1. Legal & General sells US protection business
Shares jumped on news of the £1.8 billion deal with Japan’s Meiji Yasuda.
2. House prices hit record on strong demand into new year
According to Halifax, average house prices rose by 0.7% over the month, or 3.0% on an annual basis, to £299,138.
3. FTSE 100 retreats from record territory
London's blue chips retreated on Friday after having notched up a record earlier in the week.
4. Amazon suffers $100bn blow as guidance underwhelms
The decline followed strong fourth-quarter earnings that exceeded expectations but were overshadowed by weak guidance.
5. Solvonis Therapeutics: A new player in the $450bn “neuro-psych” sector
Previously known as Graft Polymer, the company has undergone a complete corporate transformation.
And with small caps
Small-cap movers: Faron Pharma bags £10mln as green shoots emerge for AIM
Ilika is really excited by its progress with the Goliath solid-state battery