London close: Markets look to Fed for more stimulus
20th Jun 2012 16:32
-Greek forms new coalition government -MPC divided on more QE -Markets await the Fed decision later today News of the formation of a Greek coalition and hopes of further stimulus measures in the UK and the US gave stocks a lift on Wednesday afternoon. New Democracy leader Antonis Samaras was swor
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Sage provides a lift after acquisition
20th Jun 2012 15:30
Accountancy software behemoth Sage Group was the best performer on the blue-chip index today after acquiring a majority interest in Folhamatic Group, a provider of accounting, tax and payroll and regulatory content software in Brazil, for 125m pounds. Investec upgraded its rating on the stock today
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks gain on stimulus hopes
20th Jun 2012 11:31
- Stocks pare losses after MPC minutes - Markets await the Fed decision later today - Aviva, ITV and Sage gain; ex-div stocks drag The Bank of England's (BoE's) vote on maintaining its asset purchase programme proved to be a contentious issue last month and the news provided a boost to stock market
Read moreNationwide Accident to do less work for Aviva
1st Jun 2012 12:28
Nationwide Accident Repair Services has said that it continues to trade in line with its expectations and maintains a strong cash position, boosted by the mobile repair and glass businesses, which continues to make an increasing contribution to the overall group performance. However, following com
Read moreThursday broker round-up
31st May 2012 09:26
Aviva: Nomura cuts target from 600p to 540p, buy rating unchanged. Babcock: Panmure Gordon downgrades from buy to hold, target left at 940p. BG Group: Jefferies reiterates buy stance and 2,000p target. BHP Billiton: Credit Suisse maintains outperform rating and 2,460p target. BT Group: Nomura ke
Read moreLondon close: Stocks drop on Spanish worries
30th May 2012 16:32
- Spain in focus, bond yields surge - Eurozone economic sentiment slips - Miners fall on euro, Chinese concerns London's blue-chip index closed near its intraday low on Wednesday as ongoing concerns over the Eurozone, and particularly Spain, sank global equity markets. "Spain has taken centre sta
Read moreLondon midday: Miners drag the Footsie lower
25th May 2012 11:30
-Miners erase gains for Footsie -German consumer confidence holds steady -Greek polls show uncertainty With miners extending losses, the Footsie had slipped to below where it started by Friday lunchtime, as the uncertain future of Greece continues to cloud the outlook for the global economy. Stock
Read moreFriday broker round-up -UPDATE
25th May 2012 09:16
Aggreko: HSBC upgrades from neutral to overweight. Bumi: Nomura slashes target to 860p from 1,000p, stays at neutral. British Petroleum: Credit Suisse retains outperform, cuts target to 540p from 550p. ARM Holdings: UBS upgrades from neutral to buy, target lifted from 620p to 630p. BAE Systems
Read moreLondon open: German confidence data boosts stocks
25th May 2012 08:28
The FTSE 100 edged higher in early trade on Friday morning on a relatively quiet day for company news after German consumer confidence data lifted sentiment. GfK said that its forward-looking German consumer confidence index held steady at 5.7 points for June, unchanged from May. "Consumer sentimen
Read moreLondon close: Footsie suffers another sell-off on euro concerns
17th May 2012 16:28
- Bank run speculation across Europe grips markets - Barroso wants Greece to stay in Eurozone - Moody's could downgrade Spanish banks Concerns over a potential bank run in Greece and uncertainty surrounding its possible exit from the Eurozone fuelled another sell-off on Thursday. Since the start of
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Miners drop, pushed lower by Jefferies downgrade
17th May 2012 15:22
Mining and financial stocks were providing a drag on the Footsie today, as investors continue to flee from 'risker' assets amidst the global economic uncertainty. Providing further downward pressure on the resources sector was US broker Jefferies after having slashed its target prices for mining sto
Read moreLondon midday: Greek crisis continues to dampen sentiment
17th May 2012 11:59
- IMF tells Greece to stick to austerity - FOMC expresses concerns over euro crisis - Yields rise at Spanish bond auction, again Greek uncertainties, gloomy comments from the US Federal Reserve and rising bond yields in Spain knocked another one per cent off the value of the FTSE 100 on Thursday, a
Read moreBroker tips: Aviva, ICAP, Miners
17th May 2012 11:07
Nomura has reiterated its buy recommendation and 600p target price for insurance group Aviva following its first-quarter results, saying that solvency ratios are stable and sales are solid. "We believe that its focus will be on improving the capital strength of the group which is below its peer gro
Read moreBroker snap: Aviva could be in for a re-rating, says Nomura
17th May 2012 11:06
Nomura has reiterated its buy recommendation and 600p target price for insurance group Aviva following its first-quarter results, saying that solvency ratios are stable and sales are solid. Aviva's first-quarter IGD (Insurance Groups' Directive) solvency ratio was 151%, better than expectations giv
Read moreThursday broker round-up
17th May 2012 09:36
African Barrick Gold: Goldman Sachs upgrades from sell to neutral. Amlin: Nomura maintains neutral rating and 383p target. Aviva: Shore Capital downgrades from buy to hold; Nomura keeps buy rating and 600p target. Babcock: Liberum Capital downgrades from buy to hold. Brammer: Westhouse Securitie
Read more