London midday: Miners drive Footsie higher
1st Apr 2010 11:59
Resource stocks drove Footsie higher this morning ahead of the Easter break as commodity prices advance. Manufacturing activity has accelerated in China, while confidence in the Japanese manufacturing sector also improved. Xstrata, Randgold Resources, Rio Tinto and Vedanta Resources are the best p
Read moreLondon open: Miners and retailers in focus
1st Apr 2010 08:13
Miners are leading London's top stocks higher in early dealings, while investors also ponder a mixed bag of retail-related updates. Xstrata, Randgold Resources, Rio Tinto and Vedanta Resources are the best performers in the mining sector. The cold snap in the early part of the year and tougher com
Read moreLaura Ashley says customer confidence returning
1st Apr 2010 07:34
Furniture and clothing retailer Laura Ashley said customer confidence is returning but is tempered with a degree of caution as it posted a 3% rise in full year group sales. Total group sales rose to £268.4m for the 52 weeks to 30 January from £260.5m the same time a year before. Total UK retail sal
Read moreLaura Ashley chief exec buys
15th Jan 2010 16:52
Lillian Tan, chief executive of Laura Ashley, has added 150,000 shares to her shareholding taking it to 500,000 shares - equivalent to 0.07%. Tan spent £20,130 on the shares in the clothing and home furnishings retailer, which cost 13.42p each. UK retail sales were 8.8% ahead in the 19 weeks to
Read moreLaura Ashley sees FY in line
16th Dec 2009 07:48
Laura Ashley said it expects full year trading to be broadly in line with company expectations. In the first 19 weeks of the second half to 12 December 2009, total UK retail sales increased by 8.8% year-on-year while like-for-like sales increased by 4.9%, helped by promotional activity and an inc
Read moreLondon afternoon: Market in holiday mood
9th Sep 2009 14:22
Footsie made an assault on the 5,000 level over the lunchtime session but fell short, as investors took note of expectations of a flat start on Wall Street. With mergers and acquisition activity back on the agenda British Airways is in demand on hopes of a swift conclusion to its team-up with Spani
Read moreLondon midday: Consumer confidence boost for equities
9th Sep 2009 12:03
After a hesitant start leading shares have turned higher, helped by the August Nationwide Consumer Confidence index which indicated British consumers are more confident than at any time since May last year. Oil and gas explorer BG Group hailed 'excellent' test drilling results from its 30% owned Gu
Read moreLaura Ashley sales rise as profit shrinks
9th Sep 2009 08:51
Womenswear and furniture retailer Laura Ashley posted a sharp drop in half year pre-tax profit, halved its dividend and said the outlook for retail remains uncertain. However the retail chain, known for floral patterns, said total group sales rose 6.3% to £127.8m for the six months to 1 August 2009
Read moreLondon close: Late rally not enough
2nd Jun 2009 16:46
A rally in the afternoon session was not enough to lift the Footsie out of negative territory, though second-liners were moderately firmer on balance. Bank Barclays was the day’s worst performing blue-chip after news of the sale by IPIC broke overnight. Khadem Al Qubaisi, managing director of IPIC,
Read moreLondon afternoon: Shares stuck in the red
2nd Jun 2009 14:40
Shares remain in the red after failing to find inspiration on Wall Street, which opened sluggishly. Bank Barclays is nursing a double-digit percentage decline after news of the impending sale by IPIC broke overnight. Khadem Al Qubaisi, managing director of IPIC, said that the sale did not represen
Read moreLondon midday: Profit takers move in
2nd Jun 2009 11:55
Profit taking was the theme of the morning as investors reduced equity exposure after yesterday's sharp rise while Barclays tumbled on the revelation that Abu Dhabi's International Petroleum Investment Company (IPIC) is to bank profits on its Barclays stake. Barclays is nursing a double-digit perce
Read moreLaura Ashley sales up
2nd Jun 2009 07:29
Furniture and clothing retailer Laura Ashley said despite the challenging economic environment, the board remains cautiously optimistic for the current year as sales in the first 17 weeks to May 30 rose. Like-for-like sales improved by 6.9% compared to the same period last year despite the economic
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