Market Pulse
London close: Stocks jump as pound slips again
London stocks were in the black by the closing bell as the pound hit a three-week low against the dollar after Prime Minister Theresa May's shambolic speech at the Tory party conference a day earlier cast doubt over her ability to stay in power.
Europe close: Spanish stocks bounce back as Constitutional Court wades in again
Stocks ended the session mostly higher, led by a rebound in shares of Spanish lenders and strong demand for the country's bonds at three auctions.
Royal Mail workers to strike on 19-20 October
Royal Mail workers will go on a two-day strike later this month due to a dispute over pensions and pay, unions said on Thursday.
Friday preview: Will non-farm payrolls be a non-event this month?
Friday's prime market focus at this time of the month is US non-farm payrolls, but with the Federal Reserve nailed on for a December rate hike, there seems to be less hanging on the data this time.
Bombardier Celebrates Opening of New Rail Maintenance Depot in Italy
Canadian manufacturer Bombardier celebrated the opening of its new rail maintenance depot in Milan on Thursday as the firm looked to strengthen its European rail services offerings with rapid, 24/7 maintenance capabilities.
Boeing agrees to acquire drone maker Aurora Flight Sciences
Aerospace giant Boeing announced on Thursday that it would be buying its long-term partner Aurora Flight Sciences in an effort to diversify its portfolio further by adding futuristic technologies like the eVTOL flying taxi currently under development in conjunction with Uber.
JD Sports founders said to preparing Footasylum IPO
John Wardle and David Makin, founders of successful British retailer JD Sports, were reportedly gearing up to try and replicate their previous success at the London Stock Exchange by floating streetwear outlet Footasylum.
Thomas Cook pilots abandon strike action
Pilots working for Thomas Cook reached an agreement with the travel group to call off eight days of strike action planned throughout October.
Wood Group and Amec Foster W gain court approval for merger
The merger of John Wood Group and Amec Foster Wheeler was given final approval on Thursday as the High Court sanctioned the scheme of arrangement to enable the combination of the two oil engineers.
Spectra strikes 5-year K-cup deal with LMI Packaging
Authentication technology specialist Spectra Systems announced a five-year agreement with LMI Packaging Solutions of Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin on Thursday, to incorporate Spectra Systems authentication technology into LMI-produced coffee K-cup lids.
Accrol board warns of tough conditions, trading suspended
Independent tissue converter Accrol Group Holdings updated the market on its current trading for the financial year to 30 April 2018 on Thursday, reporting that it was currently experiencing “more challenging” trading conditions, which were having a significant effect on its trading performance.
US open: Stocks notch record highs again as investors digest data, Fedspeak
US stocks notched fresh record highs again in early trade on Thursday as investors digested a series of data releases and speeches from Federal Reserve officials.
Angle acquiring 'certain assets' of Axela in £3.7m deal
Liquid biopsy company Angle announced the conditional acquisition of certain assets of Axela on Thursday, for a total consideration of CAD 6. 15m (£3. 7m), together with a conditional placing and subscriptions to raise £12. 2m at 35p per new ordinary share.
Mountfield wins £1m Surrey works contract
Mountfield Group announced on Thursday that Designer M&E Services UK has awarded its subsidiary, Mountfield Building Group, a contract to the value of £1. 02m to provide architectural and building works on a 'turn-key' type basis to a four-storey office fit out as part of a large engineering project in Surrey.
Bezant raises £0.7m through share placement
Gold and platinum development company Bezant announced on Thursday that it has raised £0. 7m before expenses, through a conditional placement of 63,636,360 new ordinary shares at a price of 1. 1p per new ordinary share.
EVR's MelodyVR enters two deals with Jay-Z's Roc Nation
Virtual reality music content creator EVR Holdings announced on Thursday that its subsidiary MelodyVR has entered into two music licensing agreements with Roc Nation and Roc Nation Publishing.
US initial jobless claims drop more than expected
The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits fell more than expected last week, with hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria impacting the data, according to the Labor Department.
Ortac announces encouraging drilling results at Akyanga
Ortac Resources announced "encouraging" initial results from the first two diamond core drill hole assays undertaken by part-owned Casa Mining at the Akyanga gold deposit, in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
MBL requests trading suspension after resignation of director
Shares in MBL Group were suspended from trading at the company’s request on Thursday, after the resignation of Peter Palframan from its board.
e-Therapeutics 'well positioned' in big data space, says Edison
Edison Investment Research issued an update on UK-based drug discovery and development firm e-Therapeutics (ETX) on Thursday in which it said the company was "well positioned in the 'big data' space" after initiating its "robust business development plan. ".