Sunday newspaper round-up: Enquest, Britain's economy, Bank of England
18th Jan 2015 19:00
EnQuest is cutting spending, jobs and pay in an effort to avoid breaking the terms of its bank loans, the Sunday Times reported. The biggest independent UK North Sea oil producer's shares have fallen 80% since last summer as the price of crude oil collapsed. Investors took fright because of the comp
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Supermarket stocks pull back after strong surge
9th Jan 2015 13:47
Supermarket stocks were under pressure on Friday, with Tesco in particular pulling back after a 15% surge the previous session, following the announcement of its turnaround plan and resilient Christmas sales. Dampening Tesco's shares was the news that ratings agency Moody's had cut the UK grocer'
Read moreCharles Stanley upgrades Friends Life after recent falls
18th Dec 2014 10:23
Charles Stanley has lifted its stance on insurance firm Friends Life Group (FLG), saying it sees limited downside after recent falls in the stock. The shares have fallen by around 10% since the broker last reiterated its 'reduce' rating on 8 December at around 380p. It said this was due to the fall
Read moreMonday broker round-up
15th Dec 2014 09:29
Ashtead Group: Berenberg raises target price from 1170p to 1345p and keeps its 'buy' recommendation. Aviva: Citi increases target price from 590p to 620p and maintains a 'buy' recommendation. Bellway: Deutsche Bank ups target price from 1760p to 1778p and reiterates its 'hold' recommendation. Berk
Read moreLondon close: FTSE sinks 2.5%, extends weekly decline to 6.6%
12th Dec 2014 16:38
UK stocks plummeted to levels not seen in nearly two months on Friday as weak global economic data and an ongoing sell-off of crude oil hammered market sentiment. The FTSE 100 settled at just 6,300.63 by the end of trade, down an eye-watering 2.5% on the day, with just four constituents on the index
Read moreWednesday newspaper round-up: Autumn Statement, UK food prices, Schlumberger...
3rd Dec 2014 06:49
UK Chancellor George Osborne is expected to use Wednesday's Autumn Statement to deliver a near financial injection to Britain's economy by boosting small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) with nearly £1bn. Osborne is predicted to hand an additional £400m over to the British Business Bank and more funding
Read moreBroker tips: Vodafone, Aviva, Northgate
2nd Dec 2014 11:41
Following reports the Vodafone (VOD) is exploring a possible combination with Liberty Global, UBS has said the UK telecoms group may have to wait until its shares rise before undertaking such a sizeable deal. "Near-term, we think the focus for VOD is on driving organic growth, integrating recent acq
Read moreFriends Life takeover a "rights issue in disguise" for Aviva, analysts say
2nd Dec 2014 10:10
Shore Capital has raised questions with Aviva's £5.6bn takeover of Friends Life, after the companies announced the details of the all-share bid on Tuesday. The broker said that the deal is a "rights issue in disguise" for Aviva, as it reiterated its 'sell' rating on the insurer. Friends Life shareh
Read moreLondon pre-open: Stocks to gain ahead of quiet session
2nd Dec 2014 07:40
London-listed stocks are expected to begin Tuesday's session on a positive note ahead of what is expected to be a fairly quiet day. City sources predict the FTSE 100 will open around 19 points higher than Monday's close of 6,656.37. The session will see the release of the Markit/CIPS construction r
Read moreAviva agrees £5.6bn takeover of Friends Life
2nd Dec 2014 07:11
Insurance giant Aviva has agreed a £5.6bn takeover of rival Friends Life in a deal giving the latter's shareholders just over a quarter of the combined group. Aviva said its proposal values Friends Life at 394p per share, versus Monday's closing price of 366.2p and 310p in the three months to 20 Nov
Read moreTuesday newspaper round-up: Germany, Schroders, Goldman Sachs
25th Nov 2014 06:41
German bond yields are to fall below Japanese levels and plumb depths never seen before in history as Europe becomes the epicentre of global deflationary forces, according to new forecast from the Royal Bank of Scotland. "We are seeing `Japanification' setting in across Europe," said Andrew Roberts,
Read moreLondon close: UK stocks retreat from two-month high as Petrofac, miners fall
24th Nov 2014 16:23
A wave of M&A news failed to give UK markets a boost on Monday as investors took profits after stocks hit their highest in two months the previous session. The FTSE 100 finished 0.3% lower at 6,730 with a massive drop in the share price of oilfield services firm Petrofac and weakness in the mining s
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Petrofac shares slide on profit warning
24th Nov 2014 16:05
Petrofac's share price dropped by a quarter after the group scaled back its profit assumptions, saying that depressed oil prices and the timing of deliveries will result in a weaker bottom line. The company said net profits for 2014 will be at the lower end of the guided $580m-600m range, but would
Read moreSynergies from Aviva-Friends Life deal could be 'substantial', says The Share Centre
24th Nov 2014 16:04
The proposed tie-up between insurance groups Aviva and Friends Life Group could create "substantial synergies", according to The Share Centre, details of which still remain unknown. The companies announced after the close on Friday that they had agreed on terms for a possible all-share combination.
Read moreBroker tips: LSE, Hargreaves Lansdown, British Land, Friends Life
24th Nov 2014 15:04
Financial services group London Stock Exchange's steady earnings growth, in an environment where most of its peers have suffered earnings downgrades, has seen its stock significantly outperform its peers. Analysts at Citigroup expect the earnings momentum from the company's high-growth businesses, s
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