The top shares index closed the day firmly in positive territory, with building materials group leading the way after it raised the prospect of a share repurchase programme.
The FTSE 100 closed at 7,368, up 39 points, despite investors giving the thumbs down to results from Anglo-Dutch consumer goods giant Reckitt Benckiser. Reckitt shares closed 2.8% lower on the day and would have occupied the bottom slot of the Footsie leader-board, were it not for Shire PLC (LON:SHP) sliding 3.9% to 3,821.5p, despite receiving another bid approach from Takeda Pharmaceuticals worth ?47 per share, of which ?26 would be in shares and the rest in cash. Based on Takeda's current market capitalisation, Shire shareholders would own roughly 49% of the enlarged Takeda.
FTSE 100 continued its lacklustre trajectory, up around 23 points at 7,352 within a few hours of the close.
Reckitt Benckiser (LON:RB.) continued to keep a lid on gains, posting a 4.515 drop to 5,531p after its earnings report failed to meet analysts' estimates.
Top riser on Footsie was building materials group CRH (LON:CRH), which added over 3% to 2,506p on Friday as its boss Albert Manifold reportedly said a listing of its US business in New York and launching a share buyback programme were options for the group looking ahead.
In the fashion world Burberry (LON:BRBY) shares added 1.55% to 1,741p as it said Gavin Haig had been appointed to the newly created position of chief commercial officer, with effect from April 23.
The FTSE 100-listed luxury group said that Haig will be responsible for all regions in which Burberry operates in and will report to chief executive Marco Gobbetti.
In small caps, IronRidge Resources Limited (LON:IRR) jumped up almost 10% on Friday, as the stock completed its farm-in to the Saltpond and Cape Coast lithium projects in Ghana.
The newly acquired licences are adjacent to the IronRidge's Ewoyaa prospect where earthworks are currently underway and drilling is imminent.
In oil, SDX Energy Inc (LON:SDX, CVE:SDX) added 3.48% to 59.50p as it unveiled a new discovery with gas bearing horizons encountered in the LNB-1 exploration well, in the Lalla Mimouna permit, onshore Morocco.
Meanwhile, US stocks started lower on Friday, with the Dow Jones down around 41 points at 24,623.
The broader-based S&P 500 lost 7.8 points at 2,685, while Nasdaq shed around 52 points to 7,186.
In US bank news, Wells Fargo (NYSE:WFC) has been fined a record US$1bn by the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection following an investigation into the bank's car financing and mortgage lending practices.
It's the biggest bank fine issued by President Trump's administration.
In August last year, the bank revealed up to 3.5mln customer accounts may have been created without their permission.
FTSE 100 is higher as US stocks are seen starting mixed on Wall Street after a lower close yesterday in New York.
The Dow Jones closed 83 points at 24,664 on Thursday, while futures today are down 15 points.
S&P 500 futures are higher, however by a tad, up 1.25 points.
FTSE 100 is now up around 28 points at 7,357, while FTSE 250 is ahead by over 58 points at 20,205.
FTSE 100 is higher at the mid-session point but not making many waves as the markets are still jittery about geopolitical issues.
Footsie stands at 7,361 at the time of writing, up around 32 points.
In company news, Fidessa Group plc (LON:FDSA) shares added 0.75% to 4,030p after news that Ion Investment s made a proposal to buy the fintech firm.
The offer is for ?38.703 per share in cash, which includes 79.7p dividend.
Earlier this month, Ion had approached Fidessa with a possible offer at ?38.297, comprising ?37.50 cash and the 79.7p dividend, representing a 5% premium to another offer from Switzerland's Temenos.
House builder Taylor Wimpey plc (LON:TW. saw shares nudge up 0.59% to 194.65p.
It comes as the company confirmed that its business continues to trade in line with expectations as it announced the departure of its group finance director and the appointment of a group operations director.
Peer Barratt Developments plc (LON:BDEV) added around 2% to 5654.20p on the day.
"The US led geo-political fears of recent times seem to have faded, with markets instead focusing on the slew of positive earnings figures out of the US," said analyst Joshua Mahony, an analyst at IG Index.
Drug maker Shire Plc (LON:SHP) shares were down 4.40% today at 3,800p as a potential battle for control of the Irish-based firm broke out.
The group has rejected a ?42.4bn takeover offer from Japanese group Takeda Pharmaceutical and Botox-maker Allergan (NYSE:AGN) has also revealed it has considered a bid for the firm.
Arsenal's long term manager Arsene Wenger will step down from his role for the last 22 years at the end of the current season, it emerged on Friday.
The club will not be making any comment on the selection of a successor until an appointment is made, Arsenal Holdings PLC, the football club and property developer, said in a brief statement.
Such mixed feelings about Wenger resignation. I wanted him to go, but I miss him already. He was magnificent for us over many years, but it was time #Arsenal
- Robert Peston (@Peston) 20 April 2018The price of secondhand diesel vehicles was 3% higher in March compared with the year before.
