Market Pulse
London close: Stocks flat, pound and euro weaker
Dovish remarks from European Central Bank president Mario Draghi weighed on the single currency but failed to trigger any buying in equities on either side of the channel, likely as a result of traders limiting their risk ahead of the the coming Thanksgiving holiday-shortened trading week Stateside.
Week ahead: Euro area PMIs, US GDP in focus
The coming week will likely see trading volumes fall off due to the Thanksgiving holidays Stateside, with market action likely to be restrained by the fact that many traders will be away from their desks.
Sector movers: FTSE 100 broadly flat, as oil and gas blue chips tumble
The London market ended broadly flat on Friday, with oil and gas blue chips taking a hit as the weekend approached.
Commodities: Oil trades sideways for third successive session
Oil benchmarks stayed within range of recent levels on Friday, hounded by oversupply concerns, while base metals recovered on short covering as the weekend approached.
Europe close: Equities move in tight ranges after Draghi speech
European stocks ended the week on a mixed note, after comments from European Central Bank’s president Mario Draghi failed to improve sentiment.
Inland Homes founder pockets £1m in share sale
The man at the top of Inland Homes cashed in on some of the company today, pocketing a cool £1m in the process.
"No more hostages" in Mali hotel siege
Officials in Mali, where gunmen had a hotel under siege earlier on Friday, have said there are now "no more hostages" involved at the scene.
14 financial experts give their top themes for 2016
With the holiday season fast approaching, and the inevitable winter slow-down in market activity, many of the world’s top finance experts have started looking into the crystal ball for 2016. 14 of them shared their predictions with Bloomberg – here’s a brief rundown of what they had to say:.
Morgan Stanley sees limited downside in euro/dollar
Foreign exchange markets have been showing an increased sensitivity to central banks’ policies relative to one another, according to Morgan Stanley’s FX Drivers model.
FX Roundup: Dollar resumes uptick against global crosses
The dollar resumed its uptick against major global currency crosses on Friday, excepting the yen, following the release of minutes from the latest Federal Reserve meeting which indicated the US central bank is set to raise short term interest rates for the first time in almost a decade.
UK 2019/20 surplus forecast could be cut in Autumn statement, says CS
UK chancellor George Osborne could cut his 2019/20 surplus target to £8bn from £10bn in next Wednesday's Treasury Autumn Statement as a result of his parliamentary defeat on tax credits, according to Credit Suisse.
FTSE 250 movers: Melrose rises on update; Jimmy Choo on back foot
London’s FTSE 250 index was up 0. 1% to 17,155. 38 at 1545 GMT, rounding off the week on a fairly muted note.
FTSE 100 movers: Glencore's reported Libya deal sends shares soaring
Despite a quiet day news-wise on the markets, the FTSE 100 was up marginally by mid-afternoon Friday to 6,345. 49 – a 15. 56 point rise (0. 25%).
EasyJet shares stall on Kepler downgrade
EasyJet shares stalled on Friday as Kepler Cheuvreux cut its rating on the stock to ‘reduce’ from ‘hold’ and chopped the price target to 1,450p from 1,697p.
US open: Dow jumps 150 points amid strong earnings
US equities gained grounds early on Friday, as Wall Street remained on track to clinch its seventh weekly gain in the last two months.
Broker tips: Imperial Tobacco, G4S, BAE Systems
Regardless of whether the speculation swirling around a possible bid for Imperial Tobacco from British American Tobacco pans out or not, the organic story and valuation argument are “compelling enough”, Chris Whitman at Whitman Howard said in a research note sent to clients.
Parkmead Group swings to annual loss on higher costs and lower revenue
Oil and gas company The Parkmead Group swung to a pre-tax loss in the 12 months to the end of June, as higher costs, lower revenue and impairment charges took their toll.
British American Tobacco plotting takeover of Imperial Tobacco, sources tell FT
British American Tobacco has put together a syndicate of banks to finance a possible purchase of rival Imperial Tobacco, according to the Financial Times's Alphaville, which cites "people claiming direct knowledge of the process".
G4S feels the pinch after Credit Suisse downgrade
London-listed security firm G4S was under the cosh after Credit Suisse cut the stock to ‘neutral’ from ‘outperform’ and slashed its price target to 250p from 320p.
Whitman Howard reiterates 'buy' on Imperial Tobacco
Regardless of whether the speculation swirling around a possible bid for Imperial Tobacco from British American Tobacco pans out or not, the organic story and valuation argument were “compelling enough”, Chris Whitman at Whitman Howard said in a research note sent to clients.