Oil prices rose on Friday, pulling up from three-month lows, but they were still on track for a weekly loss of over 5% as new lockdowns in countries facing surging cases of the Delta variant dampened the outlook for fuel demand.
British retail sales unexpectedly fell in July, official data showed on Friday, suggesting at least some consumers skipped shopping to follow England's run in the Euro 2020 soccer tournament, or stayed at home due to rising COVID-19 cases.
Shares in Morrisons jumped above the level of an agreed takeover offer from U.S. private equity group Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CD&R) on Friday, indicating a protracted bid battle for the British supermarket group may yet have further to run.
Already-expensive British home prices will see further substantial gains over the next few years, bolstered by low borrowing costs, supply shortages and a desire for more living space, a Reuters poll of housing market analysts found.