Market Report
Europe close: Stocks start month on front foot
European stocks started June on a positive note on the back of better-than-expected economic data out on the continent and in the States.
FX round-up: Sterling plugs away to mixed Thursday as traders eye polls
Sterling plugged away to a mixed Thursday performance as traders uneasy about the upcoming UK general election and Brexit looked to polls for trading direction.
London close: FTSE clings to range-bound gains in positive start to June
Stocks in London clung to their gains after a largely range-bound session that benefited from better-than-expected manufacturing data and amid continuing UK election jitters.
Director dealings: Card Factory CFO sells major chunk
Card Factory's finance director Darren Bryant and his family sold £13. 2m of shares in the greetings card retailer as they regained a 12-month high.
FTSE 250 movers: Inmarsat rockets, FirstGroup tracks lower
The FTSE 250 shot up towards new all-time highs on Thursday before a mid-morning dip swept away some of the early froth.
Lekoil receives payment for first shipment from Otakikpo
Africa-focussed oil and gas exploration, development and production company LEKOIL announced on Thursday that it received payment for its first cargo lifted from the Otakikpo Marginal Field in OML 11, announced on 10 May.
Tern appoints Ian Ritchie as non-executive chairman
Internet-of-things specialised investment company Tern announced the appointment of Ian Ritchie CBE as its non-executive chairman on Thursday, with effect from 1 June.
Lighthouse Group gets approval for its sponsored master trust
National financial advisory company Lighthouse Group announced the approval and listing of its sponsored master trust by the Pensions Regulator on Thursday.
IQE US division selected for Raytheon 'EPIC Award'
Advanced semiconductor wafer manufacturer IQE announced on Thursday that its US operations had been selected as a 2017 Raytheon Supplier Excellence Program EPIC Award winner.
Commodities: Crude gets a shove higher as US stores fall more than expected
Crude-oil futures got a shove higher on Thursday afternoon as another set of data showed a decline in US stores of the black liquid last week.
FTSE 100 movers: 3i boosted by Barclays note; Mediclinic hit by CS downgrade
London's FTSE 100 was up 0. 3% to 7,541. 13 in afternoon trade.
Touchstone outlines reasons for rejecting IP merger proposal
David Newlands, chairman of the board at Touchstone Innovations, wrote to shareholders on Thursday outlining a number of concerns over a recent approach from IP Group to combine the two businesses.
Credit Suisse downgrades Mediclinic over soft margins, volumes
Mediclinic International's litany of long-term margin challenges and slower medium-term volume growth in Abu Dhabi were behind Credit Suisse slashing its earnings forecasts and downgrading its recommendation to 'neutral'.
Markit's US manufacturing PMI falls to eight-month low in May
US manufacturing activity slipped to an eight-month low in May, according to figures released on Thursday.
US manufacturing sector unexpectedly expands in May - ISM
Growth in the US economy's manufacturing sector unexpectedly improved in May, according to the US Institute for Supply Management.
Rose Petroleum grants extension over possible disposal
Natural resources business Rose Petroleum updated the market on Thursday, on the potential disposal of the company's mineral processing mill operation in San Dieguito de Arriba, Nayarit, Mexico and its associated assets, licenses and agreements to Magellan Gold Corporation, as it initially announced on 6 March.
Inmarsat surges on SoftBank tie-up report
Shares in Inmarsat rocketed on Thursday following a report that the satellite communications services provider is in talks with Japan's SoftBank about a possible tie-up.
Smiths Group to sell trace detection business
Smiths Group has agreed to sell the explosive trace detection business formerly owned by Morpho Detection to OSI Systems Inc for an enterprise value of $75. 5m.
Friday preview: Non-farm payrolls to seal US rate hike decision
Friday this week is non-farm payrolls day, with very little in the way of corporate news on the UK calendar.
US job growth flies past forecasts in May, ADP says
US job growth zoomed past economists' forecasts in May, led by strong gains in service sector hiring.