Worries over their future and prices were sparked in the wake of the VW emissions scandal and the government saying it will ban new diesel and petrol cars from 2040.
A BBC business correspondent was reported as saying that the rise could be to do with supply and demand.
"People with diesels are hanging on to them rather than buying new ones, so fewer used diesels are coming onto on the market," they suggested.
FTSE 100 has lost some ground but is still higher in morning trade.
The UK blue-chip index added over 25 points at 7,354, while FTSE 250 is also higher - at 20,222.
Top riser on the Footsie is Mediclinic International (LON:MDC), up 2.73% to 692.60p, while top loser was consumer goods firm Reckitt Benckiser (LON:RB.), down 6.24% to 5,427p as earnings missed sales estimates.
David Madden, at CMC Markets, said: "Reckitt Benckiser shares are in the red the company missed analysts' sales forecasts.
"Like-for-like sales increased by 2%, but traders were expecting 2.6%. Europe, Australia and New Zealand saw sales slip by 1%, while North America registered a 6% jump in revenue.
"The company confirmed it is on track to achieve sales growth of between 13% and 14% per year, but described the trading environment as challenging."
Sterling lost ground against the Euro in early deals after comments by BoE governor Mark Carney about the timings of a rate rise.
The pound is off 0.02% against the Euro at the time of writing after Carney suggested that expectations that UK interest rates will rise in May could be overstated.
Speaking to the BBC on Thursday, he said interest rate hikes this year were "likely", but that uncertainty around Brexit could delay an increase.
This week, UK consumer price inflation fell in March to 2.5%, the lowest rate in a year, while UK retail sales fell by more than expected last month.
Fiona Cincotta, analyst at City Index, said: "Carney poured cold water on market optimism for a Spring hike, suggesting that investors were not looking closely enough at the data, whilst reminding the wider market that the central bank could hike in other months through the year.
"As perceived odds of a rate hike dropped to just 40%, from 88% at the beginning of the week, the pound also plunged, pulling $1.40 into target, dropping over 300 points since Tuesday."
FTSE 100 started on the front foot despite consumer gooods giant Reckitt Benckiser Group (LON:RB.) taking a nosedive in ealy deals.
Shares dropped nearly 5% to 5,506p despite the group, which owns Nurofen and Strepsils, saying it was on track to return to full year revenue growth after a solid first quarter. The market obviously wanted more than that.
It reported a 2% like-for-like increase in first quarter revenue to ?3.1bn. Analysts were on average expecting like-for-like revenue growth of 2.6%.
The group was top laggard on Footsie, which, overall, added around 34 points at 7.363.
Reckitt Benckiser shares tumble despite sales growth https://t.co/Oi6oCFbXzN pic.twitter.com/UBn8CFU0UC
- UK Investor Magazine (@UKInvestorMAG) 20 April 2018Meanwhile, Barclays PLC (LON:BARC) shares nudged up 0.96% to 216.25p as it emerged today that British regulators have proposed chief executive Jes Staley pay an undisclosed fine for trying to unmask a whistleblower.
In small caps, oiler SDX Energy (LON:SDX) was a stand-out, up 5.65% to 60.75p as the firm announced a new gas discovery at the LNB-1 exploration well, onshore Morocco.
Royal Mail Group (LON:RMG) shares added 0.46% to 565.6p as it confirmed that chief executive Moya Greene will retire in September 2018 after more than eight years in the top job.
The FTSE 100-listed mail delivery firm said Rico Back will assume the role of Group CEO on 1 June 2018, following the announcement of the 2017-18 results.
ECR Minerals PLC (LON:ECR) has added to its portfolio in Victoria, Australia with the acquisition of the Creswick gold project at no cost. The site is believed to be highly prospective for the yellow metal hosted within the Dimocks Main Shale (DMS) and only two holes has been drilled to test this area, both in the 1990s.
SDX Energy Inc (LON:SDX) (CVE:SDX) has announced a new discovery with gas bearing horizons encountered in the LNB-1 exploration well, in the Lalla Mimouna permit onshore Morocco. The company told investors that the gas horizons were present in a significantly over-pressured section - mudlog data indicated elevated gas readings of more than 20%, and above 50% in multiple sections - though further logging could not be undertaken by conventional methods.
Michael Stephen, deputy chairman of Symphony Environmental Technologies plc (LON:SYM) has said he hopes that the UK will soon join other countries and make oxo-biodegradable plastic technology (OBP) compulsory.
Wolf Minerals Ltd (LON:WLFE) said it has settled a dispute with GR Engineering over a contract for the Hemerdon tungsten and tin project. GR Engineering secured a contract with Wolf Minerals in 2013 for the engineering, procurement and construction of the Hemerdon project in Devon, south England.
Brazil-focused Harvest Minerals Limited (LON:HMI) has expanded its sales team and manufacturing plant for its KPfertil fertiliser product a Wolf Minerals Ltd (LON:WLFE) said it has settled a dispute with GR Engineering over a contract for the Hemerdon tungsten and tin project. GR Engineering secured a contract with Wolf Minerals in 2013 for the engineering, procurement and construction of the Hemerdon project in Devon, south England.head of product certification and a mining permit. The company has been producing KPfertil on a trial basis in anticipation of a permit from Brazil's Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (MAPA).
