Market Pulse
Commodities: Oil price decline continues, metals slip lower
Oil futures tumbled further with OPEC confirming on Thursday its production for November stood at 31. 7m barrels per day, well above its published quota cap of 30m bpd.
US close: Wall St ignores bearish data to strut higher
US stocks ended their three-day losing streak as investors overlooked a three-month record jobless number, commodities weakness and a mixed European session as Wall Street adopted a devil-may-care swagger ahead of next week's widely predicted Federal Reserve interest rate hike.
Sector movers: Glencore leads resource stock recovery
Resource stocks continued their recovery run on Thursday, led higher by Glencore’s trading update.
Europe close: Stocks end mixed as commodities drift lower
European stocks ended on a mixed note on Thursday, with investors keeping a wary eye on commodity markets and with anticipation building ahead of next week’s US Federal Reserve policy meeting.
Fed tightening doesn't signal bear market ahead, Credit Suisse says
The imminent start of policy tightening by the US Federal Reserve does not mean a bear market might be about to start, a top ranked strategist said on Thursday, although losses might be expected.
Samsung expanding into smart car market
Samsung Electronics was up on Thursday, after the Korean technology giant revealed plans to expand into the self-driving car industry.
Talks to unite Syrian rebels "constructive", says Kerry
Talks being held in a bid to unite Syrian opposition groups had made progress, it was reported on Thursday.
London close: Stocks decline as BoE keeps interest rates unchanged
London stocks closed in the red on Thursday as the Bank of England left interest rates unchanged.
Independent Oil & Gas signs well management contract
Shares in exploration tiddler Independent Oil and Gas gushed higher as it signed off on a deal to drill its Skipper well in the North Sea.
FX Roundup: Euro, pound correct against the dollar
The euro and pound fell against the dollar on Thursday, with the greenback posting an uptick on import prices data and the Bank of England’s decision to keep interest rates on hold.
Cigarette plain packaging to cost Big Tobacco USD5bn a year, says Goldman Sachs
Goldman Sachs warned Big Tobacco it sees a $5bn annual profit hit from the impact of plain packaging on cigarettes, which the UK will impose next March and other countries following Australia's lead in the next few years.
Market overview: Lloyds holds higher
1608: Lloyds is holding near the top of the leaderboard after winning court approval to redeem $5bn in so-called CoCo bonds.
Twitter surges on plans to capitalise on logged-out users
Twitter shares surged after it announced plans to start showing ads to the 500m people who visit the site but are not logged in.
Ladbrokes' new chair and director bet on company
Ladbrokes’ new chariman and newest board member are already giving their financial backing to the company.
VW admits emissions errors dating back decade
The emissions scandal at Volkswagen was down to a “chain of errors”, the company said as it traced the issue back to 2005.
Thursday broker round-up
Anglo American: Nomura slashes target from 780p to 370p but reiterates reduce.
US open: Stocks rise as investors weigh economic data ahead of Fed rate decision
US stocks rebounded on Thursday, ending a three-day losing streak, as investors weighed data on weekly jobless claims and import prices.
US initial jobless claims rise more than expected
The number of first time unemployment benefits claimants in the US rose to a five-month high last week.
Broker tips: UK life insurers, Entertainment One, Micro Focus International
Shares in UK life insurers will catch-up with their European peers next year after underperforming in 2014, as Solvency II proved to be a more acute headwind for them, Nomura told clients on Thursday.
UK life insurers set to catch up next year, Nomura says
Shares in UK life insurers will catch-up with their European peers next year after underperforming in 2014, as Solvency II proved to be a more acute headwind for them, Nomura told clients on Thursday.