1. Birkenstock floats
The German sandal maker IPO-ed on the New York Stock Exchange at US$46, valuing the company at US$8.64 billion.
2. Airlines cancel flights after Luton fire
At least 140 flights are said to have been cancelled and some 25,000 passengers affected after the airport suspended flights on Wednesday.
3. FTSE 100 closed lower after strong US wholesale price inflation figures
At the close, London's lead index was down 8.18 points, 0.1%, at 7,620.03 while the FTSE 250 was down 91.43 points, 0.5%, at 17,876.24
4. Gold steadies on Middle East chaos and short-covering
Should gold bulls really be getting twitchy if gold edges back towards US$1,850 or even US$1,800 per ounce?
5. ExxonMobil seals $59.5 billion swoop for Pioneer
The all-stock transaction values each Pioneer share at $253 and more than doubles Exxon's Permian footprint.