Monday broker round-up
13th Aug 2012 08:16
AMEC: HSBC cuts target from 1,280p to 1,275p, overweight rating kept. Aviva: Exane BNP Paribas downgrades to neutral. British American Tobacco: Nomura keeps buy rating and 3,390p target. British Land: JPMorgan Cazenove ups target from 560p to 610p, overweight rating kept. BSkyB: Nomura maintains
Read moreSunday newspaper round-up: StanChart, Food prices, Aviva
12th Aug 2012 17:01
Standard Chartered has embarked on a last-ditch push to secure a settlement with American prosecutors over money laundering allegations ahead of a crunch meeting on Wednesday. The British bank was last week accused by a New York state regulator of illegally processing $250bn (£160bn) of payments for
Read moreSector movers: Aviva feeling the love today
10th Aug 2012 15:40
Insurers have been dominating results this week, but we are not quite done with the sector on the results front, with Standard Life set to update the market next week. The life assurance firm was among those leading the Life Insurance sector higher, helped by a reiteration of its neutral stance by
Read moreLondon close: Footsie up, but Eurozone fears limit gains
9th Aug 2012 17:01
- FTSE 100 nudges higher for fifth straight gain - Cooling inflation in China boosts stimulus hopes - ECB cuts growth forecasts London's Footsie swung between gains and losses on Thursday as hopes of Chinese stimulus were offset by concerns about weak growth in the Eurozone; however, the benchmark
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Standard Chartered continues to rebound
9th Aug 2012 13:07
Under-fire bank Standard Chartered was a high riser as it continues to rebound from its 16 per cent drop on Tuesday on the back of alleged dealings with the Iranian government. Gold miner Randgold Resources jumped after seeing profits surge in the first half of 2012 on the back of a record perform
Read moreBroker tips: Aviva, Ocado, TUI Travel
9th Aug 2012 12:41
Investec has maintained its positive stance on insurance giant Aviva despite first-half operating profits falling well short of consensus forecasts. Operating profit dropped 10% in the six months to June 30th to £935m, under estimates of £1,119m and slightly below Investec's £996m forecast. "In the
Read moreLondon midday: Gains erased as ECB cuts GDP forecasts
9th Aug 2012 12:04
- ECB cuts growth expectations - Cooling Chinese inflation boosts stimulus hopes - Footsie pulls back from four-month high After a tentative start on Thursday, London's FTSE 100 swung into the red by lunchtime on concerns over European growth; however losses for the blue-chip index were only modest
Read moreBroker snap: Aviva has potential for a re-rating, says Investec
9th Aug 2012 10:32
Investec has maintained its positive stance on insurance giant Aviva despite first-half operating profits falling well short of consensus forecasts. Operating profit dropped 10% in the six months to June 30th to £935m, under estimates of £1,119m and slightly below Investec's £996m forecast. This re
Read moreLondon open: Footsie edges higher on Chinese stimulus hopes
9th Aug 2012 08:42
- Hopes of Chinese stimulus drive gains - DBRS downgrades Spain and Italy - Randgold rises after results, StanChart continues to rebound The FTSE 100 edged slightly higher on Thursday morning, maintaining a four-month high, as investors reflected on downgrades in the Eurozone and inflation data fro
Read moreAviva profits sink as restructuring costs bite
9th Aug 2012 07:31
The struggling insurance giant Aviva has reported a big fall in half-year profits as foreign exchange fluctuations and restructuring costs hit the bottom line. Operating profit (including restructuring costs) was down 10% compared to the first six months of last year, at £935m. The market had been
Read moreThursday preview: US sale is the big question at Aviva
8th Aug 2012 16:35
We've had Legal and General on Tuesday, Old Mutual on Wednesday so if it is Thursday, it must be Aviva, as the insurance results season continues. Last month John McFarlane, the new executive Chairman of Aviva, outlined details of the insurance giant's new strategic direction which will see the gro
Read moreLondon close: Markets rocket after US July jobs data
3rd Aug 2012 16:27
- US payrolls smash expectations - Short-term EZ periphery bond yields plummet - FTSE Mibtel and Ibex 35 finish 6% higher each - Euro bounces back - Expectations for further QE in US tempered Equity markets across Europe surged on Friday, rebounding strongly after a poor run the day before, as so
Read moreSector movers: Miners, financials gain after US jobs data
3rd Aug 2012 15:50
There were no sectors in the red on Friday in London as some uplifting economic data from the US increased investors' risk appetite. Some 163,000 US payrolls were added in July, well ahead of the 100,000 expected by economists. Meanwhile, the non-manufacturing index from the Institute for Supply Ma
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: IAG the biggest of just four fallers
3rd Aug 2012 14:11
While only a handful of stocks were registering losses, airline group IAG dropped after saying that it would fail to achieve its 'break-even' operating target this year after it registered a steep loss in the six months to June 30th as fuel costs jumped and losses at its Spanish airline increased.
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie rebounds strongly after Draghi-fuelled sell-off
3rd Aug 2012 11:39
- RBS leaders risers after first-half figures - Markets await US data - Peripheral yields fall, ECB rumours do the rounds The Footsie was up 1.3 per cent by midday on Friday as strong gains in the financial sector provided a lift to the blue-chip index as it attempted to claw its way back from a he
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