Aviva's Europe boss departs
19th Jan 2011 13:18
Andrea Moneta, the chief executive of life group Aviva's European division is to leave the firm at the end of February by mutual consent. Igal Mayer, currently head of North America, has been appointed CEO for Europe with immediate effect. He will join the Board of Aviva, subject to regulatory appr
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Motor insurers on the up
13th Jan 2011 13:31
A number of insurers are higher after they agreed with the OFT to limit the motor-related information they swap. RBS and Aviva were directly involved in the agreement. Admiral has also risen. Bank of America Merrill Lynch has upgraded IMI from neutral to buy. The same broker downgraded British
Read moreBroker tips for 2011
7th Jan 2011 15:37
Analysts are predicting a bullish year for the UK market on hopes a global economic recovery will kick in. Here are a few of the companies brokers think will lead the advance. Standard Life predicts the FTSE 100, which has risen around 25% since July, could rise by a further 15% to 6,900 by the end
Read moreLondon close: Footsie slips back on sluggish day
8th Dec 2010 16:56
Shares struggled to snap out of their earlier sluggishness all day, closing just a few points in the red. Bid-related activity was the main source of excitement. Medical devices group Smith & Nephew was swept more than 9% higher by talk of a possible acquisition. US private equity firms are though
Read moreLondon afternoon: Footsie loses grip
8th Dec 2010 15:19
The 5,800 level is under pressure as a weak start on Wall Street begins to drag London back into negative territory. Insurers Prudential, Aviva and Resolution are doing their best to keep the market's head above water, but losses in the mining sector - Rio Tinto, Randgold and Anglo American have fa
Read moreLondon close: Shares slump as eurozone saga continues
29th Nov 2010 16:45
The leading share index closed with triple-digit losses Monday as jitters over the eurozone debt situation continued to plague the markets. Financial markets are still betting either Portugal, Spain, or both, will need a rescue deal similar to the €85bn Irish bail-out, rubber-stamped over the weeke
Read moreLondon afternoon: Euro-zone fears resurface
29th Nov 2010 14:18
Thoughts that the euro-zone boil had been lanced by the agreement of a bail-out package for Ireland have proved premature, with rising Spanish bond yields suggesting that the prospect of Spain being the recipient of an EU/IMF aid package cannot be ruled out. An underwhelming response to the latest
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie deep in the red after reversal
29th Nov 2010 12:30
The leading share index is now firmly in the red after giving up the strong gains it was posting this morning. Markets remain jittery over the eurozone debt crisis. The euro hit new lows against a basket of currencies this morning, despite claims by European politicians that the €85bn Irish bail-o
Read moreSunday tips round-up: John Laing, Aviva, Genus...
14th Nov 2010 11:48
Construction group John Laing has been operating in the PFI sector for years and not just in Britain. Now the group is listing part of its PFI operations as a separate company, John Laing Infrastructure Fund. JLIF intends to raise up to £270m via a 100p-a-share stock market listing. The money will
Read moreLondon close: Footsie little changed
11th Nov 2010 16:44
Footsie closed little changed, which wasn't a bad result given a triple-digit loss for the Dow when it opened. Ireland was the story breaking as the trading day closed. Yields on benchmark Irish bonds rose to over 9% on reports that the EU might have step in and bail the country out. José Manuel
Read moreLondon afternoon: Financials drag index lower
11th Nov 2010 14:24
An early three-digit loss on Wall Street has the Footsie near its worst levels of the day, with financials the biggest fallers. Insurers Aviva, L&G and Standard Life are deep in the red, as are and RBS and Barclays on fears about Irish debt. Metal heavyweights are limiting the deficit though. Most
Read moreWednesday tips round-up: Aviva, Reckitt Benckiser, Stagecoach...
3rd Nov 2010 06:40
Having spurned the unwanted attentions of Royal & Sun Alliance, Aviva has produced a moderately positive set of third-quarter numbers which suggest that Aviva was right to resist its rival's rather ill-judged attempt to push it into selling its general insurance business. On valuation grounds, Avi
Read moreLondon close: More gains for Footsie after well-received results
2nd Nov 2010 16:36
A strong performance on Wall Street ahead of the US Federal Reserve's decision on whether to increase monetary stimulus measures - not to mention the mid-term election - helped sustain good gains in London. Sentiment here was buoyed by well-received results from some big names. Beleaguered oil gia
Read moreLondon afternoon: Footsie consolidates gains
2nd Nov 2010 14:26
Footsie moved sideways over the lunch time session, as investors digested a busy morning of big company announcements. Beleaguered oil giant BP comfortably beat third quarter profit forecasts though it has had to take an additional $7.7bn charge in respect of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. The marke
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie builds on gains
2nd Nov 2010 12:15
Footsie has built on its earlier gains as investors react positively to updates. Beleaguered oil giant BP comfortably beat third quarter profit forecasts though it has had to take an additional $7.7bn charge in respect of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. The market had been expecting underlying net in
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