Market Report
Europe close: Stocks head into the weekend at their session lows
Stocks finished the session near their session lows following US president Donald Trump's pledge overnight to place tariffs on US imports of steel and aluminium, with a sharp gain for the Japanese yen adding to the volatile mix.
Week ahead: Investors braced for wave of risk events
Barring surprises, all eyes over the coming week will be focused on the latest monthly US jobs report, on Friday, especially on any sign of any further pick-up.
London close: Stocks drop amid trade jitters
London stocks finished the week at their session lows as the White House's pledge to slap tariffs on imports of steel and aluminium reverberated around the world.
Uncertainty extremely high ahead of Italian elections, Oxford Economics says
It's unlikely that the upcoming Italian elections will yield a coalition of populist parties, which would unsettle both financial markets and business leaders, but neither are they likely to prove the much-needed cauldron in which an ambitious pro-reform coalition is forged, said analysts at Oxford Economics.
US open: Stocks down across the board on 'trade war' talk
Trading on Wall Street followed another downbeat session with yet another on Friday, as news that the US will impose tariffs on steel and aluminium imports sparked fears of a trade war.
European Metals shares plummet amid Czech memorandum termination
European Metals Holdings attempted to alleviate shareholder concern after its shares fell over 20% on Friday following an announcement from the Czech government.
Morgan Stanley hikes target for Ashtead, but highlights 'maturity' of cycle
Analysts at Morgan Stanley hiked their target price on Ashtead but stayed at 'equalweight' on the shares due to the maturity of the current cycle.
FTSE 250 movers: Essentra rallies on results; IMI drops
London’s FTSE 250 was down 0. 7 to 19,416. 71 in afternoon trade on Friday.
Market buzz: 'Buy humiliation, sell hubris,' says BofA-ML
1556: Wall Street is continuing to skid lower, with the Dow Industrials down 1. 40% or 343. 83 points to 24,253. 69, the S&P 500 losing 0. 99% or 26. 37 points at 2,651. 67 and the Nasdaq Composite lower by 1. 05% or 73. 26 points to 7,107. 58.
US consumer sentiment at second-highest level in 14 years
Consumer sentiment in the US improved in February, to its second-highest level in 14 years, according to data form the University of Michigan.
Theresa May tells Brussels the time has come to face some 'hard facts'
Theresa May discussed what she referred to as a set of "hard facts" regarding Britain's departure from the European Union while delivering her next big Brexit speech at Mansion House in London on Friday.
Linda Palanza elevated to CEO at OneView
Digital point-of-sale, inventory management and enterprise promotions provider OneView Group announced on Friday that, as part of the board's succession planning, Linda Palanza - its current chief operations officer - has accepted the role of CEO, effective immediately.
FTSE 100 movers: Rentokil bounces back, Rio Tinto takes a hit
London’s FTSE 100 was down 1. 3% to 7,082. 13 in afternoon trade on Friday, as investors worried that US President Trump may have sparked a trade war and digested a Brexit speech by UK PM Theresa May.
Harvey Nash pleased with performance ahead of full results
Technology recruitment and outsourcing group Harvey Nash updated the market on its trading on Friday, in advance of its final results for the year ended 31 January, which the board said were expected to be in line with market expectations.
REACT Group gets another London hospital service contract
Rapid response deep cleaning and emergency decontamination services provider REACT Group announced on Friday that its subsidiary, REACT Specialist Cleaning, has signed an additional service contract with a major facilities company for the provision of deep cleaning services for an unnamed major London hospital - the same hospital as the initial contract announced on 11 September last year.
Broker Beaufort Securities declared insolvent by FCA
City broker Beaufort Securities and its clearing house, Beaufort Asset Clearing Services, have been declared insolvent by the Financial Conduct Authority.
Galileo Resources sees 'positive results' from Zambian drill programme
AIM-listed exploration and development company Galileo Resources has returned positive results from three of its first four drill holes at its Zambian Star Zinc project in Zambia.
Buy humiliation, sell 'hubris', say strategists at BofA-Merrill Lynch
Strategists at Bank of America-Merrill Lynch on Friday laid out their case in favour of a re-test of the S&P 500's recent lows, towards 2. 534.
Debenhams takeover chat grows louders as Sports Direct increases stake
Sports Direct talked about "huge value" combining online functions with Debenhams rather than takeovers as the Mike Ashley-run sports retailer upped its stake in the department store group to 29. 7%.
Sales volumes surge as Gear4music invests in expansion
Online musical instruments and equipment retailer Gear4music Holdings posted a year-end trading update for the 12 months ended 28 February on Friday, reporting a 43% increase in total revenue following continuing strong growth in the UK and Europe.