FTSE 100 movers: Weir and Associated British Foods surge on upgrades
29th May 2015 12:44
UK stocks shook off early morning caution by the afternoon, making modest gains in spite of Greek debt and panic selling on Chinese markets. As of 14:00 BST, the FTSE 100 was trading 0.04% higher at 7,044. Weir topped the risers as Credit Suisse raised its price target on the stock to 2,205p, citin
Read moreJPMorgan names Esure as top non-life pick, upgrades Direct Line
28th May 2015 10:08
Non-life insurers in the UK are currently struggling with tough conditions, though things should improve as motor pricing picks up, according to JPMorgan Cazenove. JPMorgan named Esure as its top pick with an 'overweight' rating, and upgraded Direct Line from 'neutral' to 'overweight'. It said that
Read moreThursday broker round-up
28th May 2015 09:44
Direct Line: JP Morgan upgrades to overweight. Admiral: JP Morgan reiterates underweight. TUI: JP Morgan stays at overweight with 1,275p target. RSA: JP Morgan ups target to 451p from 433p, keeps at neutral. SAGA: JP Morgan raises target to 207p from 185p but remains at neutral. De La Rue: JP MOrg
Read moreLondon close: Stocks rise but weak US data dampens gains
13th May 2015 16:34
UK stocks rose on Wednesday but upside was only modest after data showed that American retail sales growth slowed to a standstill last month. The FTSE 100 finished 0.23% higher at 6,949.63, but settled firmly below the intraday high of 6,989.91. Shares extended gains in morning trade after the Bank
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Mondi surges on strong profits, Admiral hit by CEO resignation
13th May 2015 13:15
UK stocks rebounded on Wednesday, driven by the Bank of England pushing back rate-hike predictions and a dip in unemployment. Sector-wise, property stocks extended gains, while miners and supermarkets dipped. As of 02:10, the FTSE 100 was trading 9 points, or 0.28% higher at 6,954, with Mondi toppin
Read moreLondon open: Stocks rise ahead of BoE inflation report
13th May 2015 08:20
London stocks rebounded slightly on Wednesday after a steep decline the previous session, as investors geared up for the Bank of England's Quarterly Inflation Report. The FTSE 100 was trading 0.53% higher at 6,970.37 early on, with results from blue chips Mondi, Barratt Developments and SABMiller im
Read moreAdmiral's chief executive steps down
13th May 2015 07:05
Admiral Group's chief executive Henry Engelhardt is stepping down in a year's time, the motor insurance company announced on Wednesday. Engelhardt, who has been in the role since the group's creation in June 1991, will be replaced by well-regarded co-founder and chief operating officer David Stevens
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Easyjet nose dives on strikes and currency headwinds, financials lower
12th May 2015 13:10
Budget airline Easyjet led fallers despite meeting guidance and swinging to a small profit in the first half, warning it is likely to face tougher conditions in the latter part of the year. The company saw its shares sink after saying that exchange-rate movements and air traffic control strikes in F
Read moreLondon close: Markets shrug off weak data as Lloyds and miners surge
1st May 2015 16:37
Strong gains from mining stocks and an impressive first-quarter performance from UK lender Lloyds helped UK markets to rise on Friday, as investors shrugged off mostly worse-than-expected economic data. "With Europe mostly out of action for May Day, it was a quiet day in London, but at least the tra
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Lloyds surges on strong first quarter profits, property stock lower
1st May 2015 13:10
Lloyds Banking Group topped the risers after delivering a bigger-than-forecast 21% jump in underlying profits in the first quarter, as impairment charges more than halved. The UK lender also lifted its net interest margin guidance for the full year and improved its capital position. Stimulus hopes w
Read moreFriday broker round-up
27th Mar 2015 16:29
Aviva: Jefferies reiterates buy and ups target to 630p from 608p. RBS: UBS keeps at neutral and trims target to 375p from 386p. ITV: Exane reiterates add and lifts target to 288p from 267p. Wolseley: Exane reiterates underperform and lowers target to 2,660p from 2,730p. Hunting: JP Morgan Cazenov
Read moreLondon close: FTSE jumps to new record high on ECB stimulus
5th Mar 2015 16:24
Details of the European Central Bank's (ECB) quantitative easing package helped the FTSE 100 to another record close on Thursday, with financial stocks making solid gains by the end of the session. The Footise finished the day 41.9 points higher (+0.61%) at 6,961.14, surpassing a previous closing re
Read moreLondon midday: Aviva and Friends Life lead stocks higher ahead of ECB
5th Mar 2015 11:37
UK stocks gains on Thursday with decent gains by insurers Aviva and Friends Life offsetting weakness in the mining sector, as investors took an optimistic approach ahead of a much-anticipated central bank decision in Europe. The European Central Bank (ECB) is widely expected to keep policy unchanged
Read moreAdmiral Group full-year profits fall for first time since IPO in 2004
5th Mar 2015 09:08
Insurance company Admiral posted the first decline in profits since going public 11 years ago due to investments in the US during a year of consolidation. As a result, turnover was down 3% to £1.97bn and profit before tax excluding minority interest fell 4% £357m. The group said its business in the
Read moreSector movers: RSA, Jardine Lloyd Thompson and Direct Line drag non-life insurers lower
3rd Mar 2015 15:28
Non-life insurers were out of favour on Tuesday as a broker downgrade at RSA and a cool reaction to results from Jardine Lloyd Thompson and Direct Line weighed on sentiment. General insurer RSA was trading 2.7% lower after analysts at Bernstein lowered their rating on the stock from 'outperform' to
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