Good morning from London where the FTSE 100 is ticking up and down ahead of fresh PMI data expected today. A 0.4% jump in UK retail sales sales during the month of August announced by the ONS this morning hasn’t had much effect on the markets, probably because July the prior the month was such a complete washout.
In equities, AstraZeneca PLC (LSE:AZN) shares rose on Friday morning after the pharma giant signalled its latest breast cancer drug trial has shown some success when compared with chemotherapy. Investec also climbed as it updated investors on a solid first-half performance from underlying client franchises, its reiterating its full year guidance.
Narrowing first-half losses at media firm Ascential PLC (LSE:ASCL) saw its shares climb too meanwhile, after revenue shot up thanks to a strong showing from its events department.
Microsoft saw its bid to buy gaming company Activision finally given the provisional go-ahead by UK regulators, following months of concern over competition.
And with the small caps, Blencowe Resources PLC (LSE:BRES) shares are up after announcing a US$5 million grant from the US government for its Orom-Cross graphite project in Uganda.