FTSE 100 made small early gains as hopes rose for a bonanza week of earnings from the US tech giants after Microsoft delivered handsomely last night. London’s blue-chip index rose 5 to 6,658.
Microsoft smashed forecasts for its latest quarter as home workers sent demand for Xbox gaming consoles and cloud services through the roof. Revenues jumped 17% to US$43bn as the tech titan said we are seeing a second wave of digital transformation.
AstraZeneca's chief executive still believes the UK's target of vaccinating essential workers and the most vulnerable against COVID-19 by the middle of next month is achievable. Putting delays in getting the vaccine to the EU down to signing a contract three months later than the UK.
Fraudsters posing as genuine firms fleeced investors of £78mln last year, according to fraud reporting centre Action Fraud. Those scammed lost around £45,000 on average.
Seeing Machines Limited (LON:SEE) is to partner with US computing firm Qualcomm Inc (NASDAQ:QCOM) to design a driver monitoring system. The deal is expected to bring in significant volumes of business.
EQTEC PLC (LON:EQT) has received local council approval to build a waste-to-gas plant at Billingham on Teeside. The project will convert non-recyclable household and commercial waste each year into electricity and thermal heat production.
Diversified Gas & Oil’s (LON:DGOC) average production in 2020 increased by 18% to a new record of 100,000 barrels equivalent per day. The oil and gas group has recently acquired new assets in Ohio.
