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Thursday broker round-up
Wetherspoon: Canaccord upgrades to Hold with a target price of 1000p.
Kerry Group tells investors of first quarter growth
Taste and nutrition, and consumer foods company Kerry Group issued an interim management statement for its first quarter to 31 March on Thursday, as investors gathered for the firm’s annual general meeting.
UK new car sales reverse with potential bumps in the road ahead
New car sales shifted sharply into reverse gear in April, but experts wondered if this was more than just a rebound after the record previous month when drivers rushed to buy before the imposition of the new vehicle excise duty.
Asia report: Markets finish lower as metal prices tumble
Markets in Asia finished mostly lower on Thursday, as metal prices took a dive and after the US Federal Reserve stuck to its guns overnight, remaining hawkish on the state of the American economy.
Amazon commits to e-book competition rules in EU settlement
Ecommerce giant Amazon has agreed to commitments with the European Commission relating to how it releases e-books.
Consumer credit growth slows to eight-month low - BoE
Consumer credit growth continues to slow but the flow of borrowing rebounded slightly more than expected, the Bank of England said on Thursday as it continues keenly keep an eye on a potential red flag for the economy.
US pre-open: Stocks seen higher after Fed announcement
US futures pointed to a positive on Wall Street on Thursday as investors digested the latest policy announcement and statement from the Federal Reserve.
IMI says current trading in line with consensus expectations
Specialist engineering company IMI said current trading was consistent with market consensus expectations for the year after first quarter revenues rose 18%, reflecting favourable currency tailwinds.
More crime and political instability a good thing for Falanx Group
Cyber defence and intelligence provider Falanx Group updated the market on its current trading on Thursday, reporting that full year trading for the 2017 financial year was in line with management's expectations.
Facebook user growth and ad income lead to earnings beat
Social network company Facebook Inc easily surpassed expectations in the first quarter of 2017, helped by another surge in mobile ads and a growing user base.
Imagination Tech begins dispute resolution with Apple, plans disposals
Multimedia, processor and communications technology company Imagination Technologies Group published a trading update for the year to 30 April on Thursday, as well as confirming it had commenced a dispute resolution procedure with Apple and announced that it intended to sell its MIPS and Ensigma businesses.
Punch Taverns swings to loss in first half
Pub group Punch Taverns swung to a loss in the first half of the year on the back of write-down charges.
Purplebricks on track for FY expectations, CFO stepping down
Online estate agent Purplebricks said on Thursday that it is on course to meet its full-year expectations as it announced that chief financial officer Neil Cartwright is stepping down due to ill health.
Eurozone retail sales rise more than expected in March
Retail sales in the eurozone rose more than expected in March, according to figures released by Eurostat.
ConvaTec disappoints as sales hit by forex
Medical products specialist ConvaTec started the year well, it said, with sales flattened by foreign exchange rates but expanding at the organic level thanks to its wound-care.
VTB Capital eyes return to dividends at Evraz, reiterates 'Buy'
Analysts at VTB Capital reiterated a 'Buy' recommendation on shares of Evraz following the sale of its Nakhodka Trade Sea Port subsidiary which, they said, may give the steel-maker the financial power to pay dividends.
Lancashire Holdings profit up but premiums down
FTSE 250 insurer Lancashire Holdings reported an increase in first-quarter profit but a drop in premiums on Thursday amid "difficult" market conditions.
French presidential election TV debate - Analysts react
"With Macron already holding a considerable lead in the polls, the TV debate was Le Pen’s best opportunity to close the gap ahead of voting on Sunday. While Le Pen was widely seen as being better suited to the event, it is Macron that is believed to have fared better in the scathing encounter, helping to protect his substantial lead in the process and ease concerns about a late surge by the National Front leader. While we have seen Le Pen risk abate in recent weeks as her lead in the polls slipped and Macron took the first round, the spread between French and German 10-year yields remains at the top end of the range it traded at prior to the election premium being priced in.
UK services sector growth hits four-month high in April
Growth in the UK services sector hit a four-month high in April, according to data released on Thursday.
FOMC decision 4 May - Analysts react
"In terms of the Fed yesterday, as expected there were no real surprises to come from the decision to keep rates unchanged or out of the post meeting FOMC statement but there was just about enough for the market to ramp up the odds for another tightening next month. Indeed Bloomberg’s calculator (which overstates a little) now has the probability of a hike at 90% which compares to 67% this time yesterday. [. ] So all-in-all more of the same. Tomorrow’s Fedspeak could well be more interesting particularly for any snippets around the balance sheet.