Market Pulse
Tesco's new chairman snaps up shares and bonds
Tesco’s new chairman John Allan bought 51,978 shares in the supermarket giant on Tuesday.
ABN Amro could IPO by end of 2015
ABN Amro, the Dutch bank whose 2007 acquisition by Royal Bank of Scotland was a final catalyst of the global banking crisis, could seal its stock market comeback by the end of 2015.
Europe close: Markets firmly in the red amid pre-FOMC jitters
European stocks declined on Tuesday, as investors erred on the side of caution ahead of Wednesday’s rate announcement by the Federal Reserve, while a raft of mixed economic reports from the US did little to lift the mood.
Altona Energy's Arckaringa talks taking time
AIM tiddler Altona Energy disappointed investors as talks over a potential joint venture with Chinese partners over the Arckaringa coal project in South Australia had not progressed as fast as hoped.
London close: Stocks drop as third quarter UK GDP slows more than forecast
London stocks finished on the back foot on Tuesday after a worse-than-forecast slowdown in third quarter UK economic growth.
Market overview: FTSE ends lower after UK GDP miss, mixed US data
1630 (close): The FTSE 100 has ended down 51. 75 points to 6,365. 27 as investors weighed a slowdown in third quarter UK gross domestic product and a mixed bag of US economic data. UK gross domestic product rose 0. 5% in the third quarter compared to 0. 7% in the second quarter, well below estimates for a 0. 6% increase, the Office for National Statistics revealed. On a year-on-year comparison, GDP unexpectedly eased to 2. 3% from 2. 4%. In the US, reports showed durable goods orders fell slightly less than expected last month while US consumer confidence dropped more than forecast in October.
Utilitywise hikes yearly dividend, names new chief operating officer
Business energy and water consultancy group Utilitywise lifted its full-year dividend by 25% to 5p on the back of a sharp increase in pre-tax profit.
Commodities: Oil prices slide as US plans to sell down strategic oil reserve
Oil prices slipped lower on Tuesday afternoon as the US government signed off on a deal to sell millions of barrels of crude from its Strategic Petroleum Reserve from 2018 until 2025 to raise cash.
Sector movers: Metals and mining mauled by steel bears
Industrial metals and mining was the worst performing sector in London on Tuesday, as angst about China's slowdown swung back into focus.
Broker tips: Entertainment One, Pearson, Imagination Technologies
Peel Hunt downgraded Entertainment One to ‘hold’ from ‘buy’ and cut the price target to 260p from 340p, as the rights issue is digested by shareholders.
US lawmakers reach budget deal
Congressional leaders and the White House have reached a two-year budget deal to lift mandatory spending caps on defence and domestic programmes and raise the federal debt ceiling to March 2017, averting the threat of another government shutdown during President Barack Obama’s time in office.
FX round-up: Pound under pressure after softer-than-expected GDP data
The pound was weaker against its major rivals on Tuesday after the first release of third-quarter UK gross domestic product came in softer than expected.
Liberum downgrades Imagination Technologies, cuts target
Imagination Technologies will have to think quick if it wants to avoid the multiple headwinds bearing down on it, Liberum said on Wednesday.
FTSE 100 movers: Miners mourning but no dry eyes at Shire
The FTSE 100 was dragged lower on Tuesday, as the resources-heavy index felt the weight of a further downward lurch in the oil price to new lows.
US open: Equity markets move in tight ranges amid raft of mixed economic data and earnings reports
US stocks struggled for direction early on Tuesday, as investors digested a raft of economic reports and awaited quarterly earnings from Apple and Twitter.
US consumer confidence declines unexpectedly in October
US consumer were less confident than expected in October, data released on Tuesday showed.
Brick-maker Ibstock builds small gain after IPO
Brick-maker Ibstock's shares traded higher on their first day of dealings after the company floated on the London Stock Exchange on Tuesday.
US services sector slows to nine-month low in October
Service sector output growth in the US declined to a nine-month low in October, data released on Tuesday showed.
Wednesday preview: Federal Reserve announces interest rate decision
The Federal Reserve is expected to stay put on interest rates when it makes its policy announcement on Wednesday.
US house price growth in line with forecasts in August, S&P says
Home price gains in the US picked up slightly in August but more so if low inflation readings are taken into account, according to Standard&Poor’s.