Market Pulse
Europe close: Stocks end the day at session lows
Stocks on the Continent finished near their worst levels of the day although losses were but a fraction of those seen on Wall Street overnight, as China sounded a positive note on the likelihood of being able to reach a trade deal with the US.
Commodities: Brent futures dip ahead of OPEC+ meeting
The energy space was in focus on Wednesday, ahead of the ministerial meeting of Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies scheduled for the following session.
Google's delivery drones to hit Europe next year
Google will test its drone delivery service in Finland next year, the company announced on Wednesday.
Broker tips: GlaxoSmithKline, Ted Baker, Pearson, Centrica
Barclays has cut GlaxoSmithKline to 'equalweight' from 'overweight' and trimmed the price target to 1,600p from 1,750p after the pharmaceuticals giant announced earlier in the week that it was selling its Horlicks business and other consumer health brands to Unilever for £3bn and buying US drug company Tesaro for $5. 1bn.
London close: Stocks drop even as risk of no-deal Brexit recedes
London stocks finished in the red on Wednesday, albeit with the pound clawing back some ground as some traders now saw a lower chance of a no-deal Brexit.
UBS downgrades Centrica on 'more balanced' risk/reward scenario
Analysts at UBS downgraded Centrica to 'neutral' on Wednesday, highlighting a "more balanced" risk/reward scenario in the wake of the FTSE 100 constituent's most recent trading update.
Disappointing results from Pearson rival bode badly, says Liberum
Liberum reiterated its 'sell' rating on education publisher Pearson on Wednesday, saying that disappointing second-quarter results from Barnes & Noble Education in the US provide warning signs.
EnQuest expects to meet FY production targets following Magnus acquisition
British oil and gas firm EnQuest said it was on target to meet full-year production targets following the completion of its acquisition of the Magnus oil field from BP.
Takeda's Shire takeover approved by both sets of shareholders
Takeda Pharmaceutical's £46bn takeover of London-listed pharmaceutical group Shire has been approved by both sets of shareholders on Wednesday.
Itaconix signs detergent agreement with Canada's New Wave
Sustainable specialty polymers provider Itaconix has signed a licence agreement with New Wave Global Services of Ontario, Canada for a new proprietary non-phosphate automatic dishwasher detergent formula based on its ‘Itaconix CHT’ polymer, it announced on Wednesday.
FTSE 100 movers: Ashtead slumps but housebuilders buck trend
London's FTSE 100 was down 1% at 6,949. 89 in afternoon trade on Wednesday amid Brexit uncertainty.
SIMEC Atlantis signs EUR 1m grant agreement
Sustainable energy generation company and technology developer SIMEC Atlantis has signed a grant agreement with EASME for €1m, to support its turbine development programme, it announced on Wednesday.
Faroe confirms commencement of Cassidy well
Independent oil and gas company Faroe Petroleum announced the commencement of the Cassidy exploration well 8/10-7 S in the Norwegian North Sea on Wednesday, where it has a 15% working interest.
Barclays downgrades Glaxo on Tesaro acquisition
Barclays has cut GlaxoSmithKline to 'equalweight' from 'overweight' and trimmed the price target to 1,600p from 1,750p after the pharmaceuticals giant announced earlier in the week that it was selling its Horlicks business and other consumer health brands to Unilever for £3bn and buying US drug company Tesaro for $5. 1bn.
Regal Petroleum reports mixed news from Vasyschevskoye
Oil and gas exploration and production group Regal Petroleum announced further testing results of the VAS-10 well located at its Vasyschevskoye (VAS) gas and condensate field in Ukraine on Wednesday.
Mereo BioPharma proposes merger with US-listed OncoMed
Bosses of AIM-listed rare disease company Mereo BioPharma and Nasdaq-listed OncoMed Pharmaceuticals have agreed a merger deal that would .
Europe midday: Stocks track losses overnight on Wall Street
Stocks on the Continent remain under selling pressure come midday although losses are but a fraction of those seen on Wall Street overnight as China sounded a positive note on the likelihood of being able to reach a trade deal with the US.
BT reportedly removing Huawei gear from mobile networks
BT is stripping Huawei equipment from its existing 3G and 4G mobile network, according to reports on Wednesday, with the company saying it was not going to use equipment from the Chinese manufacturer in its next-generation 5G network.
Asia report: Markets follow Wall Street onto downward slope
Markets in Asia were in negative territory at their respective closes on Wednesday, after rising concerns about a possible global slowdown and ever-present trade tensions fuelled a red Tuesday on Wall Street overnight.
Eco Atlantic Oil & Gas to commence drilling offshore Guyana in 2019
Eco Atlantic Oil & Gas confirmed on Wednesday that it will drill its first Guyanese exploration well at the Jethro-Lobe offshore prospect as part of its 2019 programme.