London close: Stocks end up 1.7% on Greek optimism, M&A provides a boost
22nd Jun 2015 16:28
UK stocks surged on Monday on hopes that Greece and its creditors would be able to reach a deal to secure the next tranche of bailout aid later this week. While there was no new cash-for-reforms agreement at meetings in Brussels, officials said a last-minute proposal by Athens was a good basis for f
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Spire lifted by Remgro stake purchase, WS Atkins hit by downgrade
22nd Jun 2015 13:31
Mid-caps staged a recovery on Monday, as insurance, financial services and travel stocks put in a strong performance and investors kept their fingers crossed for a short term funding deal in Greece. As of 3:00 BST, the FTSE 250 was trading 1% higher at 17,883. Hospital operator Spire Healthcare jum
Read moreLondon midday: M&A propels stocks as Greek hopes rise ahead of EU summit
22nd Jun 2015 11:31
Rising hopes over a short-term funding deal for Greece lifted UK stock markets on Monday, with M&A activity providing a further fillip to shares. The FTSE 100 was trading up 1.18% at 6,789.43 by midday, with blue chips Sky and Severn Trent rising strongly on speculation the companies could be bid ta
Read moreLondon open: UK stocks surge as Greek hopes rise, Sky jumps
22nd Jun 2015 08:30
UK stocks surged on Monday morning as investors breathed a sigh of relief on the back of rising hopes that Greece is set to secure a short-term deal with creditors. The FTSE 100 was trading up 1.36% at 6,801.41 early on. According to reports, Greece's lenders are working on a deal to extend the cou
Read moreLondon pre-open: Optimism builds ahead of crucial EU summit on Greece
22nd Jun 2015 07:43
UK stocks are expected to edge higher on Monday on a pivotal day for Greece as optimism builds that leaders can scrape together a deal to stop Athens from defaulting on its debts and leaving the euro. City sources predict the FTSE 100 will open 18 points higher than Friday's close of 6,710.45. "Eur
Read moreAggreko splits into two core businesses, shuffles management
22nd Jun 2015 07:03
Power generator hire firm Aggreko said it will restructure into two units and announced a raft of management changes. The company said it will divide into two core units, Aggreko Rental Solutions; and Aggreko Power Solutions. The changes will be effective from 1 August 2015, the firm said in a state
Read moreAggreko demoted as Inmarsat joins FTSE 100
4th Jun 2015 15:10
Temporary power provider Aggreko was a casualty of the latest quarterly FTSE 100 review, demoted to the 250 index as satellite company Inmarsat enjoyed a promotion. Aggreko has a market capitalisation of around £3.95bn, whereas Inmarsat has a market value of around £4.53bn. Banknote printer De La R
Read moreThursday broker round-up
14th May 2015 14:30
ITV: Numis downgrades to add but nudges target to 290p from 275p, Investec reiterates hold and Credit Suisse reiterates outperform. SAB Miller: Credit Suisse reiterates underperform stance, Nomura reiterates neutral recommendation and Deutsche reiterates its call to hold. GlaxoSmithKline: UBS downg
Read moreAggreko revenues up but uncertainty in Libya and Yemen persists
14th May 2015 07:17
Underlying revenues grew 4% in the first quarter at power solutions provider Aggreko, as a strong dollar helped balance a slowdown in North America and Asia Pacific. Reported revenue was up 8% but towards the end of the quarter the equipment hire provider started to see a decline in volumes and pric
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Anglo American, utility stocks surge
23rd Apr 2015 13:30
Anglo American, owner of jeweler De Beers, surged on Thursday as the mining giant cut its forecast for annual diamond production in order to avoid overproduction in the weaker diamond market. United Utilities, SSE and Centrica was making gains as investors sought refuge in defensive utility stocks.
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Burberry higher on new director, Johnson Matthey hit by downgrade
11th Mar 2015 13:41
Shares in Burberry advanced after the British fashion house appointed Fabiola Arredondo as a non-executive director. Arredondo, once named by The Wall Street Journal as the most influential businesswoman in Europe, has previously held senior roles at Yahoo, the BBC and Bertelsmann. Temporary power a
Read moreLondon open: Stocks pause ahead of non-farm payrolls with FTSE at record high
6th Mar 2015 08:19
UK stocks declined on Friday in spite of some upbeat economic data from Germany, as markets paused at record highs ahead of some key labour-market data in the States later on. The FTSE 100 was down 0.09% at 6,955 early on, pulling back from Thursday's all-time closing high of 6,961.14. Thursday's g
Read moreLondon open: Stocks edge higher as investors focus on ECB
5th Mar 2015 08:07
Stocks began the morning moving slightly higher ahead of a key policy meeting of the European Central Bank. Meeting in Cyprus, the assembled central bankers are expected to unveil the monetary authority's latest set of macroeconomic projections, which may provide clues on the extent to which its new
Read moreLondon pre-open: All eyes on the ECB
5th Mar 2015 07:44
Futures are now pointing to a nearly flat start today for the Footsie, as investors wait on tomorrow's US non-farm payrolls data and ahead of today's Bank of England and European Central Bank policy meetings. The ECB is on Thursday expected to provide further details of its €1.1trn quantitative easi
Read moreAggreko profits fall and expected to remain flat in 2015
5th Mar 2015 07:07
After a year of senior management change and difficult conditions in some markets, Aggreko saw pre-tax profits decline 13% to £289m in the face of currency headwinds and said they looked likely to remain flat in the year ahead. Analysts had been expecting such a fall from the temporary power provide
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