Wednesday preview: Asos reports half-year interims
31st Mar 2015 14:46
Online fashion retailer Asos on Wednesday reports its half-year interims following strong second quarter sales. Earlier in March, the retailer impressed with an acceleration in sales growth in the second quarter, but said margins had fallen sharply due to price investments and the roll-out of 'zonal
Read moreWeek ahead: Non-farm payrolls and UK retail results to steal the show
27th Mar 2015 14:47
Next week is set to be a busy one for financial markets in London with investors having to digest a flurry of global economic data and corporate results from a number of prominent UK retailers. The focus is likely to continue to be on US economic indicators, given recent concerns about a slowdown in
Read moreFriday broker round-up
20th Mar 2015 15:33
Asos: Citi reiterates neutral. TSB Banking: Numis reiterates hold and 340p target. Aviva: Nomura reiterates buy and lifts target to 690p from 650p. WPP: Morgan Stanley reiterates buy and raises target to 1,625p from 1,400p. Tullow Oil: Barclays reiterates overweight and 550p target. William Hill
Read moreBroker tips: Whitbread, Diageo, Lloyds, Asos
13th Mar 2015 12:20
Shares in Premier Inn and Costa owner Whitbread received a boost on Friday from UBS which upgraded its rating on the stock from 'sell' to 'neutral'. The bank hiked its target price on the shares from 4,700p to 5,400p, but said: "The valuation is certainly not cheap." Spirits group Diageo was shot d
Read moreNomura downgrades Asos despite strong Q2 sales
13th Mar 2015 10:54
Asos's share price pulled back slightly on Friday after a massive jump the previous day as Japanese broker Nomura cut its stance on the shares from 'buy' to 'neutral' despite a forecast-beating second quarter from the online fashion retailer. "With some regret - as the Asos equity story excites - we
Read moreThursday broker round-up
12th Mar 2015 17:30
Asos: Cannacord Genuity raises target to 3,250p from 2,520p and reiterates hold. Cambian Group: Cannacord Genuity lifts target to 311p from 294p and reiterates buy. BP: JP Morgan raises target to 410p from 400p and reiterates underweight. Royal Dutch Shell: Investec reiterates hold. Supergroup: C
Read moreLondon close: Gains pared but markets buoyed by pharma, beverage stocks
12th Mar 2015 16:42
UK stocks were off their highest levels of the day by the close on Thursday as mining shares erased earlier gains, though strong performances from pharma and beverage groups provided some support, as well as M&A in the banking sector. The FTSE 100 finished the session up 39.56 points (+0.6%) at 6,76
Read moreLondon midday: Commodity rebound boosts markets, TSB surges on M&A
12th Mar 2015 11:59
Strong gains from mining and oil stocks and M&A activity in the banking sector gave UK markets a big lift on Thursday morning, with the FTSE 100 trading nearly 1% higher by lunchtime. Resource shares were on the rise as commodity prices rebounded after recent falls, while positive Chinese bank lendi
Read moreBroker tips: RBS, Morrisons, ASOS
12th Mar 2015 11:40
Investec has raised its stance on RBS from 'sell' to 'hold' following an 11% drop in the shares since the bank's annual results on 26 February. Following the results, the broker now forecasts RBS to record an eight successive attributable loss in 2015, predicting a loss of £0.9bn. It had previously
Read moreASOS' top line impresses, but analysts divided over falling margins
12th Mar 2015 09:57
Analysts generally applauded the building momentum seen at ASOS in the second quarter, though a sharp fall in margins at the online fashion retailer did divide opinion. Markets gave a warm welcome to the trading statement on Thursday, with shares up nearly 17% at 3,832p in morning trade, after retai
Read moreLondon open: Mining stocks lift FTSE but Morrisons slumps after results
12th Mar 2015 09:05
A rebound in the mining sector pushed UK markets higher for a second day on Thursday as stocks continue to recover after a steep sell-off earlier in the week. London's FTSE 100 was up 0.75% at 6,771.66 in early deals with metal producers rising strongly after stronger-than-expected Chinese lending d
Read moreASOS jumps as Q2 growth accelerates, but investments hit margins
12th Mar 2015 07:45
Shares in ASOS soared on Thursday morning after the online fashion retailer impressed investors with a strong acceleration in sales growth in the second quarter. ASOS, which describes itself as the "global fashion destination for 20-somethings", reported a 19% increase in retail sales in the three m
Read moreThursday broker round-up
5th Mar 2015 12:41
Rightmove: Credit Suisse lifts target price to 3220p from 2700p but cuts to neutral. Aviva: Panmure Gordon reiterates buy - with a 660p target, as does Westhouse Securities. Standard Chartered: UBS increases target price to 1000p from 980p and reiterates neutral view. Asos: Nomura ups target to 3,
Read moreDaily Internet CEO and chairman invest, Asos boss offloads £20m-worth of shares
29th Jan 2015 15:22
Daily Internet's chief executive and chairman bought some shares showing confidence in the web hosting group. Chief executive Christopher Evans purchased 369,485 shares for 1.35p spending a total of £49,88. Evans holds now 19.6m shares, one month after it joined the company following the acquisitio
Read moreShares in Asos decline after chief executive sells stake worth £20m
29th Jan 2015 11:13
Shares in online fashion retailer Asos declined on Thursday after chief executive Nick Robertson sold £20.2m worth of shares, reportedly in order to pay a "big tax bill". Robertson sold 744,600 shares for a price of 2,716.5p each. The sale left him with a 8.36% take in the £2.3bn group. The sale by
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