Latest News
BT and Ofcom agree legal separation of Openreach, 'bullet dodged' analysts say
Under pressure from the telecoms watchdog and rival firms, BT Group has agreed to legally separate its Openreach infrastructure arm this year, but will still retain legal ownership of the assets and keep the unit within the wider group.
AirBnB raises $1bn in funding amid reports of IPO preparations
Home-sharing startup AirBnB has closed its latest round of funding, taking in a cool $1bn from investors as speculation grows as to whether the company will seek to go public in the near future.
EFG Hermes subsidiary acquires majority stake in Invest & Finance Securities
EFG Hermes subsidiary EFG Hermes Frontier Holding LLC has completed the acquisition of 51% of Invest & Finance Securities Ltd (IFSL) at a price of PKR15 a share.
Verhofstadt wants Britons to keep rights post Brexit
UK citizens should be allowed to keep the benefits of EU membership, chief European Parliament Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt said on Friday.
C&C Drinks profit impacted by fall in sterling
Premium drinks company C&C Group issued a pre-close trading update for the 12 months to 28 February on Friday, ahead of its preliminary results for FY17, to be announced on 17 May.
Friday broker round-up
AutoTrader: Credit Suisse downgrades to Underperform with a target price of 360p.
UK high street retail sales slip, BDO tracker finds
Adding to the grim news for the retail sector and gloomy implications for the economy, a new survey found UK high streets endured their worst February since 2009 as consumers begin to feel the squeeze amid rising inflation.
Flowtech Fluidpower raises £10m in accelerated bookbuild
Flowtech Fluidpower has successfully raised £10m at 120p a share in its now-closed accelerated bookbuild.
Asia report: Most markets higher as Park leaves office in disgrace
Markets in Asia were mostly higher on Friday, as uncertainty grew in South Korea after a court there upheld parliament’s vote to impeach President Park Geun-hye.
Alba Mineral Resources shares fall on Angus Energy 'unauthorised' drilling claims
Shares in Alba Mineral Resources are down more than 7% in relation to claims of unauthorised drilling at the Brockham X4Z well, which operator Angus Energy has denied.
Labour accuses May of getting her NICs in a twist
The government was accused of a “partial u-turn” over its controversial Budget plan to raise taxes on the self-employed after Prime Minister Theresa May said it would not be presented to parliament until the autumn.
UK inflation expectations rise in February, BoE survey shows
Inflation expectations in the UK rose in February, according to a survey conducted on behalf of the Bank of England.
Sound Energy drills TE-8 to final casing point
Africa and Europe-focussed upstream gas company Sound Energy announced on Friday that the third Tendrara well, TE-8, had now been drilled to the third and final casing point at a measured depth of 2,603 metres.
7digital to raise £3m to invest in music platform
Digital music and radio services platform 7digital plans to raise about £3m to invest in its core platform through an open offer and a £750,000 bookbuild.
South Korea president forced from office after court upholds impeachment
Park Geun-hye, the president of South Korea, has been officially removed from the office after a constitutional court upheld the right of the country's parliament to impeach her following a corruption scandal which has dogged the highest echelons of the country's institutions.
French industrial output misses forecasts in January
France´s industrial sector failed to deliver the goods in January amid sharp drops in factory and mining production levels, but economists were sanguine.
Private & Commercial continues to 'mobilise' bank
Investors in specialist bank Private & Commercial Finance Group were gathering for the company’s annual general meeting in London on Friday morning, with chief executive Scott Maybury set to confirm trading in the first five months of the year was in line with management expectations.
Brexit seen weighing on German trade surplus
Germany's trade surplus continued to grow in January as both exports and imports clocked in with strong gains, but economists said lower demand from the UK would cut into it over the coming months and quarters.
Europe open: Stocks rise on follow-through buying after ECB
European stocks started the morning on the up amid follow-through buying on the coattails of the more confident note on the economic outlook which the European Central Bank's Governing Council struck the day before.
Bill Gross urges investors not to be fooled by market mirage post-US election
Billionaire investor Bill Gross has warned that the US economy is walking a fine line after a market boom since the election of Donald Trump, and urged fellow investors not to get carried away with the market "mirage" taking place in the country.