London close: Stocks finish flat as markets digest US shutdown, data
1st Oct 2013 16:25
Stocks in the UK finished broadly flat on Tuesday as investors gave a subdued reaction to the news of the first partial US government shutdown in 17 years. Indices across Europe and the States however edged higher today, with London's FTSE 100 bucking the trend given some sharp falls in the heavywe
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: easyJet climbs on Citigroup comments
1st Oct 2013 15:10
Budget airline easyJet was a high riser today after analysts at Citigroup said they expect full-year profits to be "near the upper-end of previous guidance". The company said in July that pre-tax profit would be between £450m to £480m; Citi's forecast is £474m. Shares in betting group William Hil
Read moreLondon midday: Miners drag FTSE 100 to one-month low
30th Sep 2013 11:42
Concerns over a potential government shutdown in the US, political chaos in Italy and disappointing economic figures from China sparked steep falls on equity markets across Europe on Monday morning, with the FTSE 100 slipping to levels not seen in a month. The FTSE 100 was trading around 0.85% lowe
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks fall as focus remains on US data
26th Sep 2013 11:49
Markets were trading in negative territory on Thursday morning as investors gave a subdued reaction to in-line growth figures from the UK and awaited more economic data from the US. The second and final revision of UK gross domestic product (GDP) growth for the second quarter held steady at 0.7%. M
Read moreLondon close: FTSE 100 falls to two-week low
25th Sep 2013 16:41
Heavy falls from Carnival, Tesco and utility stocks weighed on the FTSE 100 on Wednesday while uncertainty over the US budget and Federal Reserve monetary policy continued to dampen sentiment. London's benchmark index finished 19.93 points lower at 6,551.53, a fall of 0.3% on the day. This was the
Read moreLondon close: Stocks at six-week high despite subdued finish
16th Sep 2013 16:30
UK stocks registered decent gains on Monday as markets reacted positively to the withdrawal of Larry Summers from the candidacy to head the Federal Reserve, though investors turned more cautious towards the end of the session. Gains were trimmed slightly in afternoon trade on reports of a shooting
Read moreSector movers: Prudential leads life insurers higher
16th Sep 2013 15:45
Life insurance stocks were performing well on Monday as financials benefited from strong start to the week for stock markets across the globe. Prudential was among the best performers after Panmure Gordon hiked its target price for the stock from 1,376p to 1,453p and retained its 'buy' rating follo
Read moreLondon close: Stocks jump to four-week high as Syria concerns ease
10th Sep 2013 16:40
The FTSE 100 jumped to a four-week high on Tuesday as investors' fears of an impending US military strike on Syria eased and the economic outlook for China improved. London's benchmark index finished 53.25 points higher at 6,583.99, a gain of 0.82%; the last time it closed higher was on August 14th
Read moreLondon midday: FTSE 100 nears one-month high
10th Sep 2013 11:39
Receding fears about a potential US military strike on Syria and decent data from China lifted UK stocks on Thursday morning, with the FTSE 100 rising to levels not seen in nearly a month. London's benchmark index was up 0.8% at 6,581.91 by midday; the last time it closed higher was on August 14th
Read moreLondon close: Markets edge higher after subdued session
16th Aug 2013 16:30
Friday was a relatively quiet session for equity markets in London with investor confidence shattered after a sell-off the day before and volumes down due to seasonal trends. The FTSE 100 and benchmark indices on Wall Street suffered steep falls on Thursday as better-than-expected jobless claims ig
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Randgold, Fresnillo lead miners higher
16th Aug 2013 14:28
Gold and silver prices cemented recent gains on Friday due to safe-haven demand, pushing shares prices in the mining sector higher in afternoon trade. Precious metals peers Randgold Resources and Fresnillo were standout performers as gold edged closer to a two-month high while silver stayed flat at
Read moreLondon midday: Markets searching for direction after sell-off
16th Aug 2013 12:01
The FTSE 100 was broadly flat on Friday morning, swinging between gains and losses as equity markets searched for direction following a steep sell-off the day before in the UK and US. The London benchmark lost 1.6% on Thursday after better-than-expected jobless claims data in the States ignited con
Read moreBroker tips: RBS, Prudential, Aviva
16th Aug 2013 12:00
Investec has downgraded its rating for part-nationalised lender Royal Bank of Scotland from 'hold' to 'sell', saying that the stock's valuation appears full. The broker said it still believes RBS is firmly on track to eventually achieve a sustainable recovery. "However, we still believe that even t
Read moreBroker snap: Exane BNP Paribas cuts Aviva after strong run
16th Aug 2013 11:39
Exane BNP Paribas has cut its recommendation for insurance group Aviva from 'outperform' to 'neutral', saying it sees limited upside after a strong run recently. The broker said that the share price has increased significantly under new management after the firm's interim report given the cost savi
Read moreBroker tips: Copper miners, Aviva, Cineworld
15th Aug 2013 11:04
JPMorgan Cazenove has named diversified miner Glencore Xstrata its top pick amongst copper producers, while downgrading its rating for Antofagasta. Glencore Xstrata, which derives 35-40% of its EBITDA/NPV from copper, "stands out in our view", JPMorgan said, reiterating its 'overweight' rating and
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