London open: FTSE 100 tracks US and Asian markets higher early on
14th Jun 2013 08:46
Stocks were registering moderate gains on Friday morning as fears over the Federal Reserve's eventual 'exit strategy' from stimulus were eased overnight. Wall Street benchmarks rose strongly on Thursday on expectations that Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke will attempt to calm markets by pushing back pred
Read moreLondon midday: Financials, miners pull FTSE 100 to seven-week low
11th Jun 2013 11:23
Falling commodity prices and rising government bond yields resulted in a sell-off on Tuesday morning, as the recent volatility on equity markets continued, sending the FTSE 100 to a seven-week low. The FTSE 100 was trading around the 6,300 markby midday, the first time it has fallen to this level s
Read moreLondon close: Markets surge as US data eases 'tapering' fears
7th Jun 2013 17:23
An in-line increase in US non-farm payrolls sparked an impressive surge on equity markets worldwide on Friday afternoon, as worries about the Federal Reserve scaling back its stimulus measures eased, for now at least. London's FTSE 100 finished up 76 points on the day (+1.2%) at 6,412. Nevertheless
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Severn Trent jumps after LongRiver ups offer
7th Jun 2013 15:33
Severn Trent surged this afternoon after the LongRiver consortium upped its cash offer for the water provider following the rejection of an earlier proposal by the group earlier this week. The consortium has offered 2,200p per Severn Trent share, including the 45.51p dividend announced in May, whi
Read moreLondon midday: Markets lower ahead of non-farm payrolls
7th Jun 2013 11:45
Markets were trading in a cautious fashion on Friday morning ahead of the eagerly-anticipated employment report from the States due out this afternoon. The FTSE 100 finished 1.3% lower on Thursday at 6,336, its lowest level since April 22nd, as the recent pattern of market volatility continued in a
Read moreLondon open: Markets pause ahead of BoE and ECB decisions
6th Jun 2013 08:34
Markets opened broadly flat on Thursday morning as traders paused for breath following the heavy sell-off the day before, with all eyes on the Bank of England (BoE) and European Central Bank (ECB) as they prepare to announce their latest monetary policy decisions this afternoon. The FTSE 100 lost 2
Read moreLondon midday: Losses pared after UK, Eurozone manufacturing data
3rd Jun 2013 11:42
Disappointing factory activity in China prompted sharp falls in early trading on Monday, though losses were pared by lunchtime after some better-than-expected manufacturing figures closer to home. The FTSE 100 sunk to an intraday low of 6,512 early on, falling to levels not seen since the start of
Read moreLondon open: Stocks sink after Chinese manufacturing figures
3rd Jun 2013 08:27
A disappointing reading of Chinese manufacturing activity combined with the realisation that US stimulus may soon be trimmed weighed heavily on market sentiment on Monday morning. The FTSE 100 sunk by nearly one per cent early on, falling to levels not seen since the start of May, following sharp f
Read moreLondon open: Chinese slowdown fears hit stocks early on
29th May 2013 08:34
Stocks declined sharply on Wednesday morning with yesterday's rebound proving short-lived as fears about the impact of a slowdown in China came back to haunt markets. Following a three-day weekend for the UK and US, indices surged on Tuesday on renewed hopes of continued monetary easing in Europe a
Read moreLondon close: Markets tumble as stimulus hopes fade
23rd May 2013 16:20
The recent bullish mood on equity markets quickly faded on Thursday as mixed messages from the Federal Reserve and a slowdown in China sparked a heavy sell-off on the FTSE 100, which lost more than two per cent of its value. Answering questions in Congress last night was Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke w
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: United Utilities rises on divi payment
23rd May 2013 15:26
United Utilities was one of a small handful of risers having upped its dividend on the back of what it described as a 'good' set of results, supported by a strong operational performance, which fed through to the quality of service received by its customers. Tate & Lyle climbed after Deutsche Bank
Read moreSector movers: Miners and banks fall as risk appetite wanes
23rd May 2013 15:12
Growth concerns hammered markets across the globe on Thursday, with banking and mining stocks bearing the brunt of the sell-off in London as the impressive year-to-date rally ran out of steam. As such, there were no sectors in the UK in positive territory by the afternoon, with every category eithe
Read moreLondon midday: Rally runs out of steam after Bernanke comments
23rd May 2013 11:32
Markets tumbled by around two per cent on Thursday morning as investors chose to take profits in the aftermath of comments from the head of the US Federal Reserve and a disappointing reading of manufacturing activity in China. The FTSE 100 had surged to a fresh 13-year high high of 6,840 the day be
Read moreLondon open: Fed concerns, poor Chinese data spark sell-off
23rd May 2013 08:31
Worries about the Federal Reserve 'tapering' quantitative easing (QE) prematurely spooked markets on Thursday morning, along with a disappointing reading of manufacturing activity in China. The FTSE 100 had surged to a fresh 13-year high high of 6,840 the day before, its second-highest close in his
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Morrison shares hit by placing news
22nd May 2013 14:58
Shares in Morrison were falling sharply after UBS confirmed that it had placed around 100m shares in the supermarket stock on behalf of an institutional seller at 280p each, well below yesterday's closing price of 289.30p. Chip designer ARM Holdings was also under pressure today following its inve
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