Market Report
FX round-up: Sterling dips on dollar, gains elsewhere ahead of BoE rates, inflation data
Sterling was modestly firmer against a basket of other key currencies on Tuesday but lost a little ground on an in-form US dollar, with cautious investors already looking to the Bank of England's fixtures on Thursday.
FTSE 250 movers: Vectura anticipates Advair letter, Travis Perkins hit by Grafton update
The FTSE 250 was on the front foot on Tuesday, with the index up 0. 5% to 19,832. 81 just before the close.
London close: FTSE jogs higher on miners as political risk jitters fade
Equities in London went for a jog higher on Tuesday thanks to gains in mining stocks and a subdued sterling, as jitters about political risk fade for the time being.
Europe close: Stoxx 600 hits 21-month high
European stocks have ended the day on the frontfoot despite renewed selling pressure on the euro and in crude oil futures, albeit with some traders expressing doubts about continued low levels of volatility.
Consumer spending data shows strong Easter boost
Further data emerged to confirm the strong lift to spending in April from the later Easter this year, according to figures from Barclaycard.
Liberal candidate Moon Jae-in wins South Korean presidential election
Moon Jae-in, a leftist liberal candidate, has won South Korea's presidential election following the impeachment of previous leader Park Geun-hye.
WPP agency buys e-commerce advisor
One of advertising behemoth WPP's digital agencies has looked to strengthen its e-commerce offering with the acquisition of Atlanta-based Marketplace Ignition.
Commodities: Oil accelerates lower as markets fret over Opec pledge extension
Crude-oil futures accelerated lower on Tuesday afternoon as markets fretted about the likelihood of cartel Opec extending its current production pledge.
US open: Big cap tech leads gains amid record-low volatility
Stocks on Wall Street are higher in early trading with investors looking forward to more Fedspeak amid a backdrop of renewed gains for big cap tech names and stock volatility at record lows.
FTSE 100 movers: Miners bounce back but utilities take a hit
London's FTSE 100 was up 0. 6% to 7,341. 46 in afternoon trade, with heavily-weighted mining stocks providing most of the upside as they bounced back from heavy losses in the previous session.
Tuesday broker round-up
Spirent Communications: Citigroup upgrades to Buy with a target price of 145p.
John Lewis sets aside £36m after minimum wage mistake
John Lewis said on Tuesday that it has set aside £36m to cover the costs of complying with national minimum wage regulations.
Goals Soccer Centres makes 'encouraging progress'
Investors in outdoor small-sided football centre operator Goals Soccer Centres gathered for the company’s annual general meeting on Tuesday, preparing to hear that the company had made “encouraging progress” despite there still being “much to do”, according to chairman Nick Basing.
LiDCO granted CE mark for latest product
Hemodynamic monitoring company LiDCO announced on Tuesday that it had been granted a CE mark for its latest product, the LiDCOunity v2, and would showcase it in Europe at the fifth ERAS World Congress, which was being held in Lyon, France from 10-12 May 2017.
Wednesday preview: ITV and TalkTalk results in focus, Draghi goes Dutch
ITV and TalkTalk results are under the spotlight for investors on Wednesday, while euro currency traders will be keeping an beady eye on Mario Draghi's speech in the Netherlands.
OptiBiotix signs commercialisation agreement with Nutralinea
Obesity, high cholesterol, diabetes and skin care-focussed life sciences business OptiBiotix Health announced on Tuesday that it agreed to grant a non-exclusive license agreement to Nutrilinea for the production and commercialisation of products containing OptiBiotix's LPLDL strain in Europe with a view to maximising the financial return for both parties.
Randall & Quilter proposes return of capital to shareholders
Specialist non-life insurance investor, service provider and underwriting manager Randall & Quilter issued an update to the market on Tuesday, confirming that a notice of an annual general meeting had been posted to shareholders, along with further details of a return of capital to shareholders.
AFC Energy expands into German power market
Industrial fuel cell power company AFC Energy announced on Tuesday that it is expanding its position into the German power market, following commencement of engineering works for the deployment of an initial 1MW proprietary fuel cell system at the Covestro Industrial Park Brunsbüttel, owned by Covestro Deutschland.
CMC Markets, IG and Plus500 welcome German regulator's restrictions on CFDs
CMC Markets, IG Group and Plus500 have welcomed the outcome of German financial regulator BaFin's consultation into the retail contracts-for-difference market, which requires the implementation of negative balance protection so that clients cannot lose more than their account balance.
UBS downgrades Card Factory after strong run
UBS downgraded Card Factory to 'neutral' from 'buy' following a strong run in the share price after better-than-expected Christmas trading.