London afternoon: Footsie slips back
16th Apr 2010 14:35
Footsie has drifted back a little with miners among the stocks dragging on the leading share index. Cambridge-based enterprise software giant Autonomy is the heaviest faller in the FTSE 100 though. It said its first quarter results should be in line with the market's expectations. Xstrata is the h
Read moreLondon midday: No broker boost for FTSE 100
16th Apr 2010 12:08
Buoyancy among stocks that have received favourable broker coverage has failed to lift Footsie. RBS is going well after BofA Merrill Lynch raised its target price on the bank to 65p from 45p, highlighting its potential to benefit from economic recovery. 'We still believe RBS is one of most geared
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Banks push Footsie up
16th Apr 2010 10:07
London's leading shares have moved into the blue thanks to good performance from the banking sector. Royal Bank of Scotland is leading after broker BofA Merrill Lynch said the bank could benefit from the economic recovery. Merrill raised its 12-month price target for the shares to 65p from 45p. Llo
Read moreLondon open: Footsie starts lower
16th Apr 2010 08:18
Footsie has fallen back in early dealings Friday morning but is so far still trading above the 5,800 point mark. Temporary power and heating specialist Aggreko is the worst performer after it said it performed in line with expectations in the first quarter of the year, with healthy revenue rises fr
Read moreLondon close: Footsie finishes in the red
13th Apr 2010 16:16
Footsie finished slightly in the red but recovered from earlier lows as the benchmark index slumped in the afternoon following a poor start on Wall Street. US aluminum producer Alcoa fell after revenue came in short of expectations, which weighed on the mining sector in the UK. Kazakhmys, Fresnill
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Kingfisher flies high
13th Apr 2010 12:44
Retail sales data has given a boost to retailers such as B&Q owner Kingfisher, clothes retailers Next and Marks & Spencer and the supermarkets Sainsbury's and Tesco. Sales in March rose at their fastest rate in almost four years thanks to the earlier timing of Easter this year, new figures from the
Read moreLondon midday: Equities drift lower
13th Apr 2010 12:07
Mining stocks remain a drag on the Footsie but retailers see some support following the release of upbeat retail sales data. UK retail sales in March rose at their fastest rate in almost four years thanks to the earlier timing of Easter this year, new figures from the British Retail Consortium show
Read moreLondon open: Footsie slips back
13th Apr 2010 08:36
With market-moving company news thin on the ground, lower metals prices have been weighing on the mining sector, which is dragging Footsie lower. Antofagasta is the heaviest faller. Platinum specialist Lonmin and Kazakh duo ENRC and Kazakhmys are also weak. In economic news, the Royal Institution
Read moreLondon close: Paltry gains for FTSE 100
12th Apr 2010 16:36
Footsie closed just a few points in the blue after an unusually sluggish day, even for a Monday. In the absence of any blockbusting company news much of the share price activity has been generated by newspaper or broker comment. Antofagasta was one of many laggards in a soft mining sector after
Read moreLondon afternoon: London lays low
12th Apr 2010 14:36
Traders who stuck to their dealing screens over the lunchtime session were left wondering why they bothered as they market remained as quiet and as uneventful as it had been in the morning session. In the absence of any blockbusting company news much of the share price activity has been generated b
Read moreLondon midday: Home Retail rises on bid talk
12th Apr 2010 11:59
Hopes that news of the rescue package for Greece would give renewed impetus to London's advance are proving unfounded, as the Footsie is weighed down by weak miners. Xstrata leads the mining sector lower, with ENRC and Antofagasta not far behind. The last mentioned was recently downgraded to 'hold'
Read moreLondon open: Miners up on quiet day
9th Apr 2010 08:21
Miners are giving London's top stocks a lift on a relatively quiet day on the company news front. Xstrata is leading the way, closely followed by Kazakhmys, Antofagasta, Anglo American and Eurasian Natural Resources. Mining giant Rio Tinto is also up after it said it is in talks with several of it
Read moreThursday tips round-up: Petrofac, Antofagasta, Electrocomponents
8th Apr 2010 06:44
EnQuest is the combination of Petrofac's UK North Sea fields with those of Swiss group Lundin Petroleum. It contains assets such as a 27.7% stake in West Don field in the West of Shetland and other blocks in the vicinity. Over the weekend, shareholders should have received one share in EnQuest for
Read moreSector movers: Broker upgrades lift retailers
7th Apr 2010 14:15
Retail stocks are flying off the shelves after some positive broker coverage. Kingfisher, the company behind the DIY retailer B&Q, is higher after Charles Stanley lifted its rating on the firm to 'accumulate' from 'hold'. 'We expect trading conditions to slowly improve in most markets as the globa
Read moreBroker tips: Kingfisher, Topps Tiles, Antofagasta
31st Mar 2010 13:20
UBS has retained its 'buy' recommendation for Kingfisher following the DIY retailer's recent full year results, though it has a few gripes about the dividend payment. 'Cash flow was again better than expected (YE net debt £250m) and this will fund higher capex [capital expenditure] in 10-11. The di
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