Weekly review
The FTSE 100 ended the week down 838 points, at 6,566.00.
Equity view
London Stock Exchange posted a rise in full-year revenue and income on Friday as it said the acquisition of Refinitiv was on track to complete in the second half.
Property website Rightmove reported a rise in annual revenue and profit on Friday, driven by growth in its agency and new homes businesses.
Aerospace components and subsystems provider Meggitt has signed a contract with Bell Textron for an estimated value of $73m, it announced on Friday, to supply composite deicing propeller rotor blankets, heated spinners, fairings and pendulums to the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey helicopter.
IMI reported results ahead of market expectations on Friday, with revenue from continuing operations falling 2% on an adjusted basis to £1.87bn.
Rentokil posted a rise in full-year profit on Thursday as it benefited from an increasing presence in growth markets and higher levels of customer retention.
Building materials group Howdens Joinery reported a rise in annual pre-tax profits as it opened new depots, adding that it had lifted stock levels for products sourced from China due to the coronavirus.
Packaging and paper manufacturer Mondi reported a decline in full-year revenue on Thursday amid "challenging" trading conditions.
Hikma Pharmaceuticals reported a 6% improvement in group core revenue in its preliminary results on Thursday, to $2.2bn (£1.7bn).
Rio Tinto on Wednesday reported an 18% rise in full year underlying earnings on the back of soaring iron ore prices, offsetting lower shipments in 2019.
William Hill on Wednesday reported a fall in annual profits but at the top end of expectations as it continued to deal with the fallout from a UK government limit on slot machine stakes.
Taylor Wimpey reported a set of results in line with its expectations on Wednesday, with “clear progress” against its strategic priorities, even as its profits slipped.
HICL Infrastructure announced the acquisition of transmission assets associated with the Galloper Wind Farm off the coast of Suffolk on Wednesday.
AstraZeneca has agreed to sublicense its global rights to ‘Movantik’, or naloxegol, excluding Europe, Canada and Israel, to RedHill Biopharma, it announced on Tuesday.
Croda International's annual profit fell after the specialty chemicals company's sales were affected by a slower US personal care market and weak industrial demand.
Specialist materials maker Morgan Advanced Materials reported a rise in full year profits on margins boosted by better sales and cost efficiencies.
Property developer Hammerson held its 2019 dividend but said it would slash next year's payout as losses widened and valuations plunged in the face of the continuing High Street retail crisis.
Housebuilder Berkeley Group said on Monday that it will return approximately £1bn to shareholders over the next two years.
Bunzl reported a 1% improvement in its revenue at constant exchange rates in its final results on Monday, to £9.33bn, or 2.7% growth at actual exchange rates.
Precious metals miner Fresnillo said its $395m Juanicipio silver/gold joint venture in Mexico would now start ahead of schedule but reported a rise in equipment purchases and construction contract costs.
Ascential reported an improvement in revenue to £416.2m in its final results on Monday, up from £348.5m, making for reported growth of 19.4%.
Economic news
House prices rose at their fastest pace for 18 months in February as confidence recovered, Nationwide's survey of the market showed.
UK consumer confidence improved for the third month in a row in February as rising wages and house prices shored up sentiment, a widely read survey showed.
UK economic confidence continued to improve in February as business and consumer spirits rose amid less short-term political turmoil, a European Commission survey showed.
Heathrow’s third runway has been ruled illegal by the court of appeal as it found that the plans did not consider the UK government’s climate change commitments.
Shop prices continued to fall in February, research published on Wednesday showed, driven lower by weak consumer demand and stiff competition.
The Institute of Fiscal Studies said there needs to be a tax hike if the Chancellor wants to go ahead with excessive budget spending or he could risk breaking borrowing rules.
British companies are contributing only 3% of the Continent's €124bn of green spending and lag behind European companies when it comes to low-carbon investment.
Retailers are planning to ramp up investment this year, a widely-watched survey revealed on Tuesday, despite the poor start to 2020 extending into February.
The UK government should seek maximum access to EU markets when it sets out its position for trade talks, a survey of business leaders said.
The UK’s smaller towns are set to fall further behind big cities over the next three years when it comes to growth, said EY in its latest report.
International events
Hong Kong police arrested a top pro-democracy media tycoon in a crackdown on activists involved in the protests that paralysed the special administrative region in 2019.
The number of new confirmed coronavirus cases in the People's Republic of China fell again, reaching its lowest level since the outbreak began, according to the World's health watchdog.
The World Bank has been criticised for investing $55m in a fossil fuel project that involves oil extraction in Guyana after pledging to stop direct funding of the contaminating industry.
Jobless claims in the US edged slightly higher last week.
Germany's economic output stagnated in the fourth quarter of 2019 as exports from Europe's largest economy fell.
US house price gains picked up more strongly than expected at the end of 2019.
Digital bank Revolut tripled its value in its latest funding round to reach £4.2bn and became the UK’s most valuable fintech startup.
Equity and oil futures are pointing to a lower start to trading this week on the back of rising numbers of coronavirus cases in South Korea, Italy and Iran.
German business confidence held more or less steady in February, according to a widely-followed survey released on Monday.
Billionaire investor Warren Buffett said on Monday that people should not let the coronavirus panic influence their decisions when it comes to buying or selling stocks.