1. Lloyds backs guidance as profit tops forecasts and bad debts fall
Lloyds backed its outlook for 2023 as it reported better-than-expected profits and a fall in bad debts.
2. Legal threat from ex-boss looms over Natwest’s results on Friday
Alison Rose stepped down in July in the wake of the Farage 'debanking' scandal.
3. Heineken sees beer sales volumes fall across all regions
Total revenues were bolstered by the premiumisation trend.
4. Microsoft surges as cloud and AI see financials easily beat expectations
Microsoft stock moved higher as its quarterly earnings impressed the market, driven by cloud and AI.
5. FTSE finishes with a flourish, gaining 25 points
At the close, London's blue-chip index was up 24.64 points, 0.3%, at 7,414.34 while the FTSE 250 was down 123.39 points, 0.7%, at 16,870.71