THE MOST READ
Sunday newspaper round-up: Darktrace, National Insurance, Royal Mail
An aura of mystery continues to linger over whether the biggest of Darktrace's shareholders are prepared to support Thoma Bravo's £4.2bn takeover. Among those is Mike Lynch, who is currently facing trial in the US over fraud claims linked to executive search software outfit Autonomy. Also unclear is the position of the Darktrace Employee Benefit Trust, which owned just under 8% of the company's shares. The trust is managed by Equiniti, which has nothing to do with the decision. - The Financial Mail on Sunday
Sunday share tips: Spectra Systems, Domino's Pizza
The Sunday Times's Lucy Tobin spied an opportunity in shares of Domino's Pizza.
U.S. non-farm payroll growth slows to just 175,000 in April
Hiring in the U.S. slowed by noticeably more than expected in April, alongside lower than expected wage growth.
Broker tips: Shell, Standard Chartered, Team 17, AJ Bell
RBC Capital Markets has raised its forecasts for Shell and kept an 'outperform' rating, saying the business was "firing on most cylinders" in the quarter.
London close: Stocks rise as US payrolls come in weaker
London markets closed positively on Friday, as investors digested slower-than-expected payrolls growth in the US, while Anglo American jumped amid anticipation of a potential bidding war for the mining giant.
Week ahead: Bank of England, euro area services PMIs in focus
Investors' focus over the coming week would shift back to the UK as rate-setters met to decide on monetary policy.
Europe close: Stocks end mixed after 'Goldilocks' US jobs data
European shares ended the Friday session on a mixed note despite an April jobs report out of the US that saw traders price back in a second interest rate cut for 2024.
Shell's Q1 performance "encouraging", says RBC
RBC Capital Markets has raised its forecasts for Shell and kept an 'outperform' rating, saying the business was "firing on most cylinders" in the quarter.
Tekmar sells Subsea Innovation in £1.9m deal
Tekmar Group announced the sale of Subsea Innovation (SIL) to Unique Group on Friday, through its subsidiary Unique System UK, for a total cash consideration of £1.9m.
Accrol agrees to final offer of £130.8m from Navigator Paper
Tissue maker Accrol Group said on Friday that it has agreed to be taken over by Navigator Paper after it made an improved and final offer that values the company at £130.8m.
Trainline shares surge on profits, Labour plan to ditch app
Shares in online rail ticket platform Trainline surged on Friday as it reported better-than-expected revenue along with a sharp jump in annual sales and profits, driven by competition for passengers in Spain and Italy.
TGI Fridays owner Hostmore narrows FY losses
TGI Fridays owner Hostmore said on Friday that it had reduced its annual losses in a "transitional" year.
Norway holds rates steady as expected
Norway's central bank kept interest rates on hold at 4.50% on Friday, in line with expectations, adding that a tight monetary policy stance may be necessary longer than planned to curb inflation.
Director dealings: Cohort CEO makes share sale
Cohort revealed on Friday that chief executive Andrew Thomis had disposed of 3,792 ordinary shares in the AIM-listed management consultant.
FTSE 100 movers: Anglo rallies on Reuters report; IHG slumps
London’s FTSE 100 was up 0.5% at 8,209.34 in afternoon trade on Friday.
US open: Stocks sharply higher following NFP data
Wall Street stocks were firmly in the green early on Friday as market participants digested some key jobs data.
Asda refinances £3.2bn of debt
Asda said on Friday that it has successfully refinanced more than £3.2bn of its debt, pushing out the majority of its maturities into the next decade.
London open: Stocks rise ahead of non-farm payrolls
London stocks rose in early trade on Friday following solid sessions in Asia and on Wall Street, as investors eyed the latest US non-farm payrolls report.
Polarean gets new polariser order from Cincinnati Children's
Polarean Imaging announced a new polariser order to replace the research polariser at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center on Friday.
Duke Capital invests another £4m in BPVA Ireland
Duke Capital announced a follow-on investment of £4m into its existing capital partner, BPVA Ireland, on Friday.
Europe midday: Share extend gains; Aurubis slumps on UBS downgrade
European shares extended gains on Friday as corporate news just kept coming with investors cheering better-than-expected results from tech stalwart Apple and a report that Glencore was considering a rival bid for Anglo-American.
Time Out opens its eighth market in Porto
Media and hospitality company Time Out Group announced the opening of Time Out Market Porto in Portugal on Friday.
Weekly review
The FTSE 100 ended the week up 73.66 points, or 0.9%, closing at 8,213.49 on Friday.
Europa Oil to decline any North Sea licence offer
Europa Oil & Gas said in an update on Friday that it received communication from the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) regarding its application for a licence as part of the 33rd UK Offshore Licensing Round.
Physiomics lowers forecasts amid contract delays
Therapeutics and medicine-focussed mathematical modelling and data science company Physiomics said in an update on Friday that, despite a robust pipeline of potential new business, it had experienced delays in signing several large contracts.