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US close: Dow down as Donald slump follows scattergun speech
US stocks dipped lower on Thursday as investors struggled with a slew of speeches by Federal Reserve officials, a scattergun speech by Donald Trump and disappointing jobs data.
Europe close: Automobile, Pharma shares walloped
European stocks finished lower, with Automobile firms walloped by US regulators´ accusation that Fiat cheated in tests on its vehicles' emissions.
Le Pen sighted at Trump Tower ahead of French elections
French National Front party leader Marine Le Pen was spotted at Trump Tower less than four months before France’s presidential election, Bloomberg reported on Thursday.
Sector movers: Miners rise on Chinese lending data, US dollar weakness
Mining stocks were again in favour on Thursday as metals´ prices continued to gain in overnight trading on the heels of stronger than expected lending data for Asia´s largest economy and positive newsflow on specific commodities.
London close: Stocks flat as miners rally, pharmaceuticals slump
The FTSE 100 finished flat as investors weighed a rally in mining shares against a slump in pharmaceuticals.
Small cap round up
Online fashion retailer ASOS reported big jump in total retail sales for the four months to the end of December, with a strong performance over the Christmas period. Total retail sales rose to £605. 7m from £444. 3m the year before, while total group revenue was up 36% to £621. 3m.
Deutsche Boerse and LSE to meet German watchdogs over merger
Deutsche Boerse and London Stock Exchange (LSE) are planning to meet German policy makers next week to discuss the two exchanges planned merger, Reuters reported.
Director dealings: There was a wise lady called Limerick
The wife of Roxi Petroleum director Edmund Limerick splashed out and gained from an uptick.
Premier Oil reaches agreement with lenders
Premier Oil announced that its lenders have agreed the terms of refinancing its $2. 8bn (£32. 28bn) debt, with approval scheduled for early February.
Edenville Energy begins trial mining at Rukwa Project
Tanzania integrated coal to power project developer Edenville Energy announced on Thursday that it has started trial mining at the Rukwa Coal Project near Sumbawanga in the west of the country.
Fiat Chrysler Auto plunges after EPA emissions accusation
Shares in Fiat Chrysler Automobiles skidded to a halt on Thursday after the US Environmental regulator warned the carmaker could be further penalised for using emissions-cheating software in more than 100,000 diesel vehicles.
Whitbread sells and leases two London Premier Inn sites
Costa Coffee and Premier Inn owner Whitbread has sold two sites in London hotels, which were then leased backed, in order to reinvest the funds in opportunities for growth.
George Soros reportedly lost $1bn following Trump victory
Billionaire investor George Soros is reported to have lost as much as $1bn after Donald Trump's victory over Hillary Clinton in last November's US presidential election.
Diurnal appoints Richard Bungay as CFO
Specialty pharmaceutical company Diurnal Group announced the appointment of Richard Bungay as chief financial officer, effective 16 January.
City of London gives on full 'passporting' post-Brexit, eyes new finance pact
The City of London has given up hopes of retaining full 'passporting' access to customers in the European Union post-Brexit as it instead focuses on a possible trade pact for financial services.
Sterling headed lower in 2017, PIMCO says
Sterling was headed lower in 2017, analysts at PIMCO predicted.
John Menzies continues to trade in line
John Menzies posted a trading update for the year to 31 December on Thursday, reporting that since the previous update on 23 November, trading across the group continued to meet the board's expectations.
Smith & Nephew confirms CFO departure, shares hit by read-across
Smith & Nephew confirmed that chief financial officer Julie Brown left the company earlier in the week, with shares in the company were hit by read across by US rivals and wider healthcare falls.
FTSE 250 movers: Savills rallies on update; Spire, AO World slump
London’s FTSE 250 was down 0. 5% to 18,311. 14 in afternoon trade, with retailers in focus.
Broker tips: Direct Line, Sainsbury's, builders merchants
Direct Line Insurance Group’s shares declined on Thursday after Macquarie Research downgraded the stock to ‘underperform’ from ‘neutral’ and cut the target price to 345p from 295p.