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Wednesday newspaper round-up: Fraud, cake war, London tube, Playtech
The government has been warned by an influential group of MPs to urgently tackle a “fraud epidemic” across Britain, amid concerns about the increasing financial toll on consumers and taxpayers from economic crime. The Commons Treasury committee said ministers needed to bring in fresh laws and beef up resources for fighting fraud after a dramatic surge in scams during the coronavirus pandemic. - Guardian.
UK construction sector upbeat for year ahead - RICS
The UK construction sector expects to grow throughout the current year, an industry survey showed on Thursday, despite ongoing skills and material shortages.
Europe close: Stocks end mixed ahead of ECB rate meeting
European shares finished on a mixed note on Wednesday, despite strong corporate news and ahead of key European and UK central bank meetings on Thursday.
Experts debate potential impact of BA.2 'stealth Omicron' subvariant on pandemic
Experts continued to debate to what extent so-called 'stealth Omicron', the subvariant of its namesake strain of Covid-19, would lead to another peak in infections.
Thursday preview: BoE, ECB and BT Group in focus
All eyes on Thursday will be on central bank policy decisions in the UK and euro area.
London close: Stocks firmer on eve of BoE decision
London stocks closed above the waterline on Wednesday, having taken their cue from an upbeat session on Wall Street overnight, as investors prepared for policy announcements from the Bank of England and the European Central Bank on Thursday.
Aristocrat Playtech bid collapses after Asian investors block deal
The £2. 7bn bid by Australia's Aristocrat Leisure for gambling software maker Playtech collapsed on Wednesday after opposition from a bloc of Asia-based shareholders.
Director dealings: Ultra Electronics discloses tiny executive transactions
Ultra Electronics was alone on the list of director deals on Wednesday, disclosing a number of exceptionally small transactions.
PayPal tanks as results, outlook disappoint
PayPal shares tanked on Wednesday after the US payment firm’s fourth-quarter results and outlook failed to impress.
Broker tips: Aviva, Tullow Oil, Ocado
Analysts at Deutsche Bank reiterated their "high conviction" behind their 'buy' recommendation on Aviva's shares on the basis of its "highly attractive" free cash flow generation and their expectations for its future plans for deploying that cash.
US open: Stocks mixed as investors digest earnings
Wall Street trading got off to a mixed start on Wednesday as investors digested a slew of corporate earnings from overnight.
FTSE 250 movers: Molten Ventures gains on investment update; Harbour Energy falls
London’s FTSE 250 was up 0. 7% at 22,319. 11 in afternoon trade on Wednesday.
FTSE 100 movers: Ocado shines after upgrade; Antofagasta slides
London’s FTSE 100 was up 0. 7% at 7,591. 00 in afternoon trade on Wednesday.
Merlin Entertainments to take over Cadbury World UK
Legoland operator Merlin Entertainments, Europe’s largest theme park operator, is to take over Cadbury World UK, it was announced on Wednesday.
OPEC+ to boost output in March by 0.4m b/d, as expected
The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its main allies, or OPEC+ as they are collectively known, will raise their combined output of crude oil in March as expected.
Beeks Financial Cloud inks $2.2m contract with FX broker
Cloud computing firm Beeks Financial Cloud has inked a $2. 2m, four-year contract with one of the world's largest foreign exchange brokers.
US private sector employment unexpectedly drops in January
Private sector employment in the US unexpectedly fell in January amid a surge in Covid infections, according to the latest data from ADP.
Euro area CPI surprises sharply to the upside in January
The cost of living in the Eurozone nudged higher unexpectedly at the start of 2020 as energy and unprocessed food prices jumped sharply.
Alphabet shares set to hit new highs at the open after bumper Q4 results
Shares of Google parent Alphabet were set to start trading in record territory on Wednesday after the technology giant beat analysts' estimates for its fourth quarter sales and profit.
Victoria reports solid Q4 progress at Gaz du Cameroun
Cameroon-focussed onshore gas producer and distributor Victoria Oil & Gas updated the market on fourth quarter operations at its Gaz du Cameroun (GDC) subsidiary on Wednesday, reporting an average daily gross gas sales of 5. 3 million standard cubic feet of natural gas per day, up 6% on the third quarter.
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