London midday: Cadbury powers Footsie surge
7th Sep 2009 12:16
Footsie is still going strong as shares in chocolate maker Cadbury rush ahead following its rejection of a £10.2bn offer from Kraft. Cadbury has rejected the proposal. Kraft, whose brands include Dairylea cheese and Toblerone chocolates, said its proposed offer of 300p a share and 0.2589 Kraft shar
Read moreSector movers: Food stocks on the rise
7th Sep 2009 11:32
The food producers sector is up more than 11% after shares in chocolate maker Cadbury soared following its rejection of a proposed £10.2bn offer from the US food giant Kraft. Cadbury countered Kraft boss Irene Rosenfeld's claim that the offer 'would deliver a premium well above what they themselves
Read moreLondon open: Cadbury offer boosts Footsie
7th Sep 2009 08:47
London has opened sharply higher with the merger proposal for Cadbury from Kraft the major talking point. Chocolate maker Cadbury has rejected the proposal. Kraft, whose brands include Dairylea cheese and Toblerone chocolates, said its proposed offer of 300p a share and 0.2589 Kraft shares for ever
Read moreLondon pre-open: Firmer start expected
7th Sep 2009 07:51
London is set to open higher, though trading volumes are expected to be low with the US market closed for Labor Day today. Traders expect the FTSE 100 will open around 39 points higher at 4,891. Chocolate maker Cadbury has rejected a merger proposal from the US food giant Kraft. Kraft, whose brands
Read moreAB Foods expects 7% LFL growth at Primark
7th Sep 2009 07:02
Associated British Foods the foods group that also owns clothing store Primark, said it expects some improvement in adjusted earnings over the full year despite a much higher interest charge. Trading in the second half of the year has been strong. Sales and profit at Primark will again top the pr
Read moreAB Foods sells Polish sugar business
11th Aug 2009 14:24
Associated British Foods has agreed to sell its Polish sugar business, BSO Poland, to Pfeifer & Langen for an undisclosed sum. Completion of the transaction is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to occur in late 2009. Producing over 150,000 tonnes of sugar, BSO Poland is currently th
Read moreTuesday newspaper round-up: House prices, Microsoft, Centrica
14th Jul 2009 06:16
Property values are set to rise in the next three months as a lack of homes props up prices, estate agents believe. The number of agents expecting house prices to increase in the coming months outnumber those predicting further falls for the first time since May 2007, according to figures publishe
Read moreLondon close: Bright finish for FTSE 100
13th Jul 2009 16:26
Footsie put a sluggish start behind it to finish with good gains, helped by a strong showing on Wall Street. Friends Provident was the best performer after Clive Cowdery's new vehicle, Resolution , said it has received "constructive feedback" from the board of Friends over its merger approach and i
Read moreLondon afternoon: Friends leads London higher
13th Jul 2009 14:32
Mergers and acquisition activity is keeping share prices bubbling as London makes a solid start to the week. Friends Provident is the best performer after Clive Cowdery's new vehicle, Resolution , said it has received "constructive feedback" from the board of Friends over its merger approach and i
Read moreLondon midday: M&A activity perks up shares
13th Jul 2009 11:56
The blue-chip index edged higher in the morning sessions despite the weakness of miners and banks, with increased merger and acquisition activity encouraging buyers back to the market. Friends Provident is the best performer after Clive Cowdery's new vehicle, Resolution , said it has received "con
Read moreFriday tips round-up: AB Foods, Premier Oil, Croda
10th Jul 2009 06:42
John Bason, finance director at AB Foods, says that Primark has changed the face of retailing on the high street. And who can disagree, after Primark posted a 21% jump in sales in the quarter to 20 June, especially with many competitors slipping into administration. There was similarly good news i
Read moreLondon close: Modest gains as US struggles
9th Jul 2009 16:33
Equities held onto gains despite a lacklustre final session as Wall St struggled to make headway. Mining stocks continue to dominate the list of risers. Silver miner Fresnillo is the best performer after being upgraded to "buy" by Citigroup. In contrast the US bank had downgraded gold miner Rand
Read moreLondon afternoon: Rally gathers pace
9th Jul 2009 14:46
Equities pushed higher over the lunch-time session, boosted by expectations of a firm start on Wall Street. Mining stocks continue to dominate the list of risers. Silver miner Fresnillo is the best performer after being upgraded to "buy" by Citigroup. In contrast the US bank had downgraded gold min
Read moreBroker tips: Tullow, AB Foods, Hays
9th Jul 2009 13:09
Irish oil company Tullow Oil's recent share price weakness merely reflects the slide in the price of crude, Morgan Stanley believes, and the US bank reckons the company's prospects look good over the medium term. Tullow's exciting discoveries in Uganda and Ghana are set to drive future earnings gro
Read moreBroker snap: Unilever preferred to AB Foods
9th Jul 2009 12:53
Primark remains the main engine of growth at Associated British Foods as all other parts of the business reported slowing sales growth in the third quarter of the group's financial year. Jeremy Batstone-Carr at Charles Stanley said the trading update was broadly in line with expectations and "reaso
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