Benjamin Chiou

French banking giant BNP Paribas delivered an increase in profits in its first quarter on stable revenues, as it reiterated its guidance for the full year.

Shares in Southwest Airlines plummeted on Thursday after the carrier announced plans to pull out of four airports to improve its financial performance, as it reported a wider-than-expected loss for the fourth quarter and trimmed its annual guidance.

US drugmaker Bristol Myers Squibb on Thursday announced plans to cut its workforce by 6% as part of a $1.5bn cost-savings programme, as it reported better-than-expected results for the first quarter.

US stocks fell sharply on Thursday after data confirmed the stickiness of inflation in the first quarter despite a drop in economic growth which pushed bond yields to their highest in six months.

UK stocks are expected hit more record highs on Friday as investors continued to digest another round of corporate earnings ahead of some crucial economic data from the US later on.

Aerospace and defence components manufacturer Senior said on Friday that trading over the first quarter has been in line with expectations with strong growth in commercial aerospace, as it held on to guidance for the full year.

London's FTSE 100 raced ahead of the 8,100 level on Friday morning, helped by strong results from NatWest and decent gains in the mining sector provided a lift.

Decent gains in the banking sector were providing a lift to UK equity markets on Friday following better-than-expected results from NatWest, sending the FTSE 100 to yet another all-time high.

Insurance group Beazley said that first-quarter results were in line with guidance with insurance written premiums (IWP) growing at high single digits.

Consulting and engineering business Wood Group has created a new executive role of chief strategy officer to look after things like sustainability and corporate development.