for a market share of 3. 4%.

Speciality chemicals group Elementis said it was on track to grow full year operating profit across its three segments after a positive first quarter of 2017.

Independent IT infrastructure services provider Computacenter posted a trading update for the first quarter to 31 March on Monday - earlier than the date previously advised due to its performance in the first quarter and an improved outlook for the full year.

Third quarter production at Petra Diamonds was flat year on year at 999,768 carats compared with 995,905 carats.

Jimmy Choo said on Monday that it is conducting a review of various strategic options to "maximise value for its shareholders", including the sale of the company.

Support services and construction group Interserve has won a £36. 5m contract to design and build a new secondary school in Caldicot, South Wales.

Economic news

UK house prices have fallen for the second month in a row, with annual growth slowing to a near four-year low.

The UK economy slowed significantly in the first quarter of 2017 as consumers tightened their belts amid rising inflation, according to preliminary figures from the Office for National Statistics.

Retail sales grew at the fastest pace since September 2015 in the year to April, according to the Confederation of British Industry's latest monthly Distributive Trades Survey.

British consumer confidence weakened over the last month even as business confidence strengthened, as both sides eyed rising inflation but softening economic growth.

Offices at English football clubs Newcastle United and West Ham United have been raided by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs, with the northern club’s managing director being arrested as part of the investigation according to reports.

Barclays CEO Jes Staley has said many international banks will begin the process of moving operations away from Britain "reasonably" soon due to concerns about Brexit.

The UK government must agree to a deal to prevent large-scale customs fraud being routed from China via Britain as part of any Brexit trade deal, according to newspaper reports.

The UK budget deficit met the Chancellor's much reduced target but public sector borrowing rose more than expected in March and is forecast to rise in the coming year.

UK manufacturers enjoyed strong domestic and export demand in the first quarter but see a slowdown ahead, according to an industrial trends survey.

Stocks in London ended their Monday firmly ahead as investors took cheer from centrist and pro-EU candidate Emmanuel Macron winning the first round of France's presidential election.

International events

France's economy slowed a tad at the start of the year as household spending took a breather and amid a big drag from foreign trade.

US President Donald Trump has warned that the country is prepared for a "major conflict" with North Korea as tensions between the two states rise another notch over the latter’s nuclear and missile programs.

Spanish consumer prices rose past forecasts in April, pushed higher by tourism prices as a result of the Easter holidays and a higher cost of electricity versus a year ago.

Germans were in more buoyant spirits in April amid significant increases in income expectations and for the economy with further improvement expected, the results of a widely-followed survey showed.

The Bank of Japan was likely to refrain from announcing any changes to the settings for its main policy levers on Thursday at its next meeting given the risk that inflation would remain far from its target, analysts at Bank of America-Merrill Lynch said.

US crude oil inventories fell sharply last week despite rising imports as product stockpiles continued to build.

Business confidence in France was steady in April amid improved conditions in the factory sector, offset by a slip in service sector confidence.

US home sales increased last month at their fastest clip since 2007.

Equity futures were pointing to a sharply higher open for French stocks after centrist Emanuelle Macron was revealed to have won the first round of voting in the country's presidential elections at the weekend.

German business confidence improved more than expected in April, according to a widely-followed survey.