Good morning. The FTSE is set to open flat ahead of the Bank of England’s latest decision on interest rates.
The cautious start for the blue-chip index follows the tech-focused Nasdaq hitting another record high overnight.
5 things to start your day
1) Emma Walmsley slashes dividend in radical shake-up to save her job: The chief executive defended her leadership of £71bn pharmaceuticals titan GSK as she prepares to spin off its consumer healthcare arm.
2) Small businesses to be exempt from ban on junk food advertising: It follows concerns that small high street restaurants, cafes and bakeries could be caught up in the new online restrictions.
3) Value of Queen’s property holdings soars as wind farms take off: The total value of the Crown Estate portfolio jumped by 7.5pc to £14.4bn in the year to March 31, boosted by offshore wind projects.
4) MoD under fire for 20 years of delays to military projects: Damning review by spending watchdog reveals massive delays to arms programmes leaving UK undefended and resulting in spiralling costs.