United Oil & Gas Plc (LON:UOG) has raised ?2.5mln of new capital to support exploration activities in UK and offshore Jamaica. It has earmarked ?1mln for its share of drilling costs for the Colter exploration well, off England's south coast, and, ?1.1mln will go to the 3D seismic work that's being advanced by operator Tullow Oil in Jamaica.
Amphion Innovations Plc (LON:AMP) has said its chairman, Richard Mansell-Jones, as well as a non-executive director, Miroslaw Izienicki, have stepped down from the board with immediate effect.
Curzon Energy Plc (LON:CZN) said it will begin an additional fieldwork programme to accelerate gas production at its 100% owned Coos Bay Coalbed Methane (CBM) project in Oregon. The oil and gas producer said it believes the additional work will allow access to twice as many "pay zones" as well as shortening the time-frame to commercial gas production and increasing overall production volumes.
Gold mine developer Galantas Gold Corp (LON:GAL) (CVE:GAL) ended 2017 with C$779,758 in cash (2016: C$557,005) as it continues to advance Northern Ireland's first underground mine. As has been well documented, mining is currently suspended at the site and revenues for the year came in at C$35,308 (2016: C$74,068), mainly from jewellery sales.
Summit Therapeutics PLC (LON:SUMM, NASDAQ:SMMT) has highlighted new analysis from the group's Phase Two clinical trial, for its potential treatment for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).
Wishbone Gold PLC (LON:WSBN) has told investors that the processing plant in Honduras is now operational. Following several visits by the team to ensure the project remained on track, the plant is now fully operational under a small-scale licence.
Bacanora Lithium PLC (LON:BCN) said on Friday that chief executive Peter Secker has been appointed as a main board director of the company with immediate effect. Secker, who has been chief executive since May 2015, brings more than 35 years of experience in developing, constructing and operating mines.
IronRidge Resources Limited (LON:IRR) has completed its farm-in to the Saltpond and Cape Coast lithium projects in Ghana. The newly acquired licences are adjacent to the IronRidge's Ewoyaa prospect where earthworks are currently underway and drilling imminent.
KEFI Minerals plc (LON:KEFI) said it has started the community resettlement at its Tulu Kapi gold project in western Ethiopia. The AIM-listed firm said that joint committees of the company together with Ethiopian authorities have now triggered the formalisation of the resettlement arrangements for each of the affected individual households in the area.
Mining group Metminco Limited (LON:MNC) (ASX:MNC) revealed there had been take-up of around 72% of the previously announced revised rights issue. A shortfall of around 191mln new shares will be placed with the underwriter, Patersons Securities Limited and overall the cash-call is expected to raise around A$5.56 million before costs, compared with A$5.1mln before it was revised.
Capital Network has published a research report on PCF Group Plc (LON:PCF) in which analyst James Dolman concluded that he believe that the firm can continue to fund in either deposit or third party wholesale markets sufficiently to match its aspiration for future portfolio asset growth.
Capital Network has published a research report on Avacta Group Plc (LON:AVACT) in which analyst Riccardo Lowi, in his view, said recent stock price weakness reflects uncertainty around a likely capital raise before the year-end rather than the company's strong fundamentals.
FTSE 100 is called to start higher at the end of the week after Asian shares softened, as tech shares got hit and a weaker close on Wall Street.
The UK blue chip index put in an uninspired performance on Thursday, to close 11 at 7,328, as investor fatigue continues.
Today, spreadbetters at IG Index are calling it to start around 11 points above that.
On Wall Street, the Dow Jones lost 83 points to close at 24,664, the S&P 500 was down 15 at 2,693, while the tech heavy Nasdaq lost 57 points at 7,238.
In Asia overnights, shares slipped, especially in the tech sector, after a warning about the demand for smartphones from the world's largest contract chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing.
The Nikkei 225 in Japan lost 16 points to 22,174, while the Shanghai Composite Index was down 37 at 3,080.
Michael Hewson at CMC Markets said of the markets this morning: "Most of the attention has now returned to trade and concerns over further restrictive measures which has seen metals prices soar, along with oil prices.
"The recent momentum in US stocks underwent a pause after some decent gains over the past few days, with tech stocks leading the losses after a disappointing update from a Taiwan chipmaker pulled the wider sector lower, on concerns over slowing smartphone demand."
Not much brewing on the corporate front today, but a strong cold and flu season is expected to have given sales at Reckitt Benckiser Group (LON:RB.) a boost in the first quarter, when it reports results.
Swiss broker UBS predicts Reckitt, which owns the Nurofen, Mucinex and Strepsils brands, will report organic sales growth of 2.8% in the three months.
In a February trading update, the consumer goods company said it expects a return to growth in 2018 following flat revenue last year.
Trading updates: Reckitt Benckiser PLC (LON:RB.), Record PLC (LON:REC)