Market Pulse
London midday: Stocks extend gains as miners jump on rising metals prices
London stocks extended gains by midday on Wednesday, helped along by a solid performance from the mining sector as copper and iron ore prices rallied, while sterling regained some poise.
Ingenta makes 'considerable progress' in combination plan
Software and services provider Ingenta made "considerable progress" in its business combination plan during its last trading year, enabling it to operate in a "more efficient and nimble manner" from now on.
Ophir Energy agrees to Medco takeover
Exploration and production group Ophir Energy has agreed to be taken over by Indonesia's Medco in a deal that values the company at around £390. 6m.
Solid State expects to 'comfortably exceed' market guidance
Computing products manufacturer Solid State now expects results for the year ended 31 March to "comfortably exceed" the market consensus.
Keras begins trucking ore from Nayega testwork programme
Mineral resource company Keras Resources has commenced the trucking of processed ore from its 10,000-tonne bulk sampling metallurgical testwork programme at the Nayega Manganese Project in northern Togo, it announced on Wednesday.
Tarsus Group enters into option agreement for rest of Tarsus Connect
Tarsus Group announced on Wednesday that its wholly-owned subsidiary Tarsus US Holdings, has entered into an option agreement to acquire the remaining 19. 9% minority interest in Tarsus Connect that it did not already own, from Connect Holdco.
Serabi Gold upbeat on outcome of recent drilling
Brazil-focussed gold mining and development company Serabi Gold announced on Wednesday that exploration drilling conducted on its wholly-owned Coringa gold project returned multiple high-grade gold intersections on the Serra, Meio and Galena ore zones of the deposit.
Consumers rein in spending as Brexit uncertainty looms large
Nervous British consumers spent sharply less on credit cards in December, choosing instead to save their cash or use it to pay down debts, official data showed on Wednesday.
Reach4entertainment buys stake in sports content supplier Buzz 16
Reach4entertainment has agreed to buy a 50% interest in sports content supplier Buzz 16 for an undisclosed sum.
Inspired Energy expects 22% profits growth
Energy procurement consultant Inspired Energy expects to turn in "another strong set of results" from its recently wrapped up trading year.
French GDP resilient to Yellow Vests, but Christmas spending hit
French economic growth in the final quarter of the year remained surprisingly resilient to disruptions from the Yellow Vests protests that have swarmed around the country.
Taptica in advanced talks to buy RhythmOne
Taptica confirmed on Wednesday that it is in advanced discussions with RhythmOne about a potential takeover of the company in an all-share deal.
London open: Stocks rise as pound recovers some poise; miners rally
London stocks rose in early trade on Wednesday, led higher by strength in the mining sector as investors mulled Brexit developments and eyed the latest round of trade talks between the US and China and a policy announcement from the Federal Reserve.
3i Infrastructure on track to deliver target dividend
Long-term infrastructure investor 3i Infrastructure updated the market on its third quarter on Wednesday, reporting that its portfolio overall continued to perform in line with expectations, and was delivering a good level of income.
Inmarsat signs GX Aviation contract with Indonesia's Garuda
Inmarsat has signed a contract to provide Indonesian national carrier Garuda with its GX Aviation inflight broadband, in partnership with wireless technology provider Mahata Aero Teknologi, Lufthansa Technik and Lufthansa Systems.
London pre-open: Stocks seen higher ahead of FOMC, trade talks
London stocks were set to rise at the open on Wednesday as investors eyed the latest round of trade talks between the US and China and a policy announcement from the Federal Reserve, and mulled over the latest Brexit developments.
Wednesday newspaper round-up: Sofa.com, house prices, Apple, tech giants
Mike Ashley could be about to make the leap from sportswear to sofa retailing with yet another takeover deal, this time of the online furniture specialist Sofa. com. The Sports Direct founder has been on a buying spree over the past year, snapping up struggling retail chains including House of Fraser and the bike specialist Evans Cycles amid a high street crisis. He is also currently in the running to acquire the collapsed entertainment chain HMV. – Guardian.