Market Pulse
HSBC defends cyber attack
HSBC customers suffered disruptions to online banking on Friday due to a cyber attack.
Taiwan president fires parting shot in South China Sea
It looked like a routine trip to an outlying island for outgoing Taiwan president Ma Ying-jeou, but the political status of Itu Aba meant his recent journey was anything but.
Oil output cut only possible if all exporters agree, Russian energy minister says
A decision to cut oil output must include all exporting nations and Saudi Arabia had not approached Russia on the subject since November 2015, Russian energy minister Alexander Novak told Bloomberg TV.
Friday newspaper share tips: Not worth sinking more money into Diageo
Diageo was the focus of Friday’s newspaper share tips in The Times and The Telegraph.
Europe midday: Stocks in the black as investors digest BOJ move
European stocks were in the black but off earlier highs as investors reacted to the Bank of Japan's surprise decision to adopt negative interest rates for the first time ever, as it looks to drive inflation to 2%.
BT completes EE acquisition; Openreach still an issue
BT Group said on Friday that it has completed its £12. 5bn acquisition of mobile network operator EE.
Credit Suisse pushes back BoE rate hike call to 2017
Economists at Credit Suisse pushed back their call for the first increase in Bank Rate from August 2016 to February of 2017 because the economy was set to slow enough, in the very short-term, to even prompt talk of another interest rate cut.
Lonmin upgraded by HSBC on poor share performance
After a poor share price performance, HSBC has upgraded Lonmin from ‘hold’ to ‘buy’ but has cut its target price from 135p to 76p.
Driverless cars to be trialled in Greenwich this summer
Driverless cars will hit the road in the UK this summer with a trial in Greenwich of fully autonomous shuttles.
London open: Stocks advance as BoJ introduces negative interest rates
UK stocks advanced on Friday as Bank of Japan unexpectedly decided to introduce a negative interest rate for some deposits that it holds for the nation’s commercial banks.
Asia report: Japan's big surprise boosts regional markets
The Bank of Japan's big Friday surprise had investors in Tokyo in a frenzy, sending markets back and forth as investors tried to make sense of the new negative interest rate policy.
Meeting between OPEC and countries outside cartel should be at expert level, delegate says
A hypothetical meeting between the Organisation for Petroleum Exporting Countries and nations from outside the cartel should be at the expert level, not ministerial, and would take place in February or March, if at all, a report citing Reuters said.
RBC downgrades FirstGroup after profit warning
RBC Capital Markets cut FirstGroup to ‘underperform’ from ‘sector perform’ and downgraded the price target to 85p from 110p following the company’s profit warning on Thursday.
Sky rallies as Numis rates broadcaster at 'add'
Sky’s ‘add’ rating and target price of 1,250p were kept unchanged by Numis after the broadcaster reported strong first half revenue growth.
UK house prices rise 6.4% in December, Land Registry reveals
UK house prices rose 6. 4% to an average of £188,270 in December compared to the same month a year ago, data revealed on Friday.
Eurozone inflation picks up in January
Inflation in the Eurozone picked up in January, according to flash figures released by Eurostat.
Zika vaccine could be ready by end of 2016
A vaccine for the Zika virus could be ready by the end of the year, Reuters reported on Friday.
Yuan weakness inevitable after BoJ´s decision to cut rates
The Bank of Japan´s decision on Friday to cut interest rates made further weakness in the Chinese currency "inevitable" - especially versus the Japanese yen - and smacked of "total desperation", a well-regarded strategist said.
JPMorgan upgrades Mitchells & Butlers to 'overweight'
JPMorgan Cazenove upgraded Mitchells & Butlers to ‘overweight’ from ‘neutral’ following the company’s first quarter trading update.
Vedanta Resources' third quarter earnings halved
Vedanta Resources’ third quarter earnings have halved, as earnings from oil and gas have plummeted.