London close: UK stocks fall for fourth day as mining shares tank
27th Mar 2015 17:04
UK stocks extended their losing streak into the fourth day on Friday as a sell-off in iron ore and a stronger dollar hit share prices in the mining sector. London's resource-heavy FTSE 100 finished the session down 40.31 points (-0.58%) at 6,855.02 as it continued its retreat from the record closing
Read moreLondon midday: UK stocks continue to retreat as miners fall
27th Mar 2015 11:38
Mining stocks led UK equity markets lower on Friday as the pull-back from recent records continued, with little in the way of corporate or economic news to drive sentiment. After a 1.4% drop on Thursday, the FTSE 100 was down a further 0.3% at 6,873.30 by midday. London's blue chip index has now fa
Read moreLondon open: Mining stocks drag FTSE 100 lower for fourth day
27th Mar 2015 08:30
UK stocks declined for a fourth straight day on Friday morning as the FTSE 100 continued to pull back from recent all-time highs. The Footsie was down 0.1% at 6,888.66 in early deals with mining stocks among the worst performers. London's blue chip index has continued to fall after hitting a new rec
Read moreLondon pre-open: Flat start for FTSE expected after sell-off
27th Mar 2015 07:34
London's blue chips were set for a subdued start on Friday as investors pause for breath following a sell-off the previous session. City sources predict the FTSE 100 will open broadly flat on Thursday's close of 6,895.33 after dropping 1.4%. The index has fallen for the last three sessions after hi
Read moreAntofagasta suspends mines as flash floods hit Atacama Desert in Chile
27th Mar 2015 07:11
Copper mining group Antofagasta has been forced to call a halt to mining activities in the north of Chile due to heavy rain. Since Tuesday evening, flash floods in the Atacama Desert in the north of Chile have wreaked havoc across the region, causing mudslides and cutting off electricity and water t
Read moreBroker tips: Easyjet, Antofagasta, Whitbread
26th Mar 2015 12:27
Shares in Easyjet and a number of other travel stocks took a hammering on Thursday from the spike in oil prices, though the budget airline did manage to impress analysts with its latest trading update. Credit Suisse maintained an 'outperform' rating and 2,050p target price for Easyjet after first-ha
Read moreInvestec reduces its recommendation on Antofagasta to 'sell'
26th Mar 2015 11:02
Chilean-focused miner Antofagasta had its rating chopped to 'sell' from 'hold' on Thursday by Investec Securities who cited the company's stock as "fundamentally overvalued." The broker said that if the proposed Centinela Second Concentrator project in Chile goes ahead on the metrics suggested by An
Read moreTuesday broker round-up
24th Mar 2015 14:42
Legal&General: Canaccord Genuity reiterates hold and raises target to 290p from 240p. Standard Chartered: JP Morgan Cazenove reiterates overweight and lifts target to 1,250p from 1,050p. Vesuvius: Credit Suisse reiterates underperform and hikes target 460p from 405p. Marks&Spencer: Investec reit
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Standard Chartered soars on upgrade, miners higher
23rd Mar 2015 12:52
Standard Chartered topped the risers after having its rating upgraded from 'neutral' to 'overweight' at JPMorgan. The broker said: "We believe that last week's UK budget may lead the market to attach a higher probability of strategic actions to change domicile and unlock value." Miners such as BHP B
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Next slumps on weak outlook, tobacco stocks lower
19th Mar 2015 13:44
Shares in Next slumped as the fashion retailer took a cautious view of the outlook for the 2015-2016 financial year, saying some of its collections are "not as strong as they were at this point last year". Tobacco stocks such as British American Tobacco and Imperial Tobacco Group were among the wors
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Standard Chartered surges on upgrades, miners lower
18th Mar 2015 12:58
Shares in Standard Chartered surged after analysts at Barclays and Bernstein raised their ratings, highlighting the recent appointment of a former JPMorgan banker as its new boss. Barclays lifted their stance from 'equal weight' to 'overweight', while Bernstein upgraded by two notches from 'underper
Read moreLondon midday: StanChart, energy stocks lead gains ahead of Budget statement
18th Mar 2015 12:03
Stocks were putting in decent gains on Wednesday ahead of the UK Budget and Federal Reserve policy meeting, with the FTSE 100 nearing the 6,900 level. Markets were mostly shrugging off slightly worse-than-expected labour-market data in morning trade, as the jobless rate in Britain unexpectedly held
Read moreLondon close: Energy stocks lift markets ahead of Budget, as investors await Fed
17th Mar 2015 16:32
After dipping into the red around midday, UK stocks rallied into the close with the FTSE 100 finishing 0.5% higher on the back of decent gains in the oil sector ahead of Wednesday's Budget statement. Rumours about potential tax breaks for North Sea oil and gas producers were providing energy stocks
Read moreLondon midday: Energy stocks rise but FTSE pares gains ahead of Fed meeting
17th Mar 2015 11:39
Stocks in the oil and mining sectors were performing well on Tuesday morning, though gains for the wider market were erased by lunchtime as investors awaited the start of a Federal Reserve policy meeting. Weaker-than-expected economic data from Germany was also dampening sentiment, as European marke
Read moreLondon open: Sainsbury's and mining stocks bolster markets ahead of Fed
17th Mar 2015 08:49
UK stocks rose for the second straight day on Tuesday, helped by a strong performance on Asian markets overnight, ahead of the start of the Federal Reserve's two-day policy meeting. The FTSE 100 was up 0.5% at 6,839.30 early on, helped by decent gains from a host of stocks in the mining and energy s
Read more