UK private sector activity deteriorated by the most in three years in November as uncertainty surrounding the general election and Brexit hurt domestic demand and exports.

Private sector activity in the eurozone weakened in November as evidence mounted that the deterioration in the bloc’s export-driven manufacturing sector is increasingly affecting its hitherto buoyant services industry. 

Christine Lagarde has called on European governments to boost public investment and increase harmonisation in services, banking and capital markets to rebalance the region’s economy away from exports to domestic demand.

Landsec has appointed Mark Allan as its next chief executive, concluding a succession process that began in July when the head of the UK’s largest listed property group by assets announced his retirement.

Playtech, the gambling technology provider, warned that the performance of its financial division was “well below” expectations and that it was reviewing options for that part of the business.

Swiss prosecutors have searched the offices of commodity traders Trafigura and Vitol in the latest twist in Brazil’s sweeping corruption and bribery probe.

The industry body seeking to promote investor demand for platinum has been dealt a blow as Sibanye-Stillwater, the biggest producer of the metal, has decided to leave.

Stocks across Asia fell on Thursday as investors’ concerns mounted over a possible setback in a resolution to US-China trade tensions and Congress passing a bill that supports protesters in Hong Kong.

Xerox has given HP an ultimatum in its effort to acquire the PC and printer maker, threatening to turn its bid into a hostile one unless the company agrees by next week to pursue a “friendly combination”.

Franklin Templeton will become the latest global asset manager to be led by a woman after announcing it was promoting chief operating officer Jennifer Johnson to the role.

Mongolia’s parliament has delivered its long-awaited verdict on the investment agreements that underpin Rio Tinto’s giant copper project in the country’s Gobi Desert.

Charles Schwab is nearing an agreement to acquire US online brokerage TD Ameritrade for more than $25bn, according to people briefed on the matter, as a brutal price war forces the industry to consolidate.

SQM, Chilean-focused lithium producer, reported a drop in third-quarter earnings overnight and warned investors that lower prices would continue into 2020.

British Airways has blamed a “technical issue” for disruption to its flights around the world, with some passengers complaining of cancellations and delays of up to 22 hours.

China’s “everything app” Meituan Dianping beat expectations with a 44 per cent rise in sales during the third quarter, achieving another profitable three-month period.

UK government borrowing rose to its highest level in five years in October, adding to the pressure on the state’s finances as the main political parties pledge to increase public spending if they win next month’s general election.

William Hill, the UK bookmaker, said revenues from gaming in its retail shops fell by more than a third after it cut 700 shops from its estate following the implementation of a £2 limit on highly addictive gaming machines.

Countryside Properties’ chief executive Ian Sutcliffe is stepping down from the role next year after taking the top job at the company in 2013.

Shares in Centrica climbed 8 per cent after it reassured investors that the rate at which customers were defecting to rival suppliers was declining and was more than offset by growth in other parts of the business.

Thyssenkrupp is to scrap its annual dividend and further slash the number of staff at its Essen headquarters, after the ailing conglomerate reported a huge increase in group-wide losses.

Sonos, the American smart speaker company that went public in August 2018, said earnings are likely to decline as much as 19 per cent in fiscal 2020 because of new tariffs placed on Chinese-manufactured goods.

The private equity groups Cinven and Astorg, and the sovereign wealth fund Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, will buy the UK scientific measurement and testing company LGC Group in a deal that values it at about £3bn, people familiar with the matter said.

US stocks fell to session lows, putting the S&P 500 on track for its biggest one-day drop in six weeks, and Treasuries surged amid concerns a phase one trade deal between the US and China may not be completed this year.

The governments of Denmark and Greenland have emerged as shareholders of Bluejay Mining, the London-listed company developing an ilmenite sands project in north-west Greenland.