London close: Financials surge as macro data lifts sentiment

1st Feb 2012 17:00

- Schroders leads financial stocks higher as risk appetite increases. - Manufacturing data from UK, Europe, US and China well-received. - Greece 'one formal step away' from deal. The Footsie finished with a triple-digit point gain on Wednesday after manufacturing data from across the globe lifted s

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FTSE 250 movers: Ocado delivers in 2011, shares jump

31st Jan 2012 15:27

Groceries delivery firm Ocado rose strongly after saying its sales growth in 2011 outdid others in the sector, while top-line growth in 2012 should accelerate once its sorts out its capacity constraints. The group reported today that gross sales, which include revenue plus value added tax and market

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Aquarius's boss slams rising regulatory costs

31st Jan 2012 08:15

An increase in the number of work stoppages on safety grounds hit output in the final quarter of 2011 at platinum miner Aquarius Platinum, and seriously tried the patience of the group's Chief Executive Officer. Output of platinum group metals (PGMs) attributable to Aquarius in the October to Decem

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London close: Euro worries drag Footsie down 1.1%

30th Jan 2012 17:13

Just nine stocks in the FTSE 100 finished above water on Monday as the Eurozone crisis weighed heavily on sentiment. With the borrowing rate of Portuguese debt surging, Greek talks still unresolved and an EU summit taking place, a risk-off attitude swept across the market today with resource stocks

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Friday broker round-up - UPDATE

27th Jan 2012 09:43

CRH: Liberum Capital downgrades to hold from buy. Misys: Espirito Santo downgrades from buy to sell, cuts target to 263p from 275p. Aquarius: Credit Suisse maintains neutral and price target at £2.1. Lonmin: Credit Suisse maintains underperform and price target at £9.8. Imperial Tobacco: Cit

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FTSE 250 movers: Sports Direct jumps, Shanks down after downgrade

16th Dec 2011 14:57

Sports clothing firm Sports Direct was the high riser of the day after announcing that it has withdrawn its offer for Blacks Leisure after the outdoor leisurewear and equipment chain put itself up for sale earlier this month. Sports Direct's decision to pull out of the transaction has, however, been

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London close: Footsie drops 1.8% on Eurozone worries

12th Dec 2011 16:46

London's Footsie finished at its lowest levels of the day after Wall Street bourses opened sharply in the red. The Eurozone crisis appeared to be weighing heavily on investors' minds (as usual) following some downbeat comments from Moody's. The FTSE 100 finished 1.8% down at 5,428, some 101 points o

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FTSE 250 Movers: CSR soars into first place

12th Dec 2011 16:03

Wireless technology and computer chip company CSR roared higher after announcing that it will be discontinuing investment in the areas of digital television systems-on-a-chip and silicon tuners. CSR expects to realise, on an annualised basis, $60m of operating cost reductions as a result of these

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FTSE 250 Movers: Miners rocket on central bank action

30th Nov 2011 15:44

Miners dominated the risers on the FTSE 250 on Wednesday after news that central banks are working together to ease strains in the financial markets sent stocks soaring. The mining sector swung into the blue, despite falling earlier on, after the People's Bank of China (PBOC) had lowered the legal

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FTSE 250 movers: Miners tumble on global fears

21st Nov 2011 13:02

The mining sector suffered some heavy losses on Monday as concerns of the global economy weighed on sector sentiment, and metals prices. Centamin Egypt, Kenmare Resources, Aquarius Platinum, Petropavlovsk and Allied Gold Mining were among the worst performers on the FTSE 250. While the miners bo

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London midday: Global concerns spark mass sell-off

21st Nov 2011 12:13

After a steep sell-off early on, the FTSE 100 traded sideways in the morning session and remained firmly below the 5,300 level, registering triple-digit losses, as of midday. Stocks markets across Europe suffered falls of between 2% and 3%, while US futures were also pointing to sharp decline, as ne

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FTSE 250 Movers: Elementis riding high

28th Oct 2011 15:09

Elementis, the speciality chemical additives firm, was riding high after it said all three of its divisions traded ahead of last year's levels in the third quarter. The company remains confident that full year earnings, excluding exceptional items, will be in line with the board's expectations. Wi

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Broker tips: Shell, Aquarius Platinum, FCAM...

28th Oct 2011 12:59

Credit Suisse has raised its full-year earnings estimates for Anglo-Dutch integrated oil colossus Royal Dutch Shell, saying that the third quarter performance is "more repeatable than the market thinks". "Shell has delivered another solid quarter with an 8% net income beat. Most the beat came from

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Broker snap: UBS cuts target for Aquarius Platinum

28th Oct 2011 12:24

With Aquarius Platinum's South African mine issues continuing into the new financial year, UBS has reduced its target price on the stock from 235p to 210p. The miner announced yesterday that attributable production of platinum group metals was 109.8koz in the first quarter, 4% lower quarter-on-quar

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UPDATE: Friday broker round-up

28th Oct 2011 09:13

HSBC/Standard Chartered: Citi chief economist William Buiter argues today that: "World trade is set for a prolonged boom and a marked transformation. Transaction banking and trade finance should track the direction of trade and economic growth in the long term. (...) Standard Chartered and HSBC shou

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