Market Pulse
London's homeless increase 13% in 2018
The number of homeless people in London rose by 13% in 2018 even as the total number of rough sleepers in England fell slightly.
Amazon finishes on the up but guidance disappoints
Online retail giant Amazon absolutely smashed both bottom and top line estimates out of the park on Thursday, but cautious guidance sent shares south in after-hours trading.
US close: S&P 500 wraps up best January in 32 years, Dow closes lower
US stocks turned in a mixed performance on Thursday as investors digested dovish comments from Fed chairman Jerome Powell and a slew of earnings from the likes of Facebook and Microsoft.
H&M profits miss expectations, shares tumble
Swedish retailer H&M’s stock fell 4% on Thursday morning after its fourth quarter results that missed forecasts.
Sector movers: Commodities and drink bubble up, banks in the red
Various commodities-focused sectors and drinks compnies were bubbling up on Thursday, while personal goods and banks kept a lid on things.
London close: Markets end mixed as sentiment wavers
London stocks were in a mixed state at the close on Thursday, as earlier sentiment - underpinned by a dovish statement from the Federal Reserve and solid results from the likes of Shell and Diageo - faded in the session’s final hours.
Director dealings: Softcat CFO lowers stake
Softcat chief financial officer Graham Charlton sold 36,215 ordinary shares in the FTSE 250 constituent.
Friday preview: US ISM, TalkTalk in the spotlight
The market spotlight on Thursday will fall on the monthly US non-farm payrolls report, which is expected to show 163,000 new hires for the month of January.
Broker tips: The Restaurant Group, Standard Life Aberdeen
RBC Capital Markets initiated coverage of Restaurant Group at 'outperform' with a 200p price target on Thursday, as it said the company has been "transformed" by the acquisition of Wagamama, which completed at the end of November.
FTSE 100 movers: Diageo and Shell rally on results but SLA hit by downgrade
London's FTSE 100 was up 0. 4% to 6,968. 31 in afternoon trade on Thursday, with solid results from Shell and Diageo providing a boost.
Euromoney appoints Leslie Van de Walle as chairman
Business information and events group Euromoney Institutional Investor has appointed Leslie Van de Walle as non-executive chairman with effect from 1 March.
US open: Mixed start to trading following dovish comments from Fed chair
Wall Street trading began on a mixed note on Thursday as investors digested dovish comments from Fed chairman Jerome Powell and a slew of earnings from the likes of Facebook and Microsoft.
Weekly US jobless claims jump on 'flawed seasonals'
Initial US jobless claims jumped last week as the impact from the partial federal government shutdown began to filtre through, hitting a one-year high in the process, but some economists put the rise down to "flawed seasonals".
US new home sales rise in November
Sales of new US single-family homes rose in November, according to data from the Commerce Department.
Trump says talks with China 'going well'
Trade talks between the US and China are progressing "well with good intent" but a final deal will have to wait until the American and Chinese presidents meet personally "in the near future", Donald Trump said.
Chicago PMI drops to two-year low in January
Economic activity in the Chicago area deteriorated much more than expected in January, according to figures released on Thursday.
Stock Spirits grabs grappa distiller
Vodka distiller Stock Spirits has acquired Italian grappa and sparkling wine maker Distillerie Franciacorta for up to €26. 5m, including adjoining land for the construction of a new production facility.
ValiRx allowed patents for VAL401 in Russia and China
Clinical-stage biotechnology company ValiRx announced on Thursday that the patent offices of Russia and China had both granted a patent allowance for its pre-clinical therapeutic compound, VAL301, subject to payment of the relevant fees.
Billington Holdings ends year in line with forecasts
Structural steel and construction safety company Billington Holdings updated the market on Thursday, saying it anticipated that its results for the year ended 31 December would be in line with market expectations.
Collagen Solutions signs new license agreement in Indonesia
Collagen Solutions has entered into a new license and distribution agreement for ‘ChondroMimetic’ with an Indonesian partner, PT Rajawali Mutiara Sejahtera, it announced on Thursday.