London open: Healthy start to Q4
1st Oct 2009 08:40
London set off higher Thursday as buyers snapped up miners and Legal & General (L&G) continued to attract speculative interest. Persistent talk that Resolution is circling L&G had the insurer higher again in early deals, while yesterday's upgrade by Deutsche Bank helped. The broker also thinks Av
Read moreLondon close: Footsie dips into the red
23rd Sep 2009 17:05
A late swoon saw London's blue-chip index give up the gains of the morning to close marginally lower on the day, as investors banked profits ahead of the Federal Reserve's decision this evening on US interest rates and its quantitative easing (QE) programme. The morning's gains had been achieved on
Read moreLondon close: End of road for winning run
21st Sep 2009 16:21
London's six-day rally ended Monday after banks were sold on fundraising talks and as miners retreated on weaker metal prices. Part-nationalised lender Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) was the biggest faller on reports it is mulling a share issue of between £3-4bn to reduce its dependence on the UK gov
Read moreLondon afternoon: RBS's rights plans disappoint
21st Sep 2009 14:26
Share prices are drifting lower as investors take stock following the market's recent strong run. Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) is lower on reports that it is mulling a share issue of between £3-4bn to reduce its dependence on the UK government's toxic asset protection scheme (APS). Lloyds confirmed
Read moreLondon midday: Miners in a hole
21st Sep 2009 12:24
Investors took an opportunity to bank profits in what has been a quiet session for news, with miners wearing the worst of the losses. Weaker metal prices have Fresnillo, Xstrata, Kazakhmys, Vedanta and Rio Tinto deep in the red. Even Antofagasta is lower now despite a positive note from Goldman Sac
Read moreSector movers: Mining rally stops for breath
21st Sep 2009 11:32
Mining stocks have run into profit taking amid weakness in the metals markets. The sector posted good gains last week in line with growing optimism over the prospects for global economic recovery. Even Antofagasta, upgraded today to 'buy' from 'neutral' in a Goldman Sachs mining sector review, is
Read moreLondon open: Flat start as markets catch breath
18th Sep 2009 08:44
Footsie has made a slow start after Wall St paused for breath overnight on concerns the recent equity market surge may have got ahead of itself. Part-nationalised bank Lloyds Banking Group is making the headlines. It has confirmed talks with the government about changes to the terms of it joining a
Read moreLondon close: Blue chips post useful gains
17th Sep 2009 16:42
A better than expected start on Wall Street helped London post more gains by the close. Balfour Beatty was the best performer with the shares roaring ahead on plans to acquire Parsons Brinckerhoff, a US consultancy business. A rights issue to raise about £350m will fund the deal. Ian Tyler, Balfou
Read moreLondon afternoon: Holding onto gains
17th Sep 2009 14:16
London is still in the blue but off its best with futures pointing towards a flat start on Wall Street. British Airways has been the blue-chip stock to own in the third quarter of 2009 with its share price virtually doubling since the beginning of July. The shares get another lift today from Goldma
Read moreLondon midday: Traders get on board British Airways
17th Sep 2009 12:08
Risers outnumber fallers among FTSE 100 constituents by around three to one as London's strong run continues, despite flat retail sales in August. British Airways has been the blue-chip stock to own in the third quarter of 2009 with its share price virtually doubling since the beginning of July. T
Read moreLondon open: Rise continues
17th Sep 2009 08:15
Miners are giving London's blue chips a boost in early dealings, while Tullow Oil gained on the second oil find in as many days. Fresnillo, Kazakhmys, Antofagasta, Lonmin and Xstrata are all among the top performers. Tullow Oil gained after announcing the discovery of a significant oil field at N
Read moreLondon close: Stocks gain on economic cheer
15th Sep 2009 16:40
Footsie put further distance between itself and the 5,000 point mark as the global economic outlook brightened. The US recession is 'very likely' to have ended, Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke said. Here, the UK Consumer Prices Index in August showed an annual increase of 1.6%, the lowest si
Read moreLondon midday: RSA's bid plans unclear
15th Sep 2009 12:11
After a quiet but tospy-turvy session the blue-chip index ended the morning in positive territory, despite the UK inflation picture not improving as much in August as expected. The UK Consumer Prices Index in August showed an annual increase of 1.6%, the lowest since level since February 2005 and do
Read moreLondon close: Footsie rebounds past 5,000
11th Sep 2009 16:53
Footsie went into the weekend with the 5,000 point level in its rear-view mirror as miners advanced. Silver miner Fresnillo, copper group Antofagasta and platinum specialist Lonmin were among the best performers. Hedge fund giant Man Group also went well helped by the rising markets. British Airwa
Read moreLondon afternoon: Blue chips power on
11th Sep 2009 14:16
Footsie has had another good day with demand for the miners again providing the momentum. Silver miner Fresnillo, copper group Antofagasta and platinum specialist Lonmin are among the best performers. Hedge fund giant Man Group is also going well helped by the rising markets. British Airways conti
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