Weekly review

The FTSE 100 has ended down the week down 144.73 points to 6,042.92.

Equity view

Anglo American said late on Thursday that its South African subsidiary, Anglo American Platinum, is in discussions with Sibanye Gold regarding the sale of its Rustenberg operations.

GVC Holdings has trumped rival 888 Holdings in the battle for online gambling group Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment.

AstraZeneca has won an extension to US regulatory approval for its star blood thinning drug Brilinta to allow it to be given to patients for more than one year after a first heart attack.

British Airways and Iberia parent International Consolidated Airlines Group said it carried 12.4% more passengers in August than it did in the same month last year.

The Co-operative Group swung to a first-half pre-tax profit thanks to robust trading in its food and funerals businesses, but warned annual results would be hit by rising pension costs and its Rebuild programme.

Banking giant HSBC will rebrand its British branches as HSBC UK from 2018.

Premier Oil has plugged and abandoned an exploration well in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea.

Mining giant Rio Tinto said on Thursday that it expects demand for iron ore and steel to continue growing despite a slowdown in China.

Shares in EasyJet surged after the budget airline lifted its full-year profit guidance as it said record passenger numbers in August offset higher costs.

Low cost airline Wizz Air continued seeing strong passenger numbers in August, with growth of 19% to reach 1.99m.

The European Commission has given unconditional merger clearance to Royal Dutch Shell for its £47bn recommended cash and share offer for BG Group.

International Consolidated Airlines Group announced on Wednesday that its offer for Aer Lingus is closed and the British Airways and Iberia owner now controls 98.05% of the Irish carrier.

Irish carrier Ryanair said traffic grew 10% year-on-year to 10.4m customers, while the load factor, which measures how many seats were actually taken up on each flight, rose 2% to 95%.

Tesco has reportedly chosen private equity firm MBK Partners as preferred bidder for its South Korean unit, Homeplus.

Online clothing retailer ASOS announced that after 15 years in the role, Nick Robertson, the company’s founder, will stand down as chief executive officer, although he will stay on as a non-executive director.

Shares in Man Group slumped following a press report that the chairman of the hedge fund manager’s China unit, Li Yifei, has been taken into custody by Chinese authorities to assist with a police probe into market volatility.

Economic news

British new car registrations surged in August, as buyers were buoyed by new financing deals, an industry body said on Friday.

Almost a million homeowners cannot afford to pay their mortgages as they have chosen interest-only loans, research has found.

UK retail sales in August were the weakest since the financial crisis, with a BDO survey showing a massive 4.3% drop compared to the same month last year.

The UK service sector grew at its weakest pace in over two years, data released on Thursday showed.

On average, real house prices in the UK continue to be far below their pre-crisis peaks, but some indicators are pointing to an acceleration, favouring those homebuilders which are continuing to seek further volume growth, a leading team of research analysts claimed.

UK construction activity growth rose less than expected in August, a survey from Markit and the Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply revealed.

Britain is the G20's single-largest investor into India, according to a Confederation of British Industry (CBI) report published on Wednesday.

The number of UK workers on zero-hour contracts soared over the last 12 months, figures released on Wednesday showed.

Growth in the British manufacturing sector slowed down in August, figures released on Tuesday showed.

British mortgage approvals edged higher in July, reaching their highest level since February, figures released on Tuesday showed.

International events

The US non-farm payrolls report will be the main event on Friday as investors look for clues on the timing of the first interest rate increase in nine years.

Most of China’s utility, infrastructure and non-property companies can withstand a 10% depreciation of the yuan, according to a study conducted by ratings agency Moody’s.

Germany’s construction growth expanded at the lowest pace in seven months, data released on Friday showed.

Retail sales in the Eurozone rose again in August, although the pace of increase slowed down from the previous month, figures released on Friday showed.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that flow of migrants into Europe was endless and that tens of millions more could arrive if the European Union did not protect its borders.

Germany’s factory orders fell at the fastest rate for six months in July, figures released on Friday showed.

The Institute for Supply Management said its US services index slipped less-than-expected in August.

European Central Bank President Mario Draghi on Thursday said further quantitative easing was not discussed at the latest policy meeting as estimates for economic growth and inflation were lowered.

The number of unemployment benefits claimants in the US rose last week, figures released on Thursday showed.

The US trade deficit declined slightly less than expected in July, figures released on Thursday showed.

Retail sales in the Eurozone returned to growth in July but missed estimates, figures released on Thursday showed.

US factory orders climbed 0.4% in July to mark the second consecutive month of growth, official data showed on Wednesday.

US construction spending hit its highest level since May 2008 in July, figures released on Tuesday showed.

Unemployment in the Eurozone fell to its lowest level since February 2012 in July, according to figures released on Tuesday by Destatis.

The 'official' Chinese manufacturing sector purchasing managers' index fell to a three-year low in August, at 49.7, in line with market expectations, following a print of 50 in the month before.