Market Pulse
US close: Stocks end slightly higher as oil recovers, healthcare lends support
US stocks ended in the black, reversing earlier losses as oil prices recovered, although gains were limited as investors looked to the non-farm payrolls report on Friday.
Sector movers: Automobile stocks boosted by US sales figures, weak euro
Cyclical sectors such as chemicals and automobiles led gainers, alongside a bounce for food&drug retailers and fixed line telecommunications stocks.
FX round-up: Sterling claws back some losses amid OPEC, ECB focus
Sterling clawed back some lost ground against major currencies amid a welter of news from OPEC and the European Central Bank, but tapered against the yen and rand.
London close: FTSE finishes flat after OPEC and ECB meetings
The FTSE 100 was flat at the closing bell on Thursday as traders assessed the outcome of meetings of OPEC and the European Central Bank.
Xaar confirms long-awaited Thin Film launch and Ricoh partnership
Xaar has launched its long awaited thin-film Piezo platform (P4) and confirmed the agreement of a partnership with Japanese technology giant Ricoh to accelerate the development of thin-film printheads.
Oil futures cut losses after weekly US inventory data
US oil and product inventories fell sharply during the latest reference week, government data showed.
US open: Stocks slide as OPEC fails to agree deal on output
US stocks declined on Thursday after OPEC failed to agree a deal on output and as the US private payrolls report missed analysts’ estimates.
Tea prices collapse but pistachio and avocado offer promise for Camellia
The second biggest private tea producer in the world, Camellia, said tea prices have collapsed in the last two months, though macadamia nut and avocado prices are holding up and hopes are high for pistachios.
BoE's Carney launches new £5 note as polls forecast sterling's post-Brexit future
Bank of England boss Mark Carney has today launched Britain's crisp new 'fiver' note against the backdrop of the country's looming Brexit vote, which may prove not to be sterling's finest hour if recent polls are anything to go by.
Cobham secures contract with Airbus
FTSE 250 aerospace and defence group Cobham has been awarded a contract by Airbus worth several hundred million US dollars over the period.
S&P removes Tullow Oil from CreditWatch, but keeps negative outlook
Standard&Poor´s took Tullow Oil´s debt off its list of corporate debt instruments which were facing an immediate risk of a debt downgrade, but cautioned that the oil explorer was still facing operational risks at its two key projects, in Ghana.
UK leaving EU would see sterling slide 9% versus US dollar - poll
Sterling is seen sinking 9% against the US dollar in the immediate wake of a UK vote in June to leave the European Union, but would rise 4% if it stayed in the single-currency bloc, a poll has shown.
Brazilian industrial production edges higher in April
Industrial production in Brazil edged slightly higher in April, led by a second consecutive large jump in the output of capital goods, a key leading indicator for the rest of the economy.
US Federal Reserve governor Tarullo sets slightly higher bar for interest rate hikes
One of the key rate-setters at the US central bank on Thursday appeared to set a slightly higher bar to hiking intrerest rates than some of his counterparts had done through various speaking engagements over recent weeks.
Initial jobless claims unexpectedly drop
The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits unexpectedly fell last week, according to the Labor Department.
US private sector adds 173k jobs in May
The US private sector added 173,000 jobs in May, according to data released by private consultancy ADP.
Boxhill Technologies dismisses winding up petitions as 'without legal merit'
Boxhill Technologies, operator of the Weather Lottery and payment processing software business, has received winding up petitions from Eupay Group, a company that previously supplied it with payment services.
Fidelity China trust proposes policy shift as NAV held flat in stormy market
Fidelity China Special Situations' upped its dividend by more than a third after maintaining net asset value over the year to end-March, a major outperformance of its benchmark during a hugely volatile period.
Goldman trims Apple estimates on lower smartphone growth
Goldman Sachs cut its price target on Apple to $124 from $136 and trimmed its estimates on lower smartphone growth but kept its ‘buy’ rating on the stock.
Johnson & Johnson to acquire Vogue hair and body products lines
Johnson & Johnson has agreed to acquire Vogue International, a privately held hair care company, for roughly $3. 3bn cash.