Market Pulse
Darty shares jump as Fnac ups offer, trumps Conforama
Shares in Darty surged on Thursday as Fnac upped its offer for the French electronics retailer to 145p per share, beating the offer from Steinhoff subsidiary Conforama.
UK retail sales fall more than expected in March
UK retail sales fell much more than expected in March, with food and clothing sales all weaker, according to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics.
Acacia Mining ascends to three-year high after solid first quarter
Acacia Mining reported better first-quarter gold production than forecast and a 24% rise in earnings before interest tax, depreciation and amortisation to $66m that almost hit targets thanks to an increase in revenue and lower cash costs.
Pets at Home sales accelerate in fourth quarter
A year-end trading statement from retailer Pets at Home showed like-for-like (LFL) sales growth increased in the fourth quarter, with profits for the full year expected to meet forecasts.
Anglo American production guidance unchanged
Diversified miner Anglo American reiterated its full-year production guidance on Thursday as it reported lower first-quarter output for diamonds, iron ore and export coal, but higher output in platinum and nickel.
Europe open: Stocks little changed ahead of ECB announcement
European stocks were little changed in early trade as investors looked ahead to the European Central Bank’s latest rate announcement.
London open: Flat start ahead of ECB decision
London stocks were flat on Thursday as investors looked ahead to data on UK retail sales and the European Central Bank’s latest policy decision.
Go-Ahead Group on track to meet expectations
Go-Ahead Group was pleased with its position after the third quarter, updating the market on the three months to 20 April on Thursday.
Smiths Group swallows Morpho Detection in £493m deal
Smiths Group announced a significant expansion on Thursday, agreeing to acquire California-based Morpho Detection for an enterprise value of $710m (£493m).
Aerospace flies while flexonics falters at Senior
Aerospace was flying, while flexonics faltered at Senior in the first three months of the year, with the manufacturing and engineering group updating the market on Thursday ahead of its annual general meeting on Friday.
Computacenter revenue nudges up; UK market challenging
Computacenter posted a small rise in first-quarter revenue as a strong performance in Germany helped to offset declines in the UK and France.
Centrica buys Danish energy management company
Centrica has agreed to acquire Denmark-based energy management provider Neas Energy A/S for DKK1. 6bn (£170m) in cash plus adjustments for cash and net working capital.
London pre-open: Stocks seen higher as investors eye UK retail sales
London stocks were expected to open in the black on Thursday, taking their cue from positive US and Asian sessions as oil prices edged higher.
Thursday newspaper round-up: Hedge funds, Anglo, Greece, Tata
Hedge funds have suffered their worst quarter in seven years after more than $15bn was pulled out by investors starting to fight back against the high fees being charged across the industry. The total amount invested in hedge funds fell to $2. 86tn in the first three months of the year, marking the first time since 2009 that the sector has faced two consecutive quarters of net outflows, according to data from Hedge Fund Research. – Financial Times.