THE MOST READ
US close: Nasdaq jumps 2% as tech stocks surge
US stocks bounced back strongly on Friday with the Nasdaq surging more than 2% with the Magnificent Seven tech giants providing a huge boost following strong results from Microsoft and Alphabet.
London midday: NatWest tops risers as Footsie hits fourth record high of the week
Decent gains in the banking sector were providing a lift to UK equity markets on Friday following better-than-expected results from NatWest, sending the FTSE 100 to yet another all-time high.
London close: Stocks buoyed by banking, mining positivity
London's equity markets closed positively on Friday, buoyed by gains in the banking sector following better-than-expected results from NatWest.
Broker tips: NatWest, Pensionbee, Greggs
Shore Capital reiterated its 'buy' rating on bank NatWest after a forecast-beating first quarter but said it sees the least amount of upside potential in the stock compared with the wider banking sector.
US open: Stocks higher following March PCE reading
Wall Street stocks were in the green early on Friday as market participants digested key inflation data.
FTSE 100 movers: NatWest, Anglo up; Convatec falls on Peel Hunt downgrade
FTSE 100 (UKX) 8,132.15 0.66%
Anglo American rejects £31bn BHP offer as 'unattractive' for investors
Anglo American on Friday rejected an "opportunistic" £31bn bid from rival miner BHP, saying it significantly undervalued the company.
Darktrace agrees to be bought by Thoma Bravo in $5bn deal
Darktrace announced on Friday that the newly-formed Thoma Bravo entity, Luke Bidco, had agreed to acquire it in an all-cash deal.
Agronomics investee Solar Foods raises EUR 8m
Cellular agriculture investor Agronomics announced on Friday that its portfolio company Solar Foods had raised an additional €8m through Finnish investment organiser Springvest.
London open: Banking and mining stocks lift FTSE 100 to new heights
London's FTSE 100 raced ahead of the 8,100 level on Friday morning, helped by strong results from NatWest and decent gains in the mining sector provided a lift.
Weekly review
The FTSE 100 ended the week up 243.98 points, or 3.09%, closing at 8,139.83 on Friday.
FTSE 250 movers: Darktrace surges on Thoma Bravo bid; WH Smith down again
FTSE 250 (MCX) 19,788.28 0.95%
Redde Northgate to change name to Zigup
Redde Northgate is seeking approval to change its name to Zigup, the mobility specialist confirmed on Friday.
Berenberg hikes target price on Greggs
Analysts at Berenberg raised their target price on bakery chain Greggs from 3,550.0p to 3,990.0p on Friday as it noted that customer appeal had broadened as its market share was expanding.
London pre-open: FTSE 100 to top 8,100 early on
UK stocks are expected hit more record highs on Friday as investors continued to digest another round of corporate earnings ahead of some crucial economic data from the US later on.
Thousands of UK firms fighting for survival - Begbies Traynor
More than half a million UK business are fighting for survival, according to an industry research published on Friday, weighed down by the weak economy.
US PCE rises to 2.7% in March, ahead of estimates
The US personal consumption expenditure rate rose to 2.7% in March, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, up from 2.5% in February and higher than the 2.6% expected by economists, suggesting that inflationary headwinds were still building.
Friday newspaper round-up: Microsoft, mortgage rates, Boeing, Alphabet, Trump
Microsoft beat Wall Street estimates for its third-quarter revenue last night, driven by gains from artificial intelligence adoption across its cloud services and business software products. The company said its revenues had risen to $61.9 billion, up by 17 per cent and exceeding the $60.8 billion, or 15 per cent rise, that had been forecast. Its net income was $21.9 billion, up by 20% from the year before. - The Times
ITM Power inks strategic partnership with Hygen
ITM Power announced a strategic partnership with Hygen on Friday, designating it as the preferred supplier of proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysers for hydrogen projects in the UK and across Europe.
Shares in CVC jump on market debut
Shares in CVC Capital Partners sparked on Friday, as trading got underway in the European private equity firm.
Tekcapital's Innovative Eyewear enters deal with New Look Vision
Intellectual property investor Tekcapital announced on Friday that its investee Innovative Eyewear, the developer of ChatGPT-enabled smart eyewear under various brands, was launching its ‘Lucyd’ smart frames in 10 selected New Look Vision Group stores across Quebec and at New Look’s online store.
US pre-open: Futures higher ahead of Friday's PCE reading
Wall Street futures were in the green ahead of the bell on Friday as market participants looked ahead to some key inflation data later in the session.
Shore Capital rates NatWest a 'buy', but upside limited
Shore Capital has reiterated its 'buy' rating on UK banking group NatWest after a forecast-beating first quarter, but said it sees the least amount of upside potential in the stock compared with the wider banking sector.
GCP Infra offloads Blackcraig Wind Farm assets for £31m
GCP Infrastructure Investments announced the successful disposed of its interest in loan notes secured against the Blackcraig Wind Farm in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland on Friday.
Friday preview: US inflation data, NatWest Group in the spotlight
Financial markets' attention at the end of the week would be squarely on the latest inflation data out of the States.