Today's top story: EU plan for City 'simply won't cut the mustard'
Today's leader: Hammond has reason to stick to his guns
The Shire board has recommended shareholders accept Takeda's revised offer to buy the pharmaceutical giant for about £46bn, which will take its share price up to £49 per share.
As for markets this morning, the FTSE is expected to open at up 0.36 per cent at 7,425, while Germany's Dax and the French Cac are likely to open flat, according to Reuters.
Asian shares have fallen again as a rise in US bond yields to 3 per cent and warnings of higher costs drove fears that corporate earnings growth may soon peak.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan dropped 0.7 percent, as did Japan's Nikkei.
Corporate news
- Boohoo.com – the clothing giant is releasing its final results today, as is Whitbread
- Lloyds – will release its Q1 results today, as will Metro Bank and GlaxoSmithKline
- Allianz – will hold its AGM today
Data
- 12:00 – US mortgage applications
