Market Pulse
Huddled Group buys Food Circle for £0.3m
E-commerce investor Huddled Group announced the acquisition of online retailer Food Circle Supermarket on Friday, for total consideration of up to £0. 3m.
Asia report: Most markets lower as China's exports fall short
Asia-Pacific markets finished in a mixed but primarily lower state on Friday, as investors assessed fresh economic data from Singapore and South Korea.
FCA tells motor finance firms to maintain their funding levels
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) wrote to motor finance firms on Friday, stressing that they must maintain adequate financial resources at all times.
SigmaRoc delivers 'solid' Q1 performance
Limestone group SigmaRoc said on Friday that it had delivered a "solid Q1 performance", with underlying earnings in line with management expectations.
Samsung in line to secure $6bn in US government grants
Electronics giant Samsung will unveil a $44. 0bn White House programme aimed at bringing semiconductor production back to America as soon as next week, with the memory chip maker in line to secure up to $6. 0bn in government grants.
Societe Generale sells Moroccan unit to Saham Group
French bank Societe Generale has agreed to sell the majority of its Moroccan arm to Saham Group for €745. 0m as it forges ahead with chief executive Slawomir Krupa's plan to streamline the business.
RBC Capital upgrades Taylor Wimpey, downgrades Berkeley
RBC Capital Markets upgraded Taylor Wimpey on Friday but downgraded Berkeley as it took a look at the two UK housebuilders.
London open: Stocks rally after GDP data, ahead of US earnings
London stocks rose in early trade on Friday as the latest GDP data suggested the UK recession had ended and as investors eyed the start of US earnings season.
Petrofac in talks over finances as it seeks contract guarantees
Petrofac said in an update on Friday that negotiations over tis finances were ongoing, as it remained in discussions with its lenders to restructure its debt, aiming for a substantial portion of the debt to be converted into equity.
UAE’s ADNOC said to have recently considered BP takeover
The United Arab Emirates' state-owned oil company recently considered buying BP but the deliberations did not progress beyond preliminary discussions, according to a report.
UK GDP grows 0.1% in February
The UK economy grew a touch in February, according to figures released on Friday by the Office for National Statistics.
London pre-open: Stocks seen up as investors mull GDP data
London stocks were set to rise at the open on Friday as investors mulled the latest UK GDP data and eyed the start of US earnings season.
Friday newspaper round-up: Everton, AstraZeneca, Amazon
Everton has paid about £30m in interest charges to an opaque lender associated with a tax exile, corporate records suggest. The charges appear to have reached about £438,000 a week, according to the troubled Premier League club’s most recent set of accounts, a figure more than three times the reported wages of the Everton and England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford. – Guardian.