Market Pulse
US central bank should be careful when raising rates, Fed's Kaplan says
One of the highest-ranking US central bank officials argued for caution when deciding on the pace of interest rate hikes.
FX round-up: Sterling drifts through Friday, uncertain of the path forward
Sterling drifted through mildly choppy Friday trade, uncertain of where to go next as the market continues to assess the more hawkish Bank of England and US Federal Reserve.
Broker tips: Wolseley, DFS Furniture
Liberum upgraded heating and plumbing products distributor Wolseley to ‘buy’ from ‘hold’ and bumped up the price target to 5,300p from 4,975p.
Berenberg cuts DFS target price on risk of weak UK consumer confidence
Analysts at Berenberg cut their target price for shares of DFS Furniture due to the risk that the soft UK environment might extend into the company's 2018 fiscal year.
Europe close: Investors hail progress on Greece
European stocks were modestly higher at the end of the week on the heels of progress overnight on debt relief for Greece.
FTSE 100 movers: Morrisons escapes grocery exodus, travel names fly
The FTSE 100 on Friday recouped some of the losses from the prior day but still finished the week worse off than when it started, and underperforming its smaller sibling as supermarket groups reeled in the wake of Amazon's roaring new blitz into the grocery sector.
Tourism stocks surge on strong UK travel data
UK tourism continues to boom thanks to the weak pound, enticing more visitors from around the world to the UK and strongly boosting spending.
US open: Amazon.com throws grocers into disarray amid derivatives expiry
Wall Street was mired in negative territory following weaker than expected economic data and after Amazon. com announced the takeover of Whole Foods amid the quarterly expiry of futures and options on shares and indices, the so-called 'quadruple witching'.
Three fined almost £2m for serious breach of emergency call network rules
Mobile network operator Three was handed down a mammoth fine of almost £2m on Thursday, after Ofcom discovered a serious weakness in its emergency call network.
Consumer sentiment sours after Comey testimony, University of Michigan says
Consumer sentiment in the States soured in the wake of ex-Federal Bureau of Investigation chief James Comey's Senate testimony, the results of the most widely-followed gauge of the consumer climate revealed.
Ergomed installing Dan Weng as new CEO
Specialised pharmaceutical services provider Ergomed announced the “strengthening” of its executive team with the appointment of Dan Weng as its new chief executive officer and a board director on Friday.
IAG's British Airways cabin crew call two-week strike
British Airways cabin crew have called a two week strike and alongside union Unite have threatened the International Consolidated Airlines Group carrier with legal action after 1,400 cabin crew were sanctioned for striking as part of a long-running pay dispute.
Commodities: Crude steals cautiously higher as market looks ahead to rig-count data
Crude-oil futures stole cautiously ahead Friday as the market awaits Baker Hughes rig data this afternoon, and despite the overall bearish sentiment surround the black liquid.
Marlower acquiring Advance Environmental in £2m deal
Support services group Marlowe announced on Friday that it had acquired Advance Environmental, which it described as a provider of water treatment and hygiene services based in Brackley, Northamptonshire.
Telit receives purchase order for LTE automotive modules
Technology company with a focus on the ‘internet of things’, Telit Communications, confirmed on Friday that it received the first purchase order from an unnamed emerging North American car original equipment manufacturer for its LTE Cat6 automotive-grade module.
FTSE 250 movers: Cobham up ahead of air show; Ocado drops
London’s FTSE 250 was up 1. 4% to 19,818. 68 in afternoon trade, recovering from heavy losses in the previous session as traders grabbed some bargains.
Greka Drilling picked by Indian state explorer for Bokaro project
Asia-focussed specialised unconventional oil and gas driller Greka Drilling announced on Friday that, further to its announcement on 6 April, it was awarded a Letter of Award (LOA) for a three-year drilling contract by Oil & Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) for that company’s Bokaro CBM asset in India.
Savannah receives positive advice from Oman authorities
Resource development company Savannah Resources announced on Friday that it had now received initial advice from the Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs on the environmental impact assessment (EIA) for the development of a processing plant and tailings facility for its Block 4 and 5 copper projects in Oman.
Amazon to buy Whole Foods in $13.7bn deal
Amazon has agreed to buy Whole Foods Market for $42 per share in cash, in a deal valued at around $13. 7bn.
Premaitha Health launches 'Sage' prenatal testing product
Molecular diagnostics group Premaitha Health announced the launch of ‘Sage’ on Friday, which it described as an non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) solution incorporating additional prenatal screening analysis tools.