Market Pulse
SigmaRoc applies for Channel Islands approval for LafargeHolcim acquisition
Construction investor SigmaRoc has applied to the regulatory authority in the Channel Islands to complete the reverse acquisition of construction supplier Ronez from a subsidiary of LafargeHolcim.
Federal regulator slaps further restraints on Wells Fargo
US bank Wells Fargo has been imposed with tighter regulations by a federal body in the country after admitting to fraudulently setting up accounts and credit cards in their customers' names.
HSBC upgrades recruiters on likely inflation boost
HSBC upgraded staffing groups Page, Hays and SThree to 'buy' ratings as the sector is seen as a key beneficiary of impending inflation.
WS Atkins slumps on Liberum downgrade
WS Atkins was under the cosh on Monday as Liberum downgraded the stock to ‘hold’ from ‘buy’ and cut the price target to 1,600p from 1,720p after the company’s first-half results last week.
Craven House Capital raises $3m in share placing
Craven House Capital has raised $3m in cash through a placing of 240,000 new ordinary shares at $12. 50 each to help further execute the company’s investment policy.
Facebook to create 500 new jobs with opening of London HQ
US tech giant Facebook has pledged to create over 500 jobs with the opening of its new London headquarters next year, in a sign that global companies are still not shying away from Britain in the aftermath of Brexit.
Capita secures £197m contract with Germany's mobilcom-debitel
Outsourcing group Capita has been selected as a strategic partner to deliver customer services for German telecoms company mobilcom-debitel in a seven-year contract expected to be valued at €230m (£197m).
Mitie delivers another profit warning, exits care business
As well as reporting a slide into losses in the first half and cutting its dividend, facilities management group Mitie said the second half should see an improvement but the full year turnout will still fall short of expectations.
Premaitha Health expands pre-natal test in Thailand
Premaitha Health has agreed to offer its IONA non-invasive pre-natal screening test to a medical centre in Bangkok.
BT/EE won't be able to bid in mobile spectrum auction, says Ofcom
Ofcom will auction 190 MHz of spectrum in the 2. 3 GHz and 3. 4 GHz bands next year – an increase of just under a third of the total mobile spectrum currently available – but BT/EE will not be able to bid as it already owns 45% of immediately–usable UK mobile spectrum.
Europe open: Stocks little changed but miners, energy issues gain
European stocks wavered in a tight range in early trade, although gains in the oil and gas and basic resources sectors lent some support.
London open: FTSE edges higher as commodities bounce back
Stocks were seeing slight gains in early trading on Monday as traders digested a panoply of political news out over the weekend amid a bounce in many key commodities as the US dollar took a step back.
Blue chip utility group offers to fund Plutus Powergen projects
AIM-listed power company Plutus Powergen has received an offer by one of the ‘big six’ utility groups to fund up to 20% of any 20MW renewable fuel or gas powered flexible energy projects going forward.
Earthport expands cross-border payments in India
Axis Bank has become the first Indian bank to use Earthport’s, cross-border payments service, following approval from the country’s central bank.
Essentra warns on profits after China softness and slow synergies
Essentra has cut its sales and profit guidance for the year due to delays in delivering projects, a “soft” Chinese market and the slow integration of an acquisition.
Bonmarche H1 revenue and profit down on weather, BHS
Clothing retailer Bonmarche reported a drop in revenue and profit for the 26 weeks to 24 September, attributing the decline in part to the weather and the fact that competitor BHS went into administration.
Chemring on track to meet FY expectations
Defence company Chemring said on Monday that it expects results for the year to the end of October to be in line with market views, with a slight upside from foreign exchange gains.
US close: S&P 500 higher for a second week even as trader book profits
Wall Street finished slightly lower as traders took profits ahead of the Thanksgiving Day Holiday-shortened week and after two top US central bank officials indicated their support for an interest rate hike, likely in December.
Allied Minds to develop thin films tech with Penn State
US science and technology developer Allied Minds has created a new subsidiary Vatic Materials, which has agreed to license certain materials technologies from Pennsylvania State University.
Helical sells One King Street for £34.5m
Helical has sold One King Street in Hammersmith, West London, to Orchard Street Investment Management UK for £34. 5m.