The FTSE 100 was little changed in early trading at just under 7,500 points. Investors are awaiting next week’s interest rate decisions.
Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group released its interim results this morning and says its confident in its pre-tax profit forecast of between £450mln and £500mln.
Infrastructure group Balfour Beatty are also striking a cheerful tone, suggesting that its profits could be increasing by 5% on the year this year.
Over in the US, Apple has scrapped its controversial plan to scan users iCloud images in search of evidence of harmful acts after a backlash.
And in small caps, Galileo Resources says it has identified four target zones at the Kamativi lithium project in Zimbabwe.
Allergy Therapeutics says it’s dosed its first patient in a phase III trial for a new grass pollen vaccine to treat hay fever.
And Evgen Pharma says that the strength of its balance sheet was reassuring in "turbulent times.” Cash reserves at the end of September stood at £7.2mln.