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Eurozone retail sales miss expectations
Retail sales in the 19 countries that share the euro were stable in April from March compared with expectations of a 0. 3% increase, according to the latest figures from Eurostat.
RBC lifts IG Group target price after trading update
IG Group had its target price lifted to 815p from 800p and its ‘sector perform’ rating reiterated by RBC Capital Markets on Friday after the spread-betting operator reported its fourth quarter trading update.
Begbies Traynor buys Pugh Auction Group for £2m
Property services group Begbies Traynor said it had bought Pugh Auction Group for £2m in cash.
UK services growth picks up in May, but still subdued
UK services growth picked up in May but remained subdued, according to figures released on Friday.
Shire completes combination with Baxalta
Irish pharmaceuticals company Shire said on Friday that it has completed its $32bn takeover of US-based Baxalta.
Markit's Eurozone composite PMI touch better than expected
Markit’s final Eurozone composite output index came in at 53. 1 in May, up from the flash estimate of 52. 9 and April’s reading of 53. 0.
London open: Stocks rise as Brent reaches $50 per barrel
London stocks rose on Friday as oil prices jumped and traders looked ahead to the US non-farm payrolls report.
Bundesbank cuts GDP and CPI forecasts
The Bundesbank downgraded its forecasts for German inflation and growth on Friday, but said the economy’s underlying cyclical trend is fairly robust, driven by buoyant domestic demand.
Europe open: Stocks edge higher ahead of payrolls
European stocks edged higher on Friday, taking their cue from positive sessions in the US and Asia as investors looked to the release of the latest non-farm payrolls report.
Vectura reports success on first phase VR942 study
Airways-related diseases treatment company Vectura Group announced on Friday that it has successfully completed its Phase I clinical study evaluating its inhaled biologic immunomodulatory product VR942.
Investec downgrades HSBC, recommends taking profits in June
Investec downgraded HSBC to ‘hold’ from ‘buy’, pointing to just under 1% residual upside to its unchanged 450p price target.
AstraZeneca completes Zurampic deal with Ironwood
Drugmaker AstraZeneca continued its charge of licensing its Zurampic (lesinurad) drug on Friday, with the company announcing it has completed its licensing agreement with Ironwood Pharmaceuticals for the exclusive United States rights to the drug.
London pre-open: Stocks seen up on positive US and Asia leads; payrolls eyed
London stocks were seen opening higher on Friday, taking their cue from positive sessions in the US and Asia as investors looked to the release of the all-important non-farm payrolls.
BP agrees to pay investors $175m over Gulf spill
BP has settled a lawsuit arising from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill by agreeing to pay investors who bought American Depository Shares $175m.
ICAP signs $65m deal with China interbank market platform
Markets operator and provider of post-trade risk mitigation and information services ICAP announced on Friday that China Foreign Exchange Trade System has chosen it to deliver the underlying technology for fixed income and foreign exchange electronic execution services in mainland China.
ICAP wins deal in China; Savills takes stake in hybrid estate agency
London’s FTSE 100 was seen starting 30 points higher than Thursday’s close at 6,215.
Friday newspaper round-up: Facebook, sharing economy, BHS
Media companies publishing to Facebook are reaching 42 per cent fewer people with each story since January, a new report claims, putting pressure on the social network to explain how it has changed its algorithm. Stories posted to Facebook reached an average of 68,000 users in May, down from about 117,000 in January, according to SocialFlow, a platform used by publishers to post half a million stories to Facebook and other social media sites each month. – Financial Times.
Savills takes stake of hybrid estate agency YOPA
International real estate advisory firm Savills announced a fresh investment on Friday, confirming that is proprietary investment subsidiary Grosvenor Hill Ventures has taken a minority stake in YOPA Property, by participating in its £16m equity fundraising.