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Europe close: ECB chief economist cautious on Brexit too, Telefonica drags on Ibex 35
Shares on the Continent are slightly lower at the closing bell, with 'dovish' remarks from the European Central Bank's chief economist - who cited the uncertainty around the Brexit negotiations - and its vice-president amply making up for a dearth of economic data.
US close: Markets down on hawkish Fedspeak
Hawkish Fedpseak overnight pushed Wall Street off its lofty perch against a backdrop of sharp share price falls for Macy's and Snapchat which appeared to dent sentiment.
Sector movers: Poor results, broker talk send telecoms and general retailers lower
Poor results sent shares in BT and Mondi straight to the bottom of the pile, weighing on fixed line telecoms and Forestry&Paper.
FX round-up: Sterling flips lower on 'Super Thursday' disappointment
Sterling flipped lower against a bunch of key pairs on Bank of England's 'Super Thursday,' when it all but confirmed an interest-rate hike was a distant prospect.
EU Brexit negotiator promises to work with Ireland to avoid hard border
The European Union's chief negotiator for upcoming Brexit negotiations has promised to aid Ireland in an attempt to prevent the return of a hard border, but warned that appropriate customs controls will have to be implemented.
FTSE 250 mover: Vectura leads mid-caps lower, Tritax climbs after fundraising
London's mid-caps were mostly on the back foot on Thursday, down more than 80 points to 19,795. 69, led by drug device maker Vectura.
Hikma and Vectura disappointed by FDA's generic Advair response
After receiving an unfavourable verdict from US drug regulators, Hikma Pharamceuticals and Vectura felt there was a "low likelihood" that their generic version of asthma treatment Advair would be approved this year.
London close: Shares end on mixed note as BoE turns a shade more hawkish
Equities in London struggled to cast off a heavy coat of ex-dividend stocks, with Bank of England's so-called 'Super Thursday' chiming in to erode already mediocre sentiment.
Friday preview: Provident Financial and Interserve report, US inflation eyed
Little of note is scheduled for Friday outside Germany and the US, with a fairly gentle agenda for London's corporate calendar led by Provident Financial and Interserve.
US open: Hawkish Fedspeak, company results weigh on Wall Street
Hawkish Fedpseak overnight pushed Wall Street off its lofty perch against a backdrop of sharp share price falls for Macy's and Snapchat which appeared to dent sentiment.
Commodities: Crude prices continue to rise on surprise US inventories drop
Prices for the crude-oil futures continued their drive higher on Thursday thanks to surprise falls in US-inventories reported this week, although some in the market remain cautious heading to Opec's late May meeting.
Titon Holdings reports record first half
Ventilation systems and window hardware supplier Titon Holdings posted its interim results for the six months to 31 March on Thursday, with net revenue improving 29% to a record £14m.
Results round-up
Aldermore sounded a confident note on its outlook despite the now higher regulatory hurdles it faces in parts of its mortgage business, as it reported a positive start to 2017 thanks to strong new lending to small and medium-sized firms as well as for mortgages.
MYCELX cash flow positive, though revenue drops
Clean water technology company MYCELX Technologies Corporation announced its audited results for the year to 31 December on Thursday, saying its management focus on active cash management and margin retention had resulted in it being operationally cash flow positive by $0. 1m at year end.
FTSE 100 movers: Miners shine but Hikma slumps on Advair news
London's FTSE 100 was down 0. 2% to 7,374. 19 in afternoon trade as investors digested the latest policy announcement and inflation report from the Bank of England.
Ceres Power to develop residential power system
Ceres Power Holdings announced a new solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) system joint development agreement with one of the unnamed global OEMs in its partner portfolio on Thursday.
Aldermore reiterates loan growth targets despite regulatory hurdles
Aldermore sounded a confident note on its outlook despite the now higher regulatory hurdles it faces in parts of its mortgage business, as it reported a positive start to 2017 thanks to strong new lending to small and medium-sized firms as well as for mortgages.
MPC vote - analysts react
"May’s edition of ‘Super Thursday’ was unusually low-key, with the MPC making only minor changes to its forecasts and giving a clear impression that it is likely to remain firmly in ‘wait-and-see’ mode for some time yet. However, the Committee was keen to send a message that, assuming its baseline forecast plays out and Brexit is “smooth”, it believes that markets have become too bearish about the likely path of interest rates towards the end of the forecast horizon.
Broker tips: TalkTalk, Centrica, Aldermore
RBC cut its target price on TalkTalk shares, telling clients the firm's plans to fix its falling subscription and revenue per user numbers will take time.
Snapchat parent tanks after reporting $2.2bn loss
Snap Inc, the recently-listed parent company of messaging app Snapchat, plummeted almost 25% in New York on Wednesday after its first ever quarterly earnings report.