Fidelity Top Stories
Apollo Global Management may announce RPC takeover - report
The acquisition of RPC Group by American private equity outfit, Apollo Global Management, could be announced as soon as Tuesday.
China offers six-year plan to cut trade surplus with US to zero, Bloomberg reports
China has offered to embark on a six-year $1. 0trn buying spree of US goods in a bid to reconfigure the trade relationship between the two economic giants and reduce its trade surplus with America to zero by 2024, Bloomberg reported.
Washington may be open to lifting some tariffs on China, Journal says
Washington might be prepared to make concessions of its own should Beijing decide to 'play ball' in upcoming trade talks.
DUP could support soft Brexit to avoid Irish backstop
The Democratic Unionist Party could support a soft Brexit that would have the whole of the UK aligned with the EU’s customs union in a bid to avoid the Irish backstop, according to a newspaper report on Friday.
UK would vote remain by 12% margin - YouGov poll
Britain would vote to stay in the European Union by a 12% margin in a second referendum, revealed a new poll by YouGov taken on 16 January.
UK retail sales fall 0.2% in fourth quarter - ONS
UK retail sales weakened much more than expected at the end of last year, official figures revealed on Friday.
RBS seeks permission for share buy-backs from government
RBS will ask shareholders for approval to deploy some of its excess capital for the repurchase of shares from the Treasury off-market.
US open: Investors shrug-off positive data, Morgan Stanley dives
US stocks are hugging the flat-line on Thursday, amid fresh concerns about Sino-US relations and fresh allegations of improper conduct against President Donald Trump from one of his one time lawyers, Michael Cohen, offset by surprisingly positive economic data.
Morgan Stanley revenues hammered by volatility in bond markets
Morgan Stanley saw its profits sink at the tail-end of 2018 as volatility in bond markets hammered revenues at the group's bond trading unit.
'No changes to Irish backstop', Barnier warns UK
EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier warned the UK on Wednesday there would be no changes to the Irish backstop in the withdrawal agreement.
UK inflation eases off to near 2yr low
UK inflation eased off at the end of last year, as expected, due to a fall in fuel prices and airfares.
Analyst reaction splits sharply after Brexit vote
Financial markets may remain cautious about British assets after the comprehensive defeat for the government's Brexit plan in the House of Commons on Tuesday, some analysts said, though others saw a decisive shift had created opportunities for gains.
Brexit: UK business groups react with anger to vote result
UK business leaders reacted with anger to Tuesday's heavy defeat of Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit withdrawal agreement.
Newmont Mining to buy Goldcorp in $10bn deal
Newmont Mining has agreed to buy Goldcorp in a $10bn that would create the world's leading gold business.
OECD growth indicators point to slowdown in EU and US
Leading economic indicators are continuing to indicate slowing growth in North America and Europe, the OECD said on Monday.
China's trade surplus surges in December amid weak imports
Both exports and imports from Asia's largest economy slowed much more rapidly than anticipated at the end of 2018, amid softer growth around the world and as the tariffs imposed by Washington took an increasing toll.
Greece's Alexis Tsipras calls for confidence vote
Greece's Prime Minister will call a confidence vote in his own government after losing the support of a minority partner, the Independent Greeks, led by up until now by the country's Defence Minister, Panos Kammenos.
Tory rebel Grieve calls for Brexit pause if vote defeated
A key Conservative Party rebel has said Brexit should be delayed if Prime Minister Theresa May's withdrawal deal is defeated in parliament on Tuesday.
BofA-ML sees Brent at $70 in 2019, but says global recession could result in $35
There are risks, but analysts at Bank of America-Merrill Lynch on Friday reiterated their forecast for an average price of Brent crude oil in 2019 of $70 a barrel, pointing to a combination of potentially supportive factors, including a weaker US dollar, and the then current 'bearish' investor set-up.
Europe midday: Investors mull recession risks in Germany and Italy
Stocks on the Continent are trading slightly lower, with gains for the single currency acting as a drag even as analysts mull the risk of technical recessions in Germany and Italy at the end of 2018.