London afternoon: Sainsbury slides on sales leak
16th Nov 2009 14:31
After getting off to a flying start, the FTSE 100 index has drifted sideways since the middle of the morning. A larger part of the blue-chip index's gain is down to mining stocks, which are in demand as metal prices continue to head north. Lonmin leads the sector higher despite reporting a full-y
Read moreLondon midday: Early gains consolidated
16th Nov 2009 12:11
Stock prices saw a modest amount of profit taking after the Footsie hit a 14-month high. Lonmin is leading the mining sector higher despite reporting a full-year loss. The South African platinum miner fell into the red in the year to September 30 as prices for the precious metal slumped in line wit
Read moreLondon close: Good end to the day and week
13th Nov 2009 16:44
London headed into the weekend in an upbeat mood as Wall Street started the day strongly and investors took a shine to property giants as the close neared. British Land, shopping centre owner Liberty and Hammerson finished in the top five risers by the end of the day. A modest rally in the dollar
Read moreLondon afternoon: Footsie flat
13th Nov 2009 14:54
Stocks are trading little changed as weak miners cancel optimism elsewhere. A modest rally in the dollar has caused traders to pocket profits ahead of the weekend. ENRC, Vedanta, Xstrata and Antofagasta have fallen. British Airways has turned tail as the market assesses terms of its proposed merg
Read moreLondon afternoon: Share prices froth over
11th Nov 2009 14:12
Share prices are coming off the top, though Footsie remains comfortably in positive territory thanks to strong demand for miners and insurers. Miners are wanted as metal prices pick up following news that Chinese industrial output rose to a 19-month high in October. BHP Billiton, Kazakhmys, Rio Ti
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie hits intra-day high for 2009
11th Nov 2009 12:15
The Footsie is hovering around its high for the year of 5300, after better than expected UK unemployment figures. Sentiment was little affected by Bank of England governor Mervyn King saying he thinks inflation will rise above the 2% target set by the government as the impact of quantitative easi
Read moreLondon close: Flat finish for FTSE 100
10th Nov 2009 16:29
Footsie finished slightly in the red having failed to find any sense of direction all day as results sent stocks in both directions. Banking titan HSBC climbed after it said underlying third quarter profit was "significantly" ahead of the same time last year. It's also seeing some stabilisation in
Read moreLondon afternoon: Miners drag Footsie under
10th Nov 2009 14:31
With the US markets opening lower, London has followed suit, despite a strong performance from FTSE 100 index heavyweight HSBC. Banking titan HSBC said underlying third quarter profit was "significantly" ahead of the same time last year. It's also seeing some stabilisation in its bad debts picture,
Read moreLondon midday: Mixed fortunes for banks
10th Nov 2009 11:58
Despite a slew of company results to pick over the market continues to lack direction, though a good reception to results from index heavyweight HSBC helps underpin the FTSE 100's positive showing. Banking titan HSBC said underlying third quarter profit was "significantly" ahead of the same time la
Read moreBroker tips: Miners, Rentokil, Great Portland
6th Nov 2009 12:40
Miners have been put under the microscope by Standard & Poors Equity Research and Citigroup, with positive verdicts on BHP Billiton, Antofagasta and Rio Tinto. In a review of mid-cap miners Citigroup observes that the share price performance of Chilean copper miner Antofagasta has lagged the likes
Read moreBroker snap: Miners get a lift
6th Nov 2009 10:41
Miners have been put under the microscope by Standard & Poors Equity Research and Citigroup, with positive verdicts on BHP Billiton, Antofagasta and Rio Tinto. In a review of mid-cap miners Citigroup observes that the share price performance of Chilean copper miner Antofagasta has lagged the likes
Read moreLondon close: Footsie down but above 5,000
3rd Nov 2009 16:24
London's blue chips ended off session lows and back above the 5,000 level, helped by positive reaction to announcements from Lloyds Banking and Legal & General. Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) remained resolutely out of favour, however, as the market reacted negatively to the revised terms of its part
Read moreLondon afternoon: Market licking its wounds
3rd Nov 2009 14:11
The FTSE 100 index clawed its way back above the 5,000 level over the lunch-time session, helped by positive reaction to announcements from Lloyds Banking and Legal & General. Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) remains resolutely out of favour, however, as the market reacted negatively to the revised ter
Read moreAntofagasta copper output down in Q3
3rd Nov 2009 11:25
Chile-focused miner Antofagasta says copper production fell 11% in the third quarter from a year earlier despite increasing 3% from the previous quarter. It mined 109,900 tonnes of the red metal during the period versus 106,000 tonnes in the second quarter and 123,700 tonnes a year ago. "As foreca
Read moreLondon open: Early gains for Footsie
2nd Nov 2009 08:57
London's blue chips have opened higher driven by resource stocks though it is banking shares that are the main focus. Royal Bank of Scotland is close to an agreement with the government over its proposed participation in the toxic asset protection scheme (APS) and also confirmed weekend reports it
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