London midday: Eurozone worries cast a shadow
19th Sep 2011 12:03
London's blue chip index is stuck below 5,300 points as the Eurozone saga rumbles on. Investors seeking a resolution to the problems were disheartened after a meeting of EU finance ministers in Poland on Friday failed to live up to expectations. "There is a firm 'risk-off' tone to the start of the
Read moreLondon open: Banks unwanted as euro worries continue
19th Sep 2011 08:43
London's blue chip index sank below the 5,300 level in the opening minutes on Monday, as the debt crisis in Europe took centre stage again, dampening sentiment. Investors seeking a resolution to the problems were disheartened after a meeting of EU finance ministers in Poland on Friday failed to li
Read moreAlliance Trust hit by economic woes
19th Sep 2011 07:10
Investment company Alliance Trust has reported a dramatic fall in revenue and profit for the six months to the end of July. Revenue for the period dropped signigicantly from £101.9m to £35.74m, leading to a pre-tax profit of just £8m compared to £122m the previous year. The company said: "The fi
Read moreAlliance Trust a convert to buybacks
31st May 2011 13:53
Alliance Trust, the investment trust that has been under siege from activist investor Laxey Partners, burnt through £19.4m buying back shares to boost its share price in the first quarter of the financial year. The trust's acquisition of 5.4m of its own shares in the three months to 30 April contri
Read moreTasty founder takes a big bite
13th Apr 2011 17:20
Samuel Kaye, the multi-millionaire founder of the restaurant chain operator Tasty, has added to his stake in the company with the purchase of £93,000 of shares. He snapped up 300,000 shares at 31p a time and now has about 9.1m shares, or 19.1% of the company, which operates the oriental-themed DimT
Read moreWednesday newspaper round-up: Interest rates, National Express, Tigers, helicopters
13th Apr 2011 06:05
Interest rates are likely to remain at their record low level for months to come after falling food prices brought a surprise drop in inflation. Vince Cable, the Business Secretary, openly encouraged the Bank to keep rates on hold, saying the UK economy "needs" low rates to recover, the Telegraph re
Read moreLondon close: Shares slump as worries resurface
12th Apr 2011 16:38
The top share index's losses were almost in the triple digits by the close of trade after a steady day of losses amid worries over global economic growth. The IMF lowered its US 2011 GDP growth forecast by -0.2 percentage points, to 2.8%. Nor did Britain emerge unscathed. The IMF revised down its
Read moreLondon afternoon: More losses after weak US start
12th Apr 2011 15:31
The top share index has run into further selling after a poor start on Wall Street. Worries over global growth have re-emerged. The IMF lowered its US 2011 GDP growth forecast by -0.2 percentage points, to 2.8%. Nor did Britain emerge unscathed. The IMF revised down its growth expectations this y
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Punch disappoints as profits fall
12th Apr 2011 14:07
Punch Taverns disappointed after interim profits fell to £61m, from £66m. Financial services firm Matrix said that while the results were 'in line', there was not enough new information to warrant it changing its 'hold' rating. Pub peer Greene King, however, is among the risers. Budget airline eas
Read moreLondon midday: FTSE 100 slips below 6,000
12th Apr 2011 12:04
The top share index is back below 6,000 points as concerns over global economic growth weigh on sentiment. The IMF lowered its US 2011 GDP growth forecast by -0.2 percentage points, to 2.8%. Nor did Britain emerge unscathed. The IMF revised down its growth expectations this year from 2%to 1.7%. Me
Read moreLondon open: Global growth worries hit stocks
12th Apr 2011 08:22
Stocks are on the back foot after the International Monetary Fund slashed its growth forecasts for the US and amid renewed worries over Japan after its earthquake. The IMF lowered its US 2011 GDP growth forecast by -0.2 percentage points, to 2.8%. Nor did Britain emerge unscathed. The IMF revised
Read moreLondon pre-open: IMF casts a shadow
12th Apr 2011 07:51
Stocks are set to open on the back foot after the International Monetary Fund slashed its growth forecasts for the US. The IMF lowered its US 2011 GDP growth forecast by -0.2 percentage points, to 2.8%. The FTSE 100 is expected to open down 41 points at 6,012. There was more good news from Brazil
Read moreAlliance delivers total return of 18.7%
12th Apr 2011 07:15
Investment company Alliance Trust said its investment strategy delivered positive absolute returns across all regions last year. Third party assets under management rose to £83m at the end of January 2011 from £12m a year earlier, and have reached £100m since then. The company, which is changing i
Read moreITV returns to Footsie
9th Mar 2011 19:34
ITV is returning to the FTSE 100 index in the latest quarterly changes. The television broadcaster was dropped from the FTSE 100 in September 2008 has risen by more than 75% over the past year and it promises to pay an interim dividend this year. ITV's underlying profit almost trebled to £321m i
Read moreLaxey wants end to Alliance Trust 'poison pill'
7th Feb 2011 07:37
Activist investor Laxey Partners has formally proposed Alliance Trust make changes to its voting system and introduces a method to reduce the discount of the share price by putting forward resolutions on the issues on the agenda of the AGM in May. Laxey wrote to Alliance's board in November asking
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