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US pre-open: Stocks set to drop after hawkish Fed
US futures pointed to a weaker open on Wall Street as investors digested a more hawkish than expected tone from the Federal Reserve.
Science in Sport made official nutrition supplier to British Triathlon
Sports nutrition company Science in Sport announced that it was now the official sports nutrition supplier to British Triathlon on Thursday, and would supply British triathletes across both the Olympic and Paralympic National Lottery-funded programmes, including Tom Bishop, Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee, Lucy Hall and Alison Patrick.
APQ Global says capital increase could raise between £20m and £25m
AIM-listed emerging markets growth company APQ Global said on Thursday that it could raise up to £25m if it went ahead with a capital raising to increase the size of the company.
Gemfields generates record sales at Montepuez auction
AIM-listed Gemfields generated record revenues from its auction of rough ruby extracted from the Montepuez ruby deposit in Mozambique.
June 2017 FOMC - Economists react
"As we look forward, there are unanswered issues/questions. The three recent rate hikes have been accompanied by lower bond yields and a significantly flatter yields curve. At what point does the Fed become concerned? The renewed inflation weakness is puzzling —the unemployment rate is at 4. 3%, a 16-year low, well-below the Fed’s estimate of the natural rate of unemployment, but wage increases remain modest even though there is mounting anecdotal evidence of pockets of labor market tightness and skill mismatches.
Heathrow hit by chaos again after baggage systems failure
Many passengers travelling from Heathrow on Thursday were forced to set off with only their hand luggage after the airport suffered a baggage systems failure.
Seeing Machines tech to protect FrechLinc drivers
Vision based human sensing technology development company Seeing Machines announced its first UK multi-year services contract on Thursday with FreshLinc, a large temperature controlled distributor.
Trump reportedly under investigation for obstruction of justice in Russia probe
US President Donald Trump is being investigated by the FBI for a potential obstruction of justice related to the ongoing inquiry into Russian meddling in last year's election, according to media reports in the country.
Sprue Aegis makes 'positive start' to year
Investors in Sprue Aegis were set to hear about the company’s “positive start” to the financial year on Thursday, as the developer and supplier of home safety products held its annual general meeting.
London open: Stocks drop ahead of retail sales, BoE announcement
London stocks fell in early trade as investors digested the overnight rate hike from the Federal Reserve and looked ahead to some key retail sales data and the latest rate announcement from the Bank of England.
Europe open: Traders warily eyeing Brent futures, bond market
European stocks have started on a down note with traders keeping one eye on the slide in crude oil futures towards a key price level and the other on the flattening interest rate curve Stateside in the wake of Wednesday night's US central bank policy decisions.
PZ Cussons washes its face with 'robust' year in face of challenges
Washing and beauty products maker PZ Cussons said its overall performance for the year remained on target, with the UK "robust", profitability improving in Australia despite challenging conditions and Nigeria trading "relatively well" in the face of significant local inflation.
Wizz Air flies lower as Indigo Partners offloads stake
Wizz Air flew lower on Thursday after Phoenix-based Indigo Partners sold its entire 18. 7% stake in the budget carrier through an accelerated bookbuild to institutional investors.
Thursday newspaper round-up: May-DUP talks, Hammond speech, AIM, BAE
Theresa May’s hopes of securing the support of the Democratic Unionist Party for her minority government were faltering last night as the Treasury dug in against the costs of a deal. Some ministers were urging the prime minister to call the Northern Irish party’s bluff as negotiations stalled, while Britain’s most senior civil servant told the prime minister that she had little choice but to gain an agreement. - The Times.
UKCPT adds £20m Grade A Sheffield office to portfolio
UK Commercial Property Trust confirmed on Thursday that it had acquired a single let, Grade A office building in Sheffield, from Ediston Property Investment Company, for £20. 17m, reflecting a net initial yield of 5%.
Drax unveils new dividend policy as it embraces changing energy market
As a statement of confidence in its transformation from a generator of coal power to biomass energy, Drax has announced a new dividend policy that will see it pay out £50m this year grow from there on.
DFS Furniture tanks on profit warning
Shares in DFS Furniture tanked on Thursday as the retailer warned that its full-year earnings will be below market expectations due to a weakened trading environment.
Sky, Virgin Media tying up top end of TV advertising
Sky issued an update to the market on Thursday morning, announcing that both itself and Liberty Global’s Virgin Media were forming a strategic partnership that would enable businesses of varying sizes to benefit further from “advanced television advertising”, across both the Virgin TV and Sky platforms.
NewRiver to raise at least £200m in placing
Convenience-led UK retail and leisure property specialist NewRiver REIT has announced a proposed firm placing and placing and open offer to raise gross proceeds of at least £200m, at between 330p and 340p per share.
WS Atkins FY profit and revenue rise ahead of takeover
Engineer WS Atkins reported a rise in full-year profit and revenue in its last set of results before it gets taken over by Canada's SNC-Lavalin - a deal that was agreed back in April.