Market Pulse
Shaftesbury director doubles stake after trading update
Shaftesbury director Sally Walden has doubled her stake in the company after a positive trading update last week.
Small caps news round-up
Oil and gas explorer Aminex is selling a 3. 8% interest in the Kiliwani North Development licence in Tanzania to Solo Oil for $2. 16m (£1. 49m), the company announced on Thursday. Solo’s stake in the licence will increase to 10% following the completion of the deal. Aminex will remain the majority owner with a 51. 75% holding.
FTSE 250 movers: Tate & Lyle, Henderson Group fall after results
The FTSE 250 plunged on Thursday, down 289. 81 points (1. 87%) to 15,222. 73 by mid-afternoon.
Target Healthcare REIT buys care home for £2.3m
Shares in Target Healthcare REIT gained on Thursday after announcing the acquisition of a specialist care home in Bricket Wood, St Albans for £2. 3m.
Polish still flocking to Domino's Pizza
Polish diners appeared to be swapping their pierogi for pizza in 2015, with DP Poland revealing some impressive numbers in a full-year trading update on Thursday.
Credit Suisse downgrades Derwent London and Great Portland on Brexit risks
Recent underperformance by the listed UK real estate outfits focused on the London office market was the result of the upcoming vote on the country's continued membership of the European Union, but the present moment did not seem to be an "obvious entry point", Credit Suisse said.
Zotefoams kick starts Chinese joint venture
Zotefoams kicked its Chinese joint venture into action on Thursday, with the announcement of a new product - T-FIT Clean - to be made at its facility in the country's Jiangsu province.
FTSE 100 movers: Banking shares drive index down
The FTSE 100 resumed its slide on Thursday, with the blue-chip index dropping 80. 51 points (1. 42%) to 5,591. 79 points by mid-afternoon.
Manchester United reports record second quarter revenue
Manchester United said on Thursday it expects revenue for fiscal 2016 to be between £500m and £510m as it announced record second quarter revenues.
Thursday broker round-up
ARM Holdings: JP Morgan reiterates neutral with a target of 950p, Exane BNP Paribas keeps at outperform, 1300p target, Deutsche Bank stays at hold, 1000p target, Goldman Sachs maintains buy with a target of 1400p, Citigroup keeps at neutral and Bryan, Garnier & Co reiterates buy.
Moody's warns Italian gaming reforms will hit William Hill among others
William Hill and other gaming operators will be hurt by a new reforms imposed by the Italian government for sports betting and gaming sectors, according to credit agency Moody's.
Swiss central bank says no to currency floor, maybe to rate cuts
Switzerland's central bank was not ruling out taking interest rates further into negative territory this week, as concerns about fresh volatility in the Eurozone had many worried the franc could move even higher.
US open: Stocks decline on worries about global economy
US stocks fell on Thursday as the Federal Reserve raised concerns about the global economy.
HSBC cancels plans for 2016 pay freeze
HSBC has reportedly made a U-turn on its planned 2016 pay freeze.
Sanne Group to buy Dublin-based Chartered Corporate Services
Sanne Group, a specialist provider of outsourced corporate and fund administration, has agreed to acquire Dublin-based Chartered Corporate Services (CCS) for an undisclosed sum.
Saudi might agree to freeze in oil production if Iran did so too, report says
Saudi Arabia might be willing to sign-up to a Venezuelan proposal that producer countries from the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and those from outside ‘freeze’ their oil output at current levels if Iran also signed up to such an agreement, Reuters reported.
Heathrow numbers up in January as airport vies for third runway
Heathrow Airport was talking up its attributes on Thursday, as it released passenger statistics for the month of January and continued its persuasion efforts over Westminster's third runway decision.
ARM Holdings overvalued while over 750p, Bernstein says
The headwinds in the smartphone market in 2016, combined with slower royalty growth and the waning boost from the v8 product cycle, all meant that ARM Holdings current valuation multiples would come under pressure, broker Bernstein said.
Shire sets out bullish guidance for 2016 after beating quarterly forecasts
Shire beat fourth quarter sales forecasts and issued much stronger guidance for 2016, targeting double digit top-line growth and a 7%-10% increase in earnings before including the effect of its takeover of Baxalta.
US initial jobless claims fall more than expected
The number of first time unemployment benefits claimants in the US fell more than expected last week, signalling a degree of resilience in the labour market.