Market Pulse
Woodside Petroleum buys half of BHP´s Australian offshore LNG assets
Woodside Petroleum picked up half of BHP Billiton´s stake in the Scarborough natural gas field offshore Western Australia.
Asia report: Markets up after disappointing nonfarm report
Markets in Asia were higher on Monday, with investors expressing their relief as the prospect of a September US interest rate hike from the Federal Reserve dampened with the disappointing nonfarm payrolls report for August.
China service sector activity grows in August
China service sector activity growth accelerated in August as new orders expanded and employment stabilised, a private survey revealed on Monday.
Centrica signs new five-year LNG deal with Qatargas
British Gas owner Centrica has entered into a new five-year supply agreement with Qatargas for the purchase of up to 2m tonnes per annum of liquefied natural gas (LNG).
Zoopla rallies on Barclays upgrade
Zoopla got a boost on Monday as Barclays upgraded the stock to ‘overweight’ from ‘equalweight’ and lifted the price target to 335p from 250p ahead of the investor day on 15 September.
Europe open: Stocks nudge higher as investors continue to mull payrolls
European stocks nudged higher in early trade as investors continued to mull over the implications of Friday’s disappointing nonfarm payrolls report.
London open: Stocks flat as investors eye services data
London stocks wavered in early trade as investors sifted through some corporate news ahead of the release of services data.
Plus500 H1 results boosted by customer growth, Brexit volatility
Contracts-for-difference trading platform Plus500 reported a 25% jump in first-half revenue as net profit rose amid continued growth in active and new customers.
Breezhaler better than Seretide, says Vectura
Inhaled airways disease focused pharmaceuticals company Vectura Group confirmed an announcement from its alliance partner Novartis on Monday, that new analyses from the head-to-head FLAME study confirmed that Ultibro Breezhaler is a “more effective option” for patients at risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease flare-ups than Seretide.
Carr's to return £16m to shareholders after food division disposal
Agriculture, food and engineering firm Carr’s Group has sold its food division, Carr’s Flour Mills, to flour milling business Whitworths for £36m.
Wizz Air's passenger numbers rise 17% in August
Budget airline Wizz Air increased passenger numbers by 16. 6% in August as it announced new routes to and from several central and eastern European countries and launched a new website.
Carillion extends partnership with Centrica for £90m
Construction and maintenance company Carillion extended its partnership with utility firm Centrica for a further five years to deliver facilities management and project services, in a deal worth £90m.
Dechra Pharmaceuticals revenue up following acquisitions
Dechra Pharmaceuticals reported a jump in underlying profit for the year as revenue grew following a number of acquisitions.
Monday newspaper round-up: Brexit delay, UK fracking, BAE Systems
Banks are demanding up to five years to deal with the consequences of Britain’s departure from the European Union, a move that if successful could prompt accusations of favouritism and incur the wrath of those campaigning for a swift exit. Britain’s lenders are pressing to be allowed up to three further years to arrange their affairs for Brexit on top of the two-year period that will be triggered when Theresa May invokes Article 50. They say they need more time because of the complexities of having to move big operations away from the UK.
LondonMetric sells retail park, buys warehouse
LondonMetric Property announced on Monday that it has sold a retail park in Warrington for £6. 6m, at a net initial yield of 5. 4%, and acquired an 89,000 sq ft distribution warehouse in Hemel Hempstead for £8. 3m, at a net initial yield 6. 4%.
London pre-open: Stocks seen higher ahead of services PMI
London stocks were expected to open higher on Monday following an upbeat session in Asia, as investors eye the release of UK services data.
GlaxoSmithKline's Relvar Ellipta shows 'significant' test score for COPD
Tests of a GlaxoSmithKline respiratory drug have found a statistically significant reduction in the rate of attacks suffered by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients compared to when they receive the standard treatment.