London close: Chinese data offsets IMF downgrade
20th Jan 2015 17:23
Stocks ended the session with modest gains on the heels of better-than-expected growth figures in China. The FTSE 100 gained 34.57 points to finish the day at 6,629. China's gross domestic product expanded at a 7.4% clip in 2014, markets seemed to draw comfort from the fact that the rate of expansi
Read moreSector movers: Glencore and Anglo American rise, Admiral in reverse
20th Jan 2015 16:21
A spate of stronger-than-expected economic reports out of China overnight triggered a small rebound in commodity stocks such as Glencore and Anglo American following recent heavy losses. At 7.3%, the rate of growth in Chinese Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the last three months of last year was un
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Chinese data boosts commodities and retail, Unilever sinks on dissapointing growth
20th Jan 2015 13:57
Fast-moving consumer goods giant Unilever was among the fallers after revealing slower-than-expected growth in 2014. Underlying sales were up 2.9%, faster than the markets they operate in but lower than analyst forecasts, with volumes higher by 1% and prices advancing by 1.9%. The company's core
Read moreSunday share tips: Mitie, UK Mail, Vodafone
18th Jan 2015 18:44
Mitie's shares have fallen but not as fast as those of outsourcing rivals such as Serco and Balfour Beatty, Danny Fortson pointed out in the Sunday Times. Matthew Earl, a former City analyst who writes a blog, criticised Mitie for buying companies to compensate for its own slow progress and for the
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Supermarket stocks pull back after strong surge
9th Jan 2015 13:47
Supermarket stocks were under pressure on Friday, with Tesco in particular pulling back after a 15% surge the previous session, following the announcement of its turnaround plan and resilient Christmas sales. Dampening Tesco's shares was the news that ratings agency Moody's had cut the UK grocer'
Read moreMonday broker round-up
10th Nov 2014 15:34
RBS: Nomura reiterates reduce but lifts target price to 370p from 360p. IAG: Liberum reiterates buy, maintaining 550p target. Royal Dutch Shell: JP Morgan reiterates overweight stance but cuts target to 2,500p from 2,700p. Aveva: Westhouse Securities reiterates add and its target price of 1,780p.
Read moreLondon close: Miners lead shares higher on gold price rise
7th Nov 2014 17:11
Miners and oil stocks led the London market modestly higher on Friday as gold and oil prices jumped on a weaker dollar and German trade data improved. Silver miner Fresnillo gleamed 34.5p to 734p and Randgold Resources glittered 58p to 4132p as gold prices rose about 2% and a barrel of US crude boun
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Mining stocks jump as insurers fall
7th Nov 2014 16:01
Mining stocks were performing well on Friday, leading the risers on the FTSE 100 as metal prices gained on upbeat US economic data. Fresnillo, BHP Billiton, Anglo American, Randgold and Rio Tinto were all in demand. Experian was continuing to advance after a well-received first-half report on Thursd
Read moreSector movers: Blue chips Admiral and RSA drag insurers lower
7th Nov 2014 13:27
The non-life insurance sector was the worst performer on Friday in London after a disappointing update from Admiral and a broker downgrade for RSA Insurance. Admiral was trading 3.1% lower after saying that its price-comparison website Confused.com is expected to see a fall in profits in the second
Read moreLondon midday: UK stocks rise, but gains trimmed as investors await US jobs data
7th Nov 2014 11:43
UK stocks gained on Friday after Eurozone stimulus hopes and upbeat economic data pushed Wall Street indices to more record highs, but gains were pared slightly by lunchtime as investors waited for the all-important US jobs report. The FTSE 100 was up 0.5% at 6,587 by midday, having touched an intra
Read moreLondon open: UK stocks at one-month high ahead of US jobs report
7th Nov 2014 08:41
The UK stock market was trading at a one-month high on Friday following more record highs on Wall Street, boosted by upbeat US economic data and hopes for more monetary stimulus from the European Central Bank (ECB). However, investors will be keeping a close eye on the upcoming US jobs report on Fri
Read moreAdmiral says Confused.com profits to fall in H2
7th Nov 2014 07:50
Confused.com owner Admiral blamed a competitive market for an expected fall in profits at the price comparison website in the second half versus the first six months of the year. Admiral said: "The UK price comparison market remains highly competitive and we expect Confused.com to deliver a lower re
Read moreLondon close: Markets up on positive company news
22nd Oct 2014 17:04
The London market closed in positive territory for the second time this week as traders weary of negative economic news took heart from upbeat corporate results. The FTSE 100 Index ended the session 27.4 points ahead at 6399.73 as drug group GlaxoSmithKline pleased investors with news of higher earn
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: GlaxoSmithKline leads risers after pleasing with Q3 results
22nd Oct 2014 16:05
Drug giant Glaxosmithkline (GSK) rose after the pharmaceutical giant said core operating profit fell by just 6% to £1.89bn, compared with the £1.71bn forecast. Figures out from AA Insurance lifted shares in car insurers on Wednesday, with Direct Line and Admiral both parking themselves in the top 10
Read moreCar insurers lead market gains after AA data on premiums
22nd Oct 2014 15:52
British car insurers were the best of the lot in the London market after motoring group AA reported that Shoparound premiums - an aggregation of the five cheapest premiums available - rose by 1.2% in the latest quarter to reach £531. That was the first increase since early 2012, although they were s
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