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BT impresses with cost-savings plan despite profit slump
Telecoms giant BT saw shares pop on Thursday despite reporting a 31% drop in annual profits in the year to 31 March, as the company laid out plans to save £3bn of costs a year by the end of the decade.
Japan GDP contracts more than expected, clouds BoJ rate plans
Japan’s economy unexpectedly shrank in the first quarter as consumers tightened their belts in response to stagnant wage growth, companies cut spending and exports fell.
AstraZeneca's Covid drug meets trial endpoints
AstraZeneca said on Thursday that its investigative drug sipavibart had shown positive results in preventing Covid-19 in vulnerable patients.
Sage confident after robust first half
Shares in Sage Group were in the red at the open on Thursday, even after the company reported a robust first-half performance, with underlying total revenue rising 10% to £1. 15bn.
Vistry lifts housebuilding target as forward sales surge
Vistry lifted its annual homebuilding target to more than 18,000 driven by a 10% year-on-year rise in forward sales.
Watches of Switzerland 'cautiously optimistic' as Q4 sales rise 4%
Luxury timepiece retailer Watches of Switzerland on Thursday said it was “cautiously optimistic” about future trading after a 4% rise in sales in the final quarter of its financial year driven by the US.
EasyJet chief to step down next year
EasyJet chief executive Johan Lundgren is to step down after more than seven years in the role, the budget carrier said on Thursday.
Premier Foods full-year results beat expectations
Mr Kipling owner Premier Foods said on Thursday that its full-year performance was ahead of expectations and it returned to volume growth in the fourth quarter.
London pre-open: Stocks seen up after positive US close
London stocks were set to rise at the open on Thursday following a positive close on Wall Street, amid a deluge of corporate news.
BT posts fall in profits, Sage reports first half growth
London open The FTSE 100 is expected to open 22 points higher on Thursday, having closed up 0. 21% on Wednesday at 8,445. 80.
Thursday newspaper round-up: JCB, M&S, smart meters
The British digger maker JCB, owned by the billionaire Bamford family, continued to build and supply equipment for the Russian market months after saying it had stopped exports because of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, the Guardian can reveal. Russian customs records show that JCB, whose owners are major donors to the Conservative party, continued to make new products available for Russian dealers well after 2 March 2022, when the company publicly stated that it had “voluntarily paused exports” to Russia.
US close: Stocks higher following CPI reading
Wall Street stocks closed higher on Wednesday as market participants digested April's all-important consumer price index report.