Market Pulse
Broker tips: WANdisco, Sky, Auto Trader
Shares in WANdisco muscled ahead more than 11% as finnCap placed its 'hold' rating on the provider of non-stop big data under review, as well as the company's 200p-a-share target price.
Directors dealings: NAIT boosts stake in EKF Diagnostics to 14.1%
Harwood Capital, acting as investment manager on behalf of North Atlantic Smaller Companies Investment Trust PLC, picked up another large batch of shares in EKF Diagnostics.
Week ahead: Central banks in focus, US Fed above all
Would the US central bank raise rates again when it met in July or would the next hike be postponed until September. That was the main question which investors would try to resolve over the coming week, although if the 'Leave' camp were to succeed on 23 June then the answer would become a dead certainty over the course following week, albeit in unexpected fashion.
FX round-up: Sterling, dollar polarised barring hefty rand gains
Sterling and the US dollar turned in largely polarised performances today, barring hefty mutual gains on the rand, as traders look to next week's US Federal Reserve, Bank of England and Bank of Japan policy meetings.
Europe close: Banks dragged lower by slump in government bond yields
European stocks dropped as renewed declines in sovereign bond yields weighed on lenders’ shares.
Styles & Wood secures six contracts worth £23m
Styles & Wood, an integrated property services and project delivery specialist, secured six contracts worth £23m helped in large measure by a surge of activity in the Manchester market in recent months.
US open: Investors opt for caution ahead of Fed meeting, EU referendum
US investors were playing it safe on Friday afternoon, ahead of next week’s US central bank policy meeting, not to mention the following week’s EU referendum here in the UK.
US consumer confidence dips in June
Consumer sentiment Stateside registered a slight dip in June, which economists said might herald a recovery in hiring by firms, but inflation expectations dropped, which might give some observers pause for concern.
Nearly half a million register to vote after EU referendum extension
In total, 433,696 people registered to vote in the 48-hour extension granted for the upcoming 23 June EU referendum with 1. 5m Briton’s registering last week.
Small caps news round-up
Petroleum resource developer Oilex announced the appointment of Mark Bolton as its chief financial officer and company secretary on Friday, with immediate effect. The AIM and ASX-traded firm said Bolton has worked as a CFO and secretary for a number of resource companies since 2003.
Bank of Russia cuts rates for first time in a year
Russia's central bank cut its main policy rate, with officials referencing greater confidence in the outlook for inflation and slower price growth as the main reasons behind their decision.
Air New Zealand sells down Virgin Australia stake
Majority-state-owned flag carrier Air New Zealand was up in Wellington trading on Friday, after it sold a 20% stake in Australia’s second-largest airline Virgin Australia to China’s Nanshan Group.
US pre-open: Stock futures fall ahead of Fed's interest rate decision
US stocks are expected to fall on Friday as oil prices slid and investors showed caution ahead of the Federal Reserve policy meeting.
London open: Stocks fall on oil price retreat, Brexit fears
London stocks fell on Friday as oil prices retreated and uncertainty surrounding the European Union referendum grew.
Russian central bank cuts key rate to 10.5%
Russia’s central bank cut its main interest rate by 0. 5 percentage points on Friday to 10. 5%, justifying the move by the country’s steadying rate of inflation.
Europe midday: Strong dollar drags on equities
European stocks dropped in morning trading on Friday, with commodity shares dragged down by the strength of the greenback and investors clambering for the fixed income of bonds.
London midday: FTSE plunges on Brexit uncertainty, fall in oil prices
The FTSE 100 plunged on Friday as Brexit uncertainty increased and oil prices dropped.
Asia report: Markets trip up on greenback's strength
Asian markets tripped and fell on the last trading day of the week, with a stronger greenback dragging on commodities prices and Japan’s benchmark bond yield hitting a record low.
Fuller's down despite full-year growth
Shares in Fuller, Smith & Turner were down 3. 26% in morning trading on Friday, after it reported positive growth for the last financial year but challenging conditions going into the current year.