Market Report
Hammond pulls out of Mansion House speech, citing Grenfell Tower tragedy
Chancellor Philip Hammond has pulled out of giving his annual Mansion House speech in the City of London on Thursday evening, after the Grenfell Tower fire.
US import prices fall more quickly than expected in May
Import prices Stateside fell more than expected last month amid a large drag from declining fuel import costs.
US initial jobless claims drop more than expected
The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits fell more than expected last week, according to data from the Labor Department.
Empire State manufacturing improves more than expected in June
Business conditions in the New York region improved a lot more than expected in June, according to a survey from the New York Fed.
Hammond to push for soft Brexit and infrastructure boost, as DUP talks stumble
Chancellor Philip Hammond will make a case for avoiding a 'hard' Brexit and boosting investment in UK infrastructure projects, as he delivers his annual Mansion House speech to the City of London later on Thursday.
Philly Fed manufacturing deteriorates less than expected
Manufacturing conditions in the Philadelphia region deteriorated a little less than expected in June, according to a survey released on Thursday.
London midday: Stocks extend losses as pound pops higher on BoE split
London stocks dropped sharply just after midday on Thursday as the pound popped up after the Bank of England stood pat on interest rates, but with three rate-setters voting for an immediate 25-basis points increase.
Europe midday: Stocks hold lower as crude futures near key levels
European stocks were holding lower ahead of a raft of US economic data, with a further dip in crude oil futures weighing on sentiment even as traders digested the latest policy surprises from central banks.
Queen's speech delayed by two days, Commons leader confirms
The Queen's speech that will confirm the state opening of parliament has been pushed back to Wednesday 21 June, the leader of the House of Commons has announced.
MPC votes 5 to 3 to keep Bank Rate at 0.25%
The continued drop in the rate of unemployment prompted two more rate-setters on the Monetary Policy Committee to vote for an immediate 25 basis point increase in Bank Rate.
UK retail sales much worse than expected as households feel the pinch
UK retail sales shrank much more than expected in May, according to official data published on Thursday that shows how households are feeling the pinch from rising inflation and falling wages.
Asia report: Fed rate hike, Toshiba circus sends markets mostly lower
Markets in Asia were mostly lower on Thursday, as the region’s traders were the first globally to react to the Federal Reserve’s decision to hike interest rates for the second time so far this year.
US pre-open: Stocks set to drop after hawkish Fed
US futures pointed to a weaker open on Wall Street as investors digested a more hawkish than expected tone from the Federal Reserve.
Science in Sport made official nutrition supplier to British Triathlon
Sports nutrition company Science in Sport announced that it was now the official sports nutrition supplier to British Triathlon on Thursday, and would supply British triathletes across both the Olympic and Paralympic National Lottery-funded programmes, including Tom Bishop, Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee, Lucy Hall and Alison Patrick.
APQ Global says capital increase could raise between £20m and £25m
AIM-listed emerging markets growth company APQ Global said on Thursday that it could raise up to £25m if it went ahead with a capital raising to increase the size of the company.
Gemfields generates record sales at Montepuez auction
AIM-listed Gemfields generated record revenues from its auction of rough ruby extracted from the Montepuez ruby deposit in Mozambique.
June 2017 FOMC - Economists react
"As we look forward, there are unanswered issues/questions. The three recent rate hikes have been accompanied by lower bond yields and a significantly flatter yields curve. At what point does the Fed become concerned? The renewed inflation weakness is puzzling —the unemployment rate is at 4. 3%, a 16-year low, well-below the Fed’s estimate of the natural rate of unemployment, but wage increases remain modest even though there is mounting anecdotal evidence of pockets of labor market tightness and skill mismatches.
Heathrow hit by chaos again after baggage systems failure
Many passengers travelling from Heathrow on Thursday were forced to set off with only their hand luggage after the airport suffered a baggage systems failure.
Seeing Machines tech to protect FrechLinc drivers
Vision based human sensing technology development company Seeing Machines announced its first UK multi-year services contract on Thursday with FreshLinc, a large temperature controlled distributor.