1. FTSE zooms to within touching distance of month's high, led by banks and miners
London's blue-chip index charged over a hundred points higher but could not hold onto all its gains and finished up 1.2% at just over 7,504, its highest close since 18 October, as markets take in a fourth week of falling oil prices and rapidly declining global yields.
2. Bitcoin excitement returns to break 18-month high
Following a long while out of the public eye, attention has returned to bitcoin in a big way, hitting an 18-month high this week. We look at the catalysts for this.
3. Aston Martin revs to top of the FTSE 250 leaderboard
Supercar maker Aston Martin Global was top of London's big company table on Friday, up over 6%, as Canadian billionaire chairman Lawrence Stroll sold a stake in the linked Formula 1 team to a US private equity firm.
4. But LSE's big event disappoints
A big investor event from the London Stock Exchange Group PLC received a fairly muted response from the City with one bank calling it a "missed opportunity".
5. Retail sales also cast gloom on sector in Xmas run up
Retail sales have hit their lowest level since the February 2021 Covid lockdown, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
And one for luck: the week ahead
As well as the Autumn Statement mid-week, there's still plenty on the menu for investors to chew over in the coming week, including catering giant Compass, B&Q owner Kingfisher and Johnson Matthey with shares fresh from a decade low.