Market Pulse
Europe open: Stocks waver as investors mull over Fed statement
European stocks wavered in early trade as investors digested the Federal Reserve’s latest statement, which left the door open to a rate hike in March.
Strong festive trading limits damage to Mitchells & Butlers
Strong Christmas and New Year trading has limited the damage to Mitchells & Butlers latest sales figures.
Resilient third quarter for 3i Group
Investment company 3i Group finished the 2015 calendar year on a resilient note, as the company updated the market on its third quarter on Thursday.
SSE to cut gas prices by 5.3% from March
SSE has announced it is dropping household gas prices on its standard tariff by 5. 3% at the end of March.
Diageo interim profit nudges up as organic sales rise
Diageo posted a slight rise in first half pre-tax profit despite a drop in revenue, as organic sales grew more than expected.
AstraZeneca prostate cancer therapy reaches major milestone
One of AstraZeneca's cancer therapies reached a new milestone on Thursday, with the US Federal Drug Administration granting Lynparza a Breakthrough Therapy designation (BTD) for the treatment of a certain strain of prostate cancer.
Rogers to step down as Babcock CEO
Babcock has announced that group chief executive Peter Rogers will retire from the company at the end of August.
London pre-open: Stocks seen lower as investors digest Fed statement
London stocks are expected to open lower on Thursday following a downbeat session in the US after the Federal Reserve highlighted the recent market turmoil and said it would keep a close eye on global economic and financial developments.
One David out, another David in at Coca-Cola HBC
One David was out, and another one in at Coca-Cola HBC on Thursday, with the announcement that the company's chairman, George A. David, had stepped down with immediate effect.
Thursday newspaper round-up: Google, oil, privatisation, Drax
Google and Apple have fought back in the row over the big tech groups’ tax regimes, saying they are being unfairly targeted as the public backlash over the controversy escalates. Google on Wednesday defended its £130m settlement with British tax authorities for the first time in a letter to the Financial Times, arguing that it was complying with British law. Separately, Apple said it should pay nothing over Brussels’ investigation into its alleged sweetheart tax deals in Ireland.