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Laura Ashley sales up, boosted by furniture and home accessories
Laura Ashley reported a rise in full-year profit as sales advanced, with furniture and home accessories driving the growth.
Savills rallies on Citigroup upgrade
Savills got a boost on Wednesday as Citigroup upgraded the stock to ‘buy’ from ‘neutral’ following solid first-half results.
Balfour Beatty posts narrower loss for H1, reinstates dividend
FTSE 250 construction group Balfour Beatty surged on Wednesday after saying it has reinstated its dividend and reporting a smaller loss for the half year ended 1 July.
Europe open: Stocks drift lower as investors await Fed minutes
European stocks drifted a little lower in early trade as investors awaited the release of the latest Federal Open Market Committee minutes.
Numis lifts Balfour Beatty to 'buy' after half year interims
Numis raised its rating on Balfour Beatty to ‘buy’ from ‘add’ and reiterated its target price of 294p on Wednesday after the company reported its half year results.
Admiral hoists dividend but solvency ratio sends 'worrying' signal
Insurer Admiral lifted its interim dividend by almost a quarter as the UK car and home insurance businesses cruised ahead, but profits were short of City forecasts and analysts angsted about a sharp drop in the Solvency II position in the half.
Assets up but profits slide in first half at CLS
Property investment company CLS posted its half year report to 30 June on Wednesday, with EPRA net assets per share up 9. 6% to 2,282p, from 2,083p at the start of the period.
London open: Stocks flat as investors eye jobs data
London stocks were flat in early trade as investors awaited the release of some key jobs data.
Indivior hails slow-release heroin treatment trial data
Indivior's new heroin addiction treatment has proved successful in late-stage clinical trials, the company announced on Wednesday, meaning it could be approved for sale in the US by the end of next year.
Revenue surges as Lookers seeks to shed parts division
Motor retail and aftersales service company Lookers announced its results for the six months to 30 June on Wednesday, with revenue increasing 33% to £2. 34bn, from £1. 75bn at the same time last year.
Cobham CEO to step down, to be replaced by Laird boss
Aerospace and defence group Cobham said chief executive officer Bob Murphy will step down from his role by the end of 2016 to pursue other opportunities and will be succeeded by David Lockwood no later than 1 January 2017.
Wednesday newspaper round-up: Apple, wind farm, tax avoidance
Apple plans to open its first research and development centre in China later this year, the latest in a series of steps to bolster its presence in a vital region as sales slow down. Tim Cook, Apple’s chief executive, revealed the plans to increase investment in local R&D during a meeting this week with Zhang Gaoli, China’s vice premier. – Financial Times.
London pre-open: Stocks seen touch higher ahead of jobs data
London stocks were set to open higher on Wednesday as investors eyed more data releases.