Market Pulse
SIG musters with investors in Sheffield
Building products distributor SIG was meeting with investors in Sheffield on Thursday, as it updated the market on a year that has so far seen growth.
Bank of England keeps interest rates unchanged
The Bank of England voted unanimously on Thursday to leave interest rates at 0. 50% and size of the asset purchase programme at £375bn, as expected by analysts.
Phoenix Group remains on target
Phoenix Group revealed it remains on track to meet 2016 cash generation targets of between £350m and £450m on Thursday, ahead of a presentation for investors and analysts focusing on Solvency II, management actions and future financial reporting.
Winter of growth for The Rank Group
The Rank Group revealed a winter of growth on Thursday, with like-for-like revenue up 3% in the 19 weeks to 8 May, total revenue growth of 2% and digital revenue growth of 6%.
London midday: Stocks rise as BoE keeps interest rates unchanged
London stocks rose on Thursday as the Bank of England voted unanimously to leave interest rates unchanged.
Hikma paints positive picture as investors gather
Multinational pharmaceutical group Hikma Pharmaceuticals was holding its annual general meeting in London on Thursday, where it was set to confirm a solid start to the year and reiterate its overall guidance for 2016.
Vesuvius investors gather as headwinds continue
As investors gathered in London for the Vesuvius annual meeting on Thursday, the company did its best to assure them that it was still solid despite some serious market headwinds.
CLS Holdings launches share buyback to cut discount to NAV
CLS Holdings has launched a share buyback programme that will see the property investor's broker Liberum buy back up to 4. 1m of its shares.
Asia report: Most markets lose, though Japan shines
Most markets in Asia declined on Thursday, following on from a dire Wednesday in the US, where declines were led by a number of disappointing announcements from the retail sector.
Aldermore grows loan book thanks to buy-to-let rush
Aldermore enjoyed its best ever quarter of loan origination, which helped the challenger bank grow its loan book 6% to £6. 5bn during the first three months of the year.
Prices for manufactured goods weigh on French CPI in April
The cost of living in France declined at a quicker pace in April as a drop in the prices of manufactured goods offset increases in the energy and services space.
India overtaking China as driver of oil demand growth, IEA says
The excess of oil supplies globally will be lower than previously expected in 2016 as India overtakes the People's Republic of China as the key driver behind demand growth and robust demand from other emerging economies, the rich-world's oil watchdog said.
SuperGroup surges as fourth quarter boosted by Idris and sportswear
SuperGroup lifted its full year profit guidance after a powerful fourth-quarter where retail sales from the street fashion group surpassed last year's strong performance.
Europe open: Construction and bank stocks lead losses
Construction and bank stocks dragged European indices lower following weak results out of Lafarge Holcim and Credit Agricole, highlighting just how weak the earnings season has been relatively to expectations at the start of the year.
3i Infrastructure posts strong NAV growth
3i Infrastructure reported on a year of strong portfolio performance on Thursday, with a 14% total return on net asset value in the year to 31 March.
Nissan confirms plans to take 34% stake in scandal-hit Mitsubishi
Japanese auto colossus Nissan has agreed to pay 237bn yen (£1. 5bn) for a third of rival Mitsubishi Motors, which is reeling from admissions it falsified fuel economy data.
London open: Equities fall ahead of BoE's 'Super Thursday'
UK equities were in the red ahead of the Bank of England’s ‘Super Thursday’ of announcements which includes the policy decision, meeting minutes and Inflation Report.
AstraZeneca's selumetinib receives Orphan Drug Designation
AstraZeneca was celebrating on Thursday, after the US Food and Drug Administration granted its investigational MEK ½ inhibitor, selumetinib, ‘Orphan Drug Designation’ for adjuvant treatment of patients with stage III or IV differentiated thyroid cancer.
Stagecoach and FirstGroup to battle on East Coast
Passengers on the East Coast Main Line were being promised more choice on Thursday, with the Office of Rail and Road granting both Virgin Trains East Coast and FirstGroup rights to operate new services on the London-to-Edinburgh railway.
Tesco faces Irish strike threat over pay cuts
Store staff in more than 70 of Tesco's Irish stores have threatened to go on strike next Monday in a dispute over pay and changed conditions.