Market Pulse
Heathrow names Lord Deighton as new chairman
Heathrow Airport Holdings has named Lord Paul Deighton to succeed Sir Nigel Rudd as chairman when he steps down later this year.
Belvoir Lettings appoints Mark Newton as director
Belvoir Lettings has appointed Mark Newton as a director.
First Quantum sells Finnish mine for $712m and hints at more deals
First Quantum Minerals has agreed to sell its Kevitsa nickel-copper-platinum group elements mine for $712m.
Shell boss van Beurden sees annual pay drop 8%
The chief executive of oil giant Royal Dutch Shell saw his pay decline 8% last year as the collapse in the oil price dented profit.
John Lewis Partnership cuts staff bonus as Waitrose struggles
Staff bonuses at the John Lewis Partnership were being cut for the third year in a row on Thursday, with the company's workers told to expect payouts equivalent to 10% of their annual salary in 2016.
Europe midday: Stocks nudge up ahead of ECB rate announcement
European stocks nudged higher as investors looked to the European Central Bank’s rate announcement amid expectations of further stimulus.
Broker tips: SIG, Rolls-Royce, G4S
SIG’s rating was retained at ‘buy’ but its target price was lowered to 160p from 165p by Canaccord Genuity after the building products firm reported its full year results.
Aldermore's maiden full year profits soar past forecasts
Challenger bank Aldermore lifted profits by three quarters in 2015, slightly ahead of expectations, and expressed a confident outlook for the coming year.
Asia report: China data, NZ rate cut arrives to mixed markets
Markets in Asia were mixed on Thursday, as investors were faced with more economic data from China, as well as interest rate decisions from central banks in South Korea and New Zealand.
US pre-open: Stocks set for small gains as investors eye ECB
Stocks on Wall Street looked poised for small gains at the open on Thursday, with investors likely to stick to the sidelines as they await the outcome of the latest European Central Bank meeting.
Lead All Investments appoints finance director
AIM-listed Lead All Investments has appointed Mehmet Ertan Ahmed as finance director.
New Zealand central bank cuts interest rate to record low
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) cut its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points to a record low of 2. 25% on Thursday; the fifth such move since June 2015.
Morrisons unveils new dividend policy as results show slow turnaround
Morrisons annual profits fell more than a quarter but like-for-like sales fell only 2. 0% after a strong improvement in the fourth quarter.
Robert Walters profit up amid growth across all markets
Recruiter Robert Walters posted a 23% rise in 2015 profit as revenue grew thanks to a strong performance across its markets.
Sprue Aegis guides down on profits after new supplier deal
Sprue Aegis has warned profits for the current year will be slightly lower than expected after it revised the terms of the chief supplier of all of its own-branded smoke alarms and accessories.
Goldman Sachs downgrades Rolls-Royce on valuation
Shares in aerospace and defence group Rolls-Royce were in the red after Goldman Sachs downgraded the stock to ‘neutral’, removing it from the bank’s Pan European buy list.
ECB won't disappoint this time around, says Goldman Sachs
As some analysts cautioned that Thursday’s European Central Bank announcement could disappoint like December’s, Goldman Sachs said we could be in for a dovish surprise.
Barclays downgrades G4S after full year results
Barclays downgraded G4S to ‘equalweight’ from ‘overweight’ and slashed the price target to 200p from 310p following the company’s 2015 results on Wednesday.
Mortgage lending slows but remortgages surge
Mortgage borrowing fell 25% month-on-month in January, according to data from lenders, though remortgaging rose 35% compared to December.
Amec swings to loss in 2015 but outlook welcomed
Amec Foster Wheeler said it swung to a loss in 2015 but shares in the oil and gas engineer rose sharply as investors welcomed the company’s debt line and outlook.