Market Pulse
London close: Stocks rise as US PCE inflation slows
London stocks closed higher on Friday as investors digested a slowdown in the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation measure.
Learning Technologies 'minded to recommend' takeover bid from General Atlantic
Learning Technologies surged on Friday as it confirmed it had received a conditional takeover approach from US private equity investor General Atlantic that it would be minded to recommend.
Director dealings: Wizz Air director makes share purchase
Wizz Air revealed on Friday that non-executive director Anthony Radev had acquired 6,150 ordinary shares in the London-listed budget carrier.
Rightmove tells shareholders to 'take no action' over £6.2bn REA offer
Rightmove responded to a fourth unsolicited and “highly conditional” acquisition proposal from REA Group on Friday afternoon, urging shareholders to take no action while it considered the deal.
FTSE 100 movers: Prudential rallies again; Flutter gives back some gains
London’s FTSE 100 was up 0. 5% at 8,328. 07 in afternoon trade on Friday.
US open: Dow Jones records solid gains following PCE report
Wall Street stocks were higher early on Friday following a solid session for the Dow Jones on Thursday.
Ceres Power underlying losses narrow on 'strong' H1 revenue growth
Fuel cell technology group Ceres Power said on Friday that it had delivered "strong growth" in revenue and order intake in the six months ended 30 June, along with a "significant reduction" in cash outflows.
CMA clears Amazon’s partnership with Anthropic
The Competition and Markets Authority said on Friday that it had cleared Amazon’s artificial intelligence partnership with San-Francisco based AI start-up Anthropic.
UK retail sales nudge higher in September - CBI
Retail sales edged higher in September, an industry survey showed on Friday, boosted by strong online demand.
US PCE growth slows to 2.2pc in August
Inflation inched closer towards the Federal Reserve's target last month, according to the Commerce Department, paving the way for future interest rate cuts.
Roebuck reports revenue increase as it works on new strategy
Roebuck Food Group reported first-half revenue of £5. 97m on Friday - a significant increase from £1. 66m in the same period last year.
US pre-open: Futures slightly lower ahead of PCE reading
Wall Street futures were slightly lower ahead of the bell on Friday following a solid session for the Dow Jones on Thursday.
Mindflair swings to first-half profit
Mindflair reported a first-half profit of £1. 64m on Friday, swinging from a loss of £0. 51m in the same period last year, driven by strong performance in its AI-related investment portfolio.
Emmerson reports progress on Khemisset Potash Project
Emmerson updated the market on the development of its Khemisset Potash Project in Morocco in its interim results on Friday, having submitted an updated environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA) in the second quarter, incorporating optimisations from the Khemisset multi-mineral process (KMP).
AdvancedAdvT revenue, earnings to meet half-year expectations
International software provider AdvancedAdvT said in an update on Friday that it was expecting group revenue to reach £19. 5m for the six months ended 31 August.
London midday: FTSE gains as China stocks enjoy best week since 2008
London stocks had extended gains by midday on Friday as Chinese markets enjoyed their best week since 2008 on the back of stimulus measures, and as investors eyed the release of the Federal Reserve’s favourite gauge of inflation.
OptiBiotix reports 21pc decline in first-half revenue
OptiBiotix Health reported a 21. 3% decline in revenue to £0. 28m for the six months ended 30 June on Friday, compared to £0. 35m in the same period last year.
Berenberg raises target price on DFS Furniture
Analysts at Berenberg slightly raised their target price on retailer DFS Furniture from 110. 0p to 120. 0p on Friday as it said the market share competition was "heating up".
REA urges Rightmove board to engage with it over £6.2bn fourth offer
REA Group urged the board of Rightmove to engage with it on Friday, as it made a fourth non-binding proposal to acquire the company, valuing it at £6. 2bn.
Haleon ups stake in China joint venture to 88%
Haleon said on Friday that it has agreed to buy an additional 33% interest in Tianjin TSKF Pharmaceutical - its joint venture in China - from its partners Tianjin Pharmaceutical Group (TPG) and Tianjin Pharmaceutical Da Ren Tang Group Corporation (DRTG) for RMB4,465m (circa£0. 5bn).