Market Pulse
US close: Stocks end higher after better-than-expected non-farm payrolls
US stocks gained after the non-farm payrolls report and data on US manufacturing activity came in better than expected.
Friday newspaper share tips: Panmure Gordon, Grainger
Panmure Gordon has a tough road ahead of it, the Financial Times´s Lex column believes.
Sector Movers: Resource stocks hammered as oil futures slide
Resource stocks headed lower on Friday, following a slide in oil and metal futures prices, as both headline London indices ended the week in negative territory.
Commodities: Oil futures slide on Saudi comments
Oil futures headed lower on Friday, after Saudi Arabia said it would freeze production only if other major producers did the same.
Week ahead: US Fed minutes, service sector PMIs in focus
With the latest monthly US jobs data now out of the way the focus will shift back towards central banks in the run-up to the Federal Reserve´s policy meeting on 27 April and the start of the US earnings season on 11 April.
Europe close: Shares trim losses after US jobs report
A late rally on the heels of a spate of strong reports on the US economy helped European equities trim early losses on Friday, but failed to fully offset the impact from retreating commodities prices and gloomy Japanese data.
London close: FTSE closes in the red after raft of data
London stocks finished lower on Friday as a better-than-expected US non-farm payrolls report failed to lift investors’ spirits.
Director dealings: Bell buys first stake at Greatland Gold
Greatland Gold's non-executive chairman Andrew Bell bought a 2. 39% stake in the Tasmanian exploration tiddler days after the company stated its much improved confidence new strategy.
FX Roundup: Dollar stabilises following non-farm payroll data
The dollar gained against a number of global currency crosses on Friday following the publication of a mixed US non-farm payroll data report.
GSK receives European and CHMP approval for stem cell gene therapy
GlaxoSmithKline has been given encouraging support for a stem cell gene therapy that uses an individual patient's own cells to treat a very rare immunodeficiency disorder in children.
Small caps news round-up
Shares in Ascent Resources lost more than two-thirds of their value after the company failed to agree takeover terms with suitor Cadogan Petroleum, which did not share Ascent's view of the value of its Petišovci asset in Slovenia. Ascent said that its view of the value of the company was "considerably in excess of that contained in the preliminary approach received from Cadogan", which understandably made negotiations difficult.
Saudi will only freeze its oil output if Iran does the same, top official says
Saudi Arabia would only freeze its oil output If Iran did the same, one of the highest ranking Saudi officials said.
Ascent Resources descends as Cadogan walks away
Shares in Ascent Resources lost more than two-thirds of their value after the company failed to agree takeover terms with suitor Cadogan Petroleum, which did not share Ascent's view of the value of its Petišovci asset in Slovenia.
US factory activity rebounds in March, ISM data shows
Activity at US factories picked up moderately in March, the results of perhaps the most widely-followed barometre of the sector´s health showed.
Numis adds Virgin Money, Derwent and Northgate to 'top picks' list
Numis sell-side analysts provided a list of their top picks among large and small cap stocks across the market, including ARM Holdings, Virgin Money, Derwent London, Tullow Oil, Northgate and Vectura.
FTSE 100 movers: Shire up, while expired pay deal sinks Royal Mail
The FTSE 100 was down late on Friday as investors digested data showing weak UK manufacturing activity, though US data out in the afternoon showed nonfarm payrolls as rising more than expected in March.
US open: Stocks trading mixed despite solid March jobs report
Stocks on Wall Street were trading slightly lower on Friday - albeit off their lows of the session - despite a solid reading on the state of the jobs market, as a large drop in crude oil futures and losses overnight in Japanese stocks dampened sentiment.
Inmarsat receives LightSquared 30MHz confirmation
Satellite communications group Inmarsat has received notification from US-based Ligado Networks, previously known as LightSquared, that it has decided to take the 30 MHz option under the pair's cooperation agreement.
Saudi Arabia will list up to 5% of Aramco by 2018
Saudi Arabia has confirmed it plans to float part of the Aramco state oil colossus next year or in 2018 as part of plans to create a $2trn sovereign fund.