US president Donald Trump announced the largest ever order of Boeing planes (BA) from Qatar Airways on Wednesday, during his visit to the Middle East.
According to a White House statement, the $96bn (£72bn) agreement will see Qatar Airways acquire up to 210 American-made Boeing 787 Dreamliner and 777X aircraft powered by GE Aerospace (GE) engines.
"This is Boeing’s largest-ever widebody order and largest-ever 787 order," the White House said. "This historic agreement will support 154,000 US jobs annually, totaling over 1 million jobs in the United States during the course of production and delivery of this deal."
Danni Hewson, head of financial analysis at AJ Bell, said: "These are the kinds of headlines that have been missing from a Trump 2.0 presidency and suggest the US leader hasn’t completely ditched his market sensitivity.
"Boeing’s turnaround has been fraught with difficulties, not least last year’s strike, so this deal will feel like a significant win coming hot on the heels of China’s decision to allow its airlines to bring in planes that are currently on order, at least for now."
Boeing shares were up just over 1% in pre-market trading on Thursday morning.
Shares in Cisco Systems (CSCO) were up more than 4% in pre-market trading on Thursday, after the communications networking company bested expectations for its third quarter earnings.
Revenue of $14.15bn beat estimates of $14.05bn, while adjusted earnings per share of $0.96 were also ahead of forecasts of $0.92.
The company also raised its full-year revenue forecasts, expecting this to come in at between $56.5bn and $56.7bn, compared to previous estimates of $56bn to $56.5bn.
Chuck Robbins, CEO of Cisco, said: "The momentum we are seeing with AI is fuelled by the power of our secure networking portfolio, our trusted global partnerships, and the value we bring to our customers."
Cisco also announced on Wednesday that its chief financial officer Scott Herren had decided to retire in July, at the end of the company's fiscal year. Mark Patterson, who is currently the company's executive vice president and chief strategy officer, will succeed Herren.
Shares in Foot Locker (FL) soared nearly 71% in pre-market trading on Thursday morning, after the Wall Street Journal reported that Dick's Sporting Goods (DKS) was nearing a deal to buy the retailer.
The companies are reportedly discussing a deal for about $24 per share, or $2.3bn, according to WSJ. The report said that a deal could be finalised as soon as Thursday.
On the London market, shares in ITV (ITV.L) fell 2.6%, after the broadcaster released its first quarter trading update.
ITV posted a 1% fall in total group revenue to £875m ($1.16bn), which it said reflected a decline in internal ITV Studios revenues. Revenue within its media and entertainment business fell 3% in the first quarter to £489m.
Love Island All Stars on ITV2 and ITVX. ·ITV
However, ITV said its 2025 outlook for its ITV Studios business remained unchanged and was still on track to deliver total organic revenue growth of 5% per annum from 2021 to 2026.
Aarin Chiekrie, equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: "ITV put in a solid showing over the first quarter, with strong sales of content to the likes of Netflix (NFLX) and Amazon (AMZN) Prime Video helping to offset a tough comparable period for advertising revenue.
"The Studios business returned to growth after shrugging off the after-effects of the US writers’ and actors’ strike, and it’s expecting to grow revenue ahead of the broader content market, with performance weighted to the second half.
"With more eyeballs on ITV’s screens, advertising revenues are flowing in, and the group remains hopeful of delivering at least £750mn on digital revenue by 2026," he added.
Shares in Aviva rose 3% on Thursday morning, after it reported a strong start to the year in its first quarter trading update.
The financial services firm said general insurance premiums grew by 9% to £2.9bn compared to the first quarter last year. Meanwhile, retirement sales were up 4% to £1.8bn and protection and health sales increased by 19% to £126m.
In addition, Aviva said it was still confident about meeting financial targets set out in its 2023 results presentation. This included the target of hitting £2bn operating profit by 2026.
Richard Hunter, head of markets at Interactive Investor, said: "Aviva has reported a strong start to the year as it continues its transformational strategy towards a more capital-light business driven in part by selective bolt-on acquisitions."
"Given the size of the Direct Line (DLG.L) acquisition the interest is predictable, but the time which has elapsed had led some to believe that an inquiry would not be forthcoming. Nonetheless, the muted share price reaction to the news yesterday suggests a sanguine response from investors, while for its own part Aviva has stated that the deal remains 'firmly on track'."
