Source: Sharecast
STOCKS TO WATCH
BP said Q2 reported upstream production was now expected to be higher compared to the previous three months, with output higher in oil production and operations, primarily in its US bpx energy division, and slightly higher in gas and low carbon energy.
Technology investor Polar Capital Technology said on Friday that net asset value had grown 3.1% to 325.20p in the year ended 30 April and noted that while it awaits the longer-term impact of Donald Trump's administration, it remains "optimistic" about the overall outlook for the technology sector.
NEWSPAPER ROUND-UP
Ministers are considering options to step in to save another major steel plant if its parent company collapses into administration after a key court case next week. The business secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, is understood to be looking at what the government can do to support Speciality Steel UK – part of the Liberty Steel Group owned by Sanjeev Gupta – should it be faced with possible closure after Wednesday's insolvency hearing. – Guardian
Bad management of private finance contracts is leading to poor quality assets being handed back to the government, including schools and hospitals, according to parliament's spending watchdog. Its report into the use of private finance initiatives for infrastructure comes at a time when the government has identified private investment in projects such as power plants and transport outside London as a key part of its growth agenda. - Guardian
The US will impose a new tariff of 35% on Canadian goods, Donald Trump has said. In a letter released on his social media platform, Mr Trump told Canada's prime minister the new rate would go into effect on August 1 and would go up if Canada retaliated. – Telegraph
Elon Musk's X and Mark Zuckerberg's Meta may have profited from spreading misinformation during last year's Southport riots, MPs have said. A report from the Commons Science and Technology committee, covering last year's unrest, found that the business models of social media companies "incentivise the spread of content that is damaging and dangerous". – Telegraph
Meta has agreed a compensation package of more than $200.0m to poach a former Apple engineer for its "superintelligence" team, according to a media report. The owner of Facebook and WhatsApp has been luring top artificial intelligence talent from rival companies with huge salaries as it attempts to get ahead in the AI race. – The Times
US CLOSE
US stocks delivered solid gains on Thursday despite ongoing tariff worries.
At the close, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.43% at 44,650.64, while the S&P 500 advanced 0.27% to 6,280.46 and the Nasdaq Composite saw out the session 0.09% firmer at 20,630.66.
Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com