GlaxoSmithKline (GSK.L) may ditch a plan to return 4 billion pounds ($6.1 billion) to investors, some analysts believe, as the drugmaker prepares to set out its vision for the reshaped group and a new chairman takes the helm.
United Kingdom
Stocks swept lower as bonds, dollar struggle to steady
World financial markets were unsettled again on Thursday as a week-long sell-off in benchmark government bonds, stocks and the dollar, and a race up in oil prices, was compounded by UK election uncertainty.
Euro zone business activity starts second-quarter on solid footing
Euro zone businesses started the second quarter with healthy growth as a buoyant order book again encouraged them to hire more, a survey showed on Wednesday.
Deepening bond rout rattles world markets
A worldwide sell-off in government bonds deepened on Wednesday, with the rise in long-term borrowing costs to their highest level this year spreading unease across all assets and putting stock markets under pressure too.
Euro zone not discussing Grexit, may offer concessions-Portugal finmin
Greece's euro zone partners are not discussing the prospect of the country leaving the currency union and might offer concessions to Athens' original bailout program, Portugal's finance minister said on Tuesday.
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Royal Dutch Shell is pushing ahead with plans to explore for oil in the Arctic Ocean near Alaska this summer despite opposition from environmental groups.
Most top credit rating agencies say they would not cut Greece's rating to default if it misses a payment to the International Monetary Fund or European Central Bank, a stance that could keep vital ECB funding flowing into the financial system.
A holiday in most of Europe thinned trade on Friday after a tumultuous week when the dollar dove, bond yields soared and stock markets in Europe and the United States weakened.
U.S. crude oil hit a five-month high on Thursday as the dollar slipped to its lowest since February and as more evidence emerged of a gradual balancing of the U.S. domestic market.
The euro rose for a third day against the dollar on Thursday, pushing above $1.12 for the first time in two months on growing concern over the U.S. economy's prospects.
World stock markets and the dollar remained in a sharp sell-off mode on Thursday, having been jolted sharply lower by weak U.S. growth data and cautious comments from the Federal Reserve.
If fear of Europe-wide financial wildfire was Athens' trump card in its standoff with euro zone creditors - then the card has now turned up a dud.
Stocks fell in Europe on Wednesday, following Asian stocks lower, while the dollar held near two-month lows before a Federal Reserve policy statement expected to show the U.S. central bank in no hurry to raise interest rates.
The euro hovered near a three-week peak on Tuesday, boosted by renewed hopes that cash-strapped Greece could secure extra funding and as the dollar remained weak ahead of a U.S. Federal Reserve meeting that starts later in the day.
