Market Pulse
Egypt announces shift towards floating exchange rate
Egypt´s central bank announced its decision to switch towards a semi-floating exchange rate in a bid to alleviate a 'credit crunch' in the country.
South32 buys Australian Metropolitan colliery from Peabody
South32 has agreed to acquire the Metropolitan Colliery, an underground metallurgical coal operation and associated interest in a nearby port terminal, for US$200m from beleaguered US giant Peabody Energy.
Deutsche Bank upgrades G4S on 'positive' Q3 update
G4S rallied for the second day in a row as Deutsche Bank upgraded the stock to ‘hold’ from ‘sell’ and lifted the price target to 220p from 180p following the company’s “positive” third-quarter update on Wednesday.
Smith & Nephew third-quarter revenue up 2%
Medical devices group Smith & Nephew, which makes artificial hips and knees, posted a rise in third-quarter revenue thanks to solid performances in the sports medicine joint repair and knee implants divisions.
Asia report: Markets mixed as Fed stands pat
Markets in Asia were mostly mixed on Thursday, as oil prices surged during the session and the dollar weakened against the region’s major trading currencies.
US pre-open: Stocks set for muted open ahead of data; Facebook slumps
US futures pointed to a muted open on Wall Street as investors looked ahead to a slew of data releases, with Facebook under the cosh.
Eurasia Mining capitalises on Sino-Russian relations
Russia’s Eurasia Mining, has provided updates on its three projects, all with the common aim of gaining from Chinese custom.
Spirent Communications operating profit drops in Q3
Spirent Communications reported a drop in operating profit in the third quarter as revenue declined but the group said it was on track to meet full-year expectations.
Trump and Clinton launch more attacks in Wednesday campaigning
Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump cranked up the pressure on Wednesday during an intense day of campaigning in key battleground states, with only five days remaining until the candidates learn their fate.
Eurozone unemployment rate lowest since 2011 in September
The eurozone unemployment rate was steady in September at its lowest level in more than five years, according to the latest figures from Eurostat, in line with analysts’ expectations.
UK services sector delivers surprise output increase
UK services activity spiked surprisingly in October, a closely followed survey revealed on Thursday, as the sector recorded the highest input prices in the report's history.
Rosslyn Data wins $400,000 US contract
AIM-listed Rosslyn Data Technologies’ business Rosslyn Analytics has won a two-year $400,000 contract with a US global media company to use its cloud analytics platform.
Eckoh poaches PayPoint's Chrissie Herbert for CFO
AIM-listed secure payment provider Eckoh appointed PayPoint’s Chrissie Herbert as its new chief financial officer.
Zoo Digital swings to profit in first half
Zoo Digital said on Thursday that it swung to a pre-tax profit in the six months to the end of September as revenue grew 18%.
Shire rallies on Merrill, Citi notes
Shire got a boost on Thursday as Bank of America Merrill Lynch added the stock to its ‘Europe 1’ list with a ‘buy’ rating and 6,970p price target, saying the shares are too cheap.
Credit Suisse cuts Next to 'underperform', slashes price target
Credit Suisse downgraded retailer Next to ‘underperform’ from ‘neutral’ and slashed the price target to 4,600p from 4,950p.
Facebook triples profits as advertising share rockets
Social media giant Facebook Inc reported a huge increase in its profits for the third quarter, thanks to a sharp jump in advertising revenues as traditional publishers see companies flocking to Mark Zuckerberg's site.
Wizz Air passenger numbers soar as bases expand to 26
Wizz Air Holdings, the low cost airline focused on Central and Eastern European, transported 18. 2% more passengers in October than the previous month as it extends its reach to more countries.
GVC Holdings to pay special dividend ahead of schedule
Sports betting company GVC Holdings is to pay a special dividend ahead of schedule following two acquisitions and positive trading for the year so far.