Full List Of Stories
FTSE 100 movers: Flutter boosted by upgrade; IHG hit by downgrade
London’s FTSE 100 was up 0. 4% at 7,781. 51 in afternoon trade on Wednesday.
Branson’s Virgin Group to axe around 8% of jobs at London HQ - report
Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group is reportedly axing dozens of jobs at its London base as part of an integration of two of his companies.
BP, Adnoc suspend talks on bid for stake in Israel's NewMed
NewMed Energy said on Wednesday that BP and UAE state-owned oil company Adnoc have suspended discussions about a potential joint bid for 50% of the Israeli gas company.
Berenberg ups Harbour Energy to 'buy'
Berenberg upgraded Harbour Energy on Wednesday to ‘buy’ from ‘hold’ and lifted the price target to 360p from 280p as it said that cash flow supports higher returns.
London midday: Stocks steady as UK economy returns to growth
London stocks had given up small opening gains by midday on Wednesday, having surged a day earlier, as data showed the UK economy returned to growth in January.
Direct Line rejects second takeover approach from Ageas, shares tumble
Direct Line tumbled on Wednesday after saying it had received and rejected a second takeover approach from Belgian rival Ageas as it continues to undervalue the group.
Shell to cut 20% of jobs in deals team - report
Shell will reportedly cut at least 20% of jobs in its deals team as the company continues to restructure its business units in an effort to reduce costs.
RBC Capital starts Marlowe at ‘outperform’
RBC Capital Markets initiated coverage of Marlowe on Wednesday with an ‘outperform’ rating and 630p price target.
JPMorgan upgrades Flutter Entertainment to 'overweight'
JPMorgan Cazenove lifted its stance on Flutter Entertainment on Wednesday to ‘overweight’ from ‘neutral’ and hiked the price target to 21,300p from 16,300p.
Balfour Beatty rallies as it lifts dividend, announces £100m buyback
Infrastructure group Balfour Beatty surged on Wednesday despite posting a drop in full-year profit, as it lifted its dividend, announced a £100m share buyback and struck an optimistic note on the outlook.
London open: FTSE nudges up as investors mull GDP data
London stocks edged up in early trade on Wednesday as data showed the UK economy returned to growth in January.
UK economy returns to growth in January
The UK economy returned to growth in the first month of 2024, according to figures released on Wednesday by the Office for National Statistics.
London pre-open: Stocks seen up as economy returns to growth
London stocks were set to rise at the open on Wednesday as data showed the UK economy returned to growth in January.
Wednesday newspaper round-up: Post Office, Workplace AI, Barclays
Ministers will publish legislation to quash the convictions of hundreds of post office operators who were prosecuted during the Horizon scandal, marking a significant victory for victims after decades of campaigning. The legislation on Wednesday will automatically overturn convictions of theft, fraud and false accounting that were handed down in connection with Post Office business during that period. It will cover prosecutions brought by the Post Office and the Crown Prosecution Service in England and Wales between 1996 and 2018.