Latest News
Small cap news round-up
Insurance premium finance-focussed finance group Orchard Funding Group announced its unaudited results for the six months to 31 January on Thursday, with the board reporting it lent £31. 1m for the period.
Bank of England could use palm oil in new £20 note
The Bank of England is pondering using palm oil in the production of the new £20 note following criticism from vegans and religious groups after the revamped £5 note was found to contain traces of animal fat.
Broker tips: Morrison, Kingfisher, Ashtead, Admiral
Bank of America Merrill Lynch upgraded Morrison to ‘buy’ from ‘underperform’ and lifted the price target to 275p from 220p.
Sigma Capital advances plans for outside-of-London focused REIT
Sigma Capital Group's equities are up almost 1% on news it is advancing plans for the possible launch and flotation of an independent and outside-of-London focused REIT.
Results round-up: International Public Partnerships, Polypipe Group
International Public Partnerships posted its full-year results for the 12 months to 31 December on Thursday, reporting net asset value growth of 24. 3% to £1. 6bn.
Watchdog fines City banker for sharing client info over WhatsApp
A City banker at US firm Jefferies International was fined by the City watchdog on Thursday for sharing confidential client information over WhatsApp.
US Q4 GDP beats forecasts despite downward revisions to investment
America's economy grew at a slightly faster pace than had been thought at the end of 2016, as estimates of household spending were revised higher but were offset by a much slower pace of business investment.
Mayan raises £0.6m, starts work at Shoats Creek
Oil and gas company Mayan Energy announced on Thursday that it raised £0. 6m before expenses with institutional and private investors through a company arranged subscription of 12 billion new ordinary shares of no par value each at a price of 0. 005p each.
Sula Iron & Gold emphasises focus on gold, believes more to be found at Ferensola
Shares in Sula Iron & Gold are up more than 5% after it emphasised its focus on exploration for the yellow metal, proposed a name change and commented that it believed there was a lot more gold to be found at the Ferensola Project.
RBC Capital upgrades Admiral to 'sector perform'
RBC Capital Markets upped its stance on insurer Admiral to ‘sector perform’ from ‘underperform’ and bumped the price target up to 1,925p from 1,650p.
Steady inflation in Brazil in March paves way for rate cuts
The broadest gauge of price pressures for South America's largest economy continued to retreat in March and analysts believed a host of factors would continue to push costs lower, paving the way for a large cut to the country's benchmark policy rate.
Genel Energy widens FY loss, announces minimum $50m bond buy-back
Genel Energy's shares are ahead more than 8% after it posted a slightly wider full-year pre-tax loss, and announced a minimum $50m bond buy-back.
Lending up 32pc at Orchard Funding Group
Insurance premium finance-focussed finance group Orchard Funding Group announced its unaudited results for the six months to 31 January on Thursday, with the board reporting it lent £31. 1m for the period.
Initial US weekly unemployment claims drop 3,000 to 258,000
A key measure of the US jobs market improved slightly during the latest reference week, but still overshot economists' forecasts.
Banks should identify fraudulent contactless payments, says FCA
The Financial Conduct Authority has said the onus should be removed from customers to identify fraudulent payments on contactless cards when they have been reported stolen or lost.
German March CPI falls more than expected
Consumer prices in the euro area's largest economy registered a larger than expected and broad-based decline.
Europe midday: Stocks flat as investors mull Brexit; oil shares gain
European equity markets were largely unchanged on Thursday as investors mulled upcoming Brexit negotiations, although there were gains in the oil sector following positive news from Italian oil explorer Saipem.
London midday: Stocks slip into the red as pound steadies
London stocks slipped into the red by midday as investors continued to assess the implications of Britain triggering divorce proceedings with the European Union.
Sharp drop in March Saxony CPI as food, package holiday prices fall
Consumer prices in the German state of Saxony saw a big drop in March as the impact of the cold-weather snap in Southern Europe on food prices blew over and last year's rise in oil prices fell out of the calculations.
Liberum initiates Ashtead at 'buy'
Liberum initiated coverage of equipment rental company Ashtead at ‘buy’ with a 1,940p price target, saying the upside potential from increased rental penetration in the US market is yet to be fully reflected in the share price.