Market Pulse
BlackRock's second-quarter profit drops
Asset manager BlackRock reported a drop in profit for the second quarter amid challenging markets.
Commodities: Oil drops sharply as inventories continue rising
A retreat in crude oil futures weighed on the commodities complex on Wednesday amid a host of bearish factors.
London midday: FTSE falls flat after BoE holds rates
London stocks were brought back down to earth with a bump but the pound spiked as the Bank of England surprisingly left monetary policy unchanged on Thursday.
EU regulators announce more charges against Google
The European Commission has issued statements of objections to Google, accusing the company of favouring its comparison shopping service in its search result pages.
BTG loses out on sterling benefit due to hedging and dollar costs
Healthcare company BTG said it would make little gains from the collapse of the pound as its currency hedging contracts would negate the potential revenue benefits from the stronger dollar.
ONS announces changes to data release schedule
Having reviewed its current model, the Office for National Statistics announced changes to the way it publishes data from January next year.
UK Mail makes a "solid" start to the year
Postal service company UK Mail said it had made a “solid” start to the financial year and its performance for the first quarter was was in line with previous expectations.
US pre-open: Stocks seen higher as investors eye BoE rate cut
US futures pointed to a firmer open on Wall Street as investors bet the Bank of England would cut interest rates on Thursday for the first time since 2009.
Broker tips: GSK, Sage, Burberry
Shares in GlaxoSmithKline rose on Thursday as Jefferies upgraded the stock to ‘buy’ from ‘hold’ and lifted the target price to 2,000p from 1,650p.
Asia report: Markets mostly higher, though Singapore stalls
Asian markets ended mostly higher on Thursday, with the major indexes now rallying for more than a week, although a technical fault brought the Singapore market down from most of the session.
Deutsche Bank initiates coverage of Sage at 'buy'
Deutsche Bank initiated coverage of software company Sage at ‘buy’ with a 760p price target.
Pokemon Go launches in the UK on Android and iOS
Pokemon Go has launched in the UK after intial technical problems, with the hugely popular app now available to download on Apples's iOS and Android software systems.
Johnson Matthey appoints Anna Manz as finance director
Speciality chemicals company Johnson Matthey has appointed Anna Manz as group finance director with effect from 17 October, succeeding Den Jones.
GSK shares boosted by Jefferies upgrade
Shares in GlaxoSmithKline rose on Thursday as Jefferies upgraded the stock to ‘buy’ from ‘hold’ and lifted the target price to 2,000p from 1,650p.
Connect Group appoints David Bauernfeind as CFO
Newspaper and magazine distributor Connect Group has appointed David Bauernfeind – previously chief financial officer at Xchanging – as CFO with effect from 15 August.
BHP Billiton says Samarco unlikely to reopen this year
BHP Billiton said on Thursday that its Samarco joint venture iron ore operations in Brazil are unlikely to restart this year, adding that it has begun discussions with a view to cutting the workforce by around 40%.
Brexit worries hurt buyer interest in UK housing market in June
Buyer interest in the housing market fell significantly across the UK after Britain’s decision to leave the European Union on 24 June, a survey revealed on Thursday.
Hays expects FY operating profit ahead of market views
Hays surged on Thursday after saying it expects full-year operating profit to be ahead of current market estimates at around £180m.
Vedanta Resources redeems $514.8m bonds
Vedanta Resources has repaid in full and redeemed $514. 8m in convertible bonds due on 13 July.