London midday: Prices bottom out
25th May 2010 12:02
The FTSE 100 dived below the 5,000 level in the first few minutes of trading and at one point in the morning session dipped briefly below 4,900 but prices have now stabilised. Though it is scant consolation, London is not alone in shifting violently into reverse gear, as increasing fears about a p
Read moreLondon close: Eurozone worries batter Footsie
19th May 2010 16:36
European concerns were behind sharp falls in shares today as plans by Germany to slap a ban on short-selling of European bonds, credit default swaps and ten of Germany's biggest financial groups spooked investors. German chancellor Angela Merkel's warning that Europe is facing its greatest crisis i
Read moreLondon afternoon: Experian provides isolated cheer
19th May 2010 14:13
Leading shares trimmed their losses over the lunchtime session but the predominant colour on the Footsie leaderboard remains red. Mining companies lead the retreat on fears that Germany's decision to impose an immediate ban on "naked short selling" of euro-denominated government bonds and also cred
Read moreLondon midday: Markets on short fuse
19th May 2010 12:20
Water utility company Severn Trent was the only FTSE 100 constituent to advance during the morning session, as all of the others ended the morning underwater. If the move by Germany's financial regulator to impose an immediate ban on "naked short selling" of corporate debt last night was intended t
Read moreSector movers: Alternative energy bucks the downward trend
19th May 2010 11:13
Alternative energy is the only sector posting gains today, helped by a well-received trading statement from PV Crystalox Solar, the company that makes the silicon wafers used in solar power systems, as demand for its products improve. The company said shipment volumes for the first half of 2010 are
Read moreLondon close: Late rally pares losses
5th May 2010 17:16
Though tomorrow is the day of the UK General Election all eyes were on Greece today, as at least three people were reported dead as violent protests erupted in central Athens against the planned introduction of austerity measures. Stocks came off the bottom towards the end of the session, though th
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Ex-dividend adjustments knock market
5th May 2010 16:00
Footsie is making an attempt to recover this afternoon but it remains well down. This is despite a recovery in the BP share price after Panmure Gordon upgraded the oil company from a sell to a buy. BP shares went ex-dividend today so the rise is even more impressive. The quarterly dividend is 9.22
Read moreLondon afternoon: Greek riots rattle investors
5th May 2010 14:53
Footsie is now nursing a triple digit fall as the downward trend seen in the last hour of the morning session accelerated over lunch as US investors woke up to television footage of Greeks rioting in the streets. Civil unrest in Greece has sent the price of oil and metals into decline with a predic
Read moreAntofagasta lifts copper production
5th May 2010 11:01
Antofagasta ramps up copper production in the first quarter as it sought to profit from high prices for the red metal. The Chilean miner produced 117,000 tonnes during the three month period, compared with a quarterly average of 110,600 tonnes in 2009. Antofagasta hopes to produce 543,000 tonnes o
Read moreAbcam co-founder sells shares
27th Apr 2010 16:56
Professor Tony Kouzarides, a co-founder of online catalogue-based antibodies distributor Abcam, has sold more than one-quarter of his shareholding. Professor Kouzarides sold 29,000 shares at 1187p each. That is just below the all time high of 1259p a share. He is left with 85,244 shares. Abcam fl
Read moreLondon close: Footsie keeps lead
26th Apr 2010 16:34
Stocks built on Friday's gains as investors piled into miners and high street banks, although the leading index finished toward the bottom of the session's range. An increase in metal prices proved attractive, with Chile-focused copper giant Antofagasta the pick of the bunch. Kazakhmys was also wa
Read moreLondon close: Volcano disruption holds back shares
19th Apr 2010 16:47
Trading was overshadowed by the volcano cloud that is keeping planes grounded across Europe, with updates on the impact of the disruption appearing throughout the day, but the leading share index finished just a few points lower. British Airways fell after saying it estimates that lost passenger an
Read moreLondon afternoon: RBS defies the trend
19th Apr 2010 14:37
The FTSE 100 briefly dropped below 5700 over the lunchtime session as share prices continued to drift lower. Travel stocks remain the big story as the major players start to count the cost of the disruption from the Icelandic volcano cloud. IATA, the international air transport association, has es
Read moreLondon midday: Shares still under a cloud
19th Apr 2010 12:28
UK shares remain under a cloud, with travel stocks coming under selling pressure as the disruption from the Icelandic volcano cloud continues to disrupt air travel. IATA, the international air transport association, has estimated that the airlines industry has lost $250m per day from the grounding o
Read moreLondon close: Markets dive
16th Apr 2010 16:21
Along with other global markets, London's benchmark was sideswiped by news that Goldman Sachs has been charged with fraud on subprime mortgages by the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Stocks nosedived around 70 points in the final hour of trading as the news emerged. The banking sector had be
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