Market Report
Sector movers: Investors in 'defensives' breathing easier, at least for now
Defensive issues led the way higher on Thursday despite it being an up day for FTSE 350 stocks, possibly denoting underlying caution on the part of investors.
US close: Dow extends winning streak into third day on reports of Mexican tariff reprieve
US stocks closed higher on Thursday, drawing a close to a tumultuous session on the Street and extending their rally to a third straight day.
Friday preview: US May non-farm payrolls squarely in focus
The focus at the end of the week will be squarely on the US non-farm payrolls report for the month of May.
Europe close: Stocks end on a mixed note despite 'dovish' ECB
Stock markets on Continent finished the session on a mixed note as some traders expressed disappointment at what they said was a less dovish than expected policy decision from the European Central Bank.
Broker tips: Mitchells & Butlers, Stobart, Ideagen
Mitchells & Butlers shares are "cheap as chips", Berenberg said on Thursday as it bumped up its stance on the stock to buy' from 'hold' and lifted the price target to 360p from 265p.
Results round-up
Home shopping company Findel reported a jump in full-year profit and revenue on Wednesday, thanks in part to a solid performance form Studio, its online value retailer.
Google to buy data company Looker in $2.6bn deal
Google has agreed to buy business intelligence, data applications and embedded analytics platform Looker in a $2. 6bn cash deal.
Canaccord raises price target on 'confident' Ideagen
Analysts at Canaccord Genuity raised their target price for British software firm Ideagen from 160p to 170p on Thursday, citing the group's "confident" growth outlook and an "attractive" valuation as their reasoning.
Jefferies initiates coverage on Stobart at 'buy'
Analysts at Jefferies initiated coverage on Southend Airport owner Stobart at 'buy' on Thursday, saying that progress on several fronts might drive the shares higher.
London close: Shares extend gains with central banks and trade in focus
London stocks extended their gains amid slight optimism on global trade even as the European Central Bank warned of the impact that trade protectionism might have, saying that rate-setters in Frankfurt had discussed various contingency plans, including the possible re-start of its quantitative easing programme.
Director dealings: Pets At Home CEO offloads shares
Pets At Home revealed on Thursday that chief executive Peter Pritchard had disposed of 23,683 ordinary shares in the FTSAE 250-listed retailer.
US trade deficit slightly higher than forecast in April, March revised up
America's shortfall on trade with the rest of the world shrank slightly in April amid a decline in both exports and imports.
ECB's Draghi says no one talking about recession, QE restart considered
The European Central Bank pushed back on expectations for the date of its first rate hike, judging that an "ample degree" of monetary policy stimulus was still needed, given the uncertainty around geopolitics, trade protectionism and vulnerabilities in emerging markets.
FTSE 250 movers: Just Group slides, Entertainment One surges
London's FTSE 250 was flat in afternoon trade on Thursday, inching just 0. 01% lower to 19,139. 81, with specialist retirement services provider Just Group leading the index's fallers.
US open: Stocks head south with trade tensions back in focus
Wall Street stocks turned red at the open on Thursday, threatening to put a halt to two days of stellar gains.
Trump to decide on extra $300bn of China tariffs in two weeks
US President Donald Trump threatened China with an extra $300bn tariffs on Chinese imports on Thursday and that a decision might come in the "next two weeks", but added that he believes China wants a trade deal.
FTSE 100 movers: Tobacco stocks rally; ex-divs weigh
London's FTSE 100 was up 0. 5% at 7,258. 89 in afternoon trade on Thursday.
Rise in first quarter US unit labour costs revised sharply lower
US labour costs fell more quickly than expected at the start of 2019, as the rate of increase in hourly compensation was revised lower.
Bank of Russia governor says rate cut 'possible'
The governor of the Bank of Russia has confirmed that an interest rate cut is possible when the central bank next meets.
Contactless payments continue to outweigh cash spending
The popularity of contactless payments rose in the UK last year, while the use of cash continued to decline.