Market Pulse
Syngenta surges as US watchdog clears ChemChina takeover
Swiss agriculture company Syngenta surged on Monday after the US-based Committee on Foreign Investment in the US (CFIUS) cleared ChemChina’s planned $43bn takeover of the group.
Lookers buys Knights Group for £27.2m
FTSE 250 car dealership and aftersales service chain Lookers has acquired BMW dealer Knights Group for £27. 2m in cash that will be funded from the group’s existing bank facilities.
Fed vice-chair Fischer sounds optimistic note on US economy
The US economy was close to hitting the US central bank's targets with respect to both growth and inflation, a top official said, which some observers took to mean that he was open to further interest rate hikes in 2016.
Safeland FY revenue up but profit down
AIM-listed property developer Safeland said on Monday that revenue rose in the year to the end of March, but pre-tax profit fell and the company warned it has entered “an extremely volatile environment”.
MySQUAR sees rapid user growth from new game
Social media, entertainment and payments platform MySQUAR said its latest game launched on 2 August, MyFish, has attracted more than 500,000 registered users in its first three weeks.
Barclays reinstates William Hill at 'overweight'
Barclays reinstated coverage of William Hill at ‘overweight’, raising the price target by 3% to 340p.
Europe open: Stocks edge higher as investors eye Jackson Hole
European stocks edged higher in early trade as investors eyed the US Federal Reserve’s Jackson Hole meeting later in the week in the hope that it might provide further clues on the timing of an interest rate hike.
Pfizer set to announce acquisition of Medivation, WSJ says
Pfizer was set to clinch a deal to purchase oncology-treatment specialist Medivation.
London open: Hawkish Fed-speak weighs on Footsie at start of the week
London's top flight index dipped lower at the start of trading as investors digested some hawkish 'Fed-speak' over the weekend, with little else to guide them in terms of fresh corporate news or economic data.
365 Agile to close Internet of Things business after strategic U-turn
After some corporate soul-searching, technology minnow 365 Agile has decided to close its Internet of Things (IoT) business and become a cash shell.
Premier African Minerals agrees loan note funding as mines near drilling
As well as confirming that its RHA tungsten mine should hit its targeted rate next months, Premier African Minerals has arranged a £3. 5m round of new loan notes from investor Darwin Strategic Limited.
JPM ups Bodycote to 'neutral' , says 'underweight' thesis has largely played out
JPMorgan Cazenove upgraded Bodycote to ‘neutral’ from ‘underweight’ and lifted the price target to 605p from 565p, saying its UW thesis on the stock has largely played out.
Allied Minds secures debt funding and raises funds for drug programme
Venture capital-style investor Allied Minds has arranged a one-year debt facility Silicon Valley Bank in the US, while its drug discovery subsidiary has raised funds for its leading project from institutional investors.
UBS ups KAZ Minerals to 'buy' from 'neutral'
UBS upgraded KAZ Minerals to ‘buy’ from ‘neutral’ and lifted the price target to 270p from 150p saying it is now delivering on growth.
London pre-open: Stocks seen lower as attention turns to Jackson Hole
London stocks were set to open a little lower on Monday as investors look to Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen’s speech at Jackson Hole at the end of the week.
Polymetal approves expansion at Amursk POX plant
Polymetal International has approved the de-bottlenecking project at the Amursk POX plant that will expand capacity by around 50% in terms of concentrate processed.
Monday newspaper round-up: Brexit chaos, Nigeria oil, house prices, ITV-ETO
Leaving the EU may not not happen anytime soon given that civil servants charged with the task don’t yet have an office and hold meetings in Starbucks. Some estimates suggest “full Brexit” may take 10 years and involve up to 10,000 people, not only in the new and other so-called “hot” departments such as foreign, home, environment and business, but across the civil service nationally, at an administrative cost of close to £5bn. - The Guardian.