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The FTSE 100 continued to struggle for direction by lunchtime on Friday as investors awaited key US jobs report later. By midday the index was flat at 7,450.23.
Oil major Royal Dutch Shell said the remaining $5.5 billion of proceeds from its $7 billion share buyback programme would be completed 'at pace' as it posted a mixed update on trading ahead of its fourth quarter and full year results on 3 February.
Aston Martin Lagonda was up 1.8% to £13.95 after luxury carmaker reported a jump in car sales to dealers, but said it expected core earnings to fell short of expectations after selling fewer than planned Valkyrie models in the fourth quarter.
Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation, or EBITDA, was anticipated to be about £15 million lower than expected as the company shipped 10 Aston Martin Valkyrie and Valkyrie AMR Pro vehicles in Q4, fewer than previously planned.
Pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca said Alexion, its rare disease business, had entered into an exclusive global collaboration and licence agreement with Neurimmune AG for NI006, an investigational human monoclonal antibody currently in development for the treatment of transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopath. Its shares were down 0.8% to £82.89.
Essentra gained 0.6% to 342.5p after reporting a rise in fourth-quarter revenue underpinned by ongoing strength in its components and filters business.
Engineering group Smiths was flat at £15.95 after completing the sale of Smiths Medical to ICU Medical.
Premium drinks company C&C slipped 3% to 229.45 pence after warning that December performance in its on-trade business was 'significantly' impacted by renewed government restrictions across the UK and Ireland.