London afternoon: Stocks bounce into the blue after US jobs
4th Dec 2009 14:20
Share prices have surged higher as the keenly watched US monthly jobs figures showed a big drop in the number losing their jobs and an unexpected drop in the level of US unemployment. Miners are leading the rally with Rio Tinto the best performer. Other gainers include ENRC and oil explorer Cairn E
Read moreBroker tips: Lloyds Banking, Miners, Kingfisher
4th Dec 2009 12:47
Societe Generale (SocGen) reckons the faster than expected stabilisation of the net interest margin at part-nationalised lender Lloyds Banking has been overlooked, and sees further scope for margin improvement as the company reduces its reliance on government funding. 'Looking ahead, while Lloyds c
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks treading water
4th Dec 2009 12:17
Share prices are stabilising at lower levels as investors wait on the big US jobless announcement due at 1:30pm. Banks are on the back foot after a lukewarm note on the sector from JP Morgan. The US bank is particularly down on part-nationalised bank Royal Bank of Scotland, which it advises its cli
Read moreBroker snap: Copper bulls too abundant, says Nomura
4th Dec 2009 11:00
Nomura Securities remains bullish on the prospects for mining shares in 2010 but for those short-term investors who like to buy on a dip, now is not a good time to dive in, the broker reckons. 'In 2010, we continue to expect mining equities to benefit from a weaker US$, accelerating Chinese investm
Read moreLondon close: Miners push Footsie higher
2nd Dec 2009 17:09
Despite being weighed down by a number of ex-dividend stocks, Footsie finished the day in positive territory, with gains on miners outweighing losses on banks. With metals prices hardening, miners were in demand. Lonmin was the best performer after being raised to 'buy' by Investec, which also upgr
Read moreLondon afternoon: Footsie in the blue
2nd Dec 2009 14:52
Though banks are still looking sickly, Footsie has struggled into positive territory on the back of a strong mining sector. Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) remains the biggest faller among blue-chips, with lingering concerns about its exposure to Dubai World's debt now overshadowed by with newspaper r
Read moreLondon midday: Banks get battered
2nd Dec 2009 12:11
After yesterday's strong gains, equities come off the boil today with banks, in particular, getting hammered, on enduring fears over exposure to Dubai debt. Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and Lloyds Banking are the big fallers among blue-chips, while elsewhere in the banking sector Barclays is also o
Read moreLondon close: Footsie at one-week high
25th Nov 2009 16:06
Welcome results from Compass and investors' insatiable appetite for mining stocks helped London's blue chip index finish the session near the top of the day's range. A small improvement to the third quarter gross domestic product figure brought some relief. The Office of National Statistics said th
Read moreLondon afternoon: Compass leads London north
25th Nov 2009 14:01
A marginal improvement to the third quarter gross domestic product figures has lifted spirits in London, overshadowing some mixed corporate updates. The Office of National Statistics (ONS) said the UK economy shrank less than previously estimated in the third quarter, contracting by 0.3% between J
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie maintains lead
25th Nov 2009 12:09
Stocks are steady at lunchtime Wednesday as miners remain firmly on the front foot, while bid speculation is behind big gains at International Power. The hot money is on International Power at the moment, with investors betting that French utility GDF Suez will bid £6bn, or 400p-a-share, for the el
Read moreSector movers: Miners boosted by metals and updates
25th Nov 2009 11:18
Higher metals prices have given miners a boost. With copper prices, which have been hitting 14-month highs lately, on the rise again, big industrial metal miners such as BHP Billiton, Anglo American and Kazakhmys are higher. Smaller companies are helping lift the sector higher on the back of well-r
Read moreLondon close: FTSE 100 closes 32 points lower
24th Nov 2009 16:48
London ended the day in the red as the FTSE 100 lost its earlier gains after Wall Street opened sharply lower. London did not sustain a short-lived rally in the late afternoon. The market seemed to initially ignore Bank of England governor Mervyn King's cautious comments to the House of Commons Tr
Read moreLondon afternoon: Shares still drifting
24th Nov 2009 14:31
London continues to lack direction, with Bank of England governor Mervyn King's comments to the House of Commons Treasury select committee on the state of the economy having more of an effect on sterling than on share prices. With sterling dipping after King's comments, package holiday firms Thomas
Read moreLondon midday: Leading shares mixed
24th Nov 2009 12:10
Footsie has fought its way into positive territory after a dull opening, helped by a recovery by some mining stocks. Anglo American, ENRC and Lonmin are the brightest features of a mining sector that initially opened lower on softer copper prices. Lloyds Banking Group is firmer after it priced i
Read moreLondon close: Footsie ends weakly
19th Nov 2009 16:46
Footsie turned sharply lower at the close after a very poor start on Wall Street with the Dow down by more than 150 points in the first few hours. Miners bore the brunt of the selling with Antofagasta, Anglo American, Xstrata, Randgold Resources, Rio Tinto and Vedanta all lower. Platinum refiner J
Read more