London midday: Stocks rise with Eurozone in focus
1st Mar 2012 11:45
- Merkel willing to consider bailout fund increase. - Man Group surges after shaking up divi policy. - Tata weighing up a bid for Cable and Wireless Worldwide. -Italian and Spanish long-term bond yields fall below 5%. London's FTSE 100 index was trading at its highest levels of the day by lunchtime
Read moreLondon open: Man Group leads the rise early on
1st Mar 2012 08:46
- Man Group surges after shaking up divi policy. - Chinese manufacturing continues to expand. - Tata weighing up a bid for Cable and Wireless Worldwide. London's blue chips edged higher on Thursday morning, helped by a strong rise performance by Man Group. Meanwhile, Chinese manufacturing data help
Read moreAstraZeneca proposes boardroom shake-up as chairman retires
1st Mar 2012 07:28
Biopharmaceuticals giant AstraZeneca has announced that its Chairman of eight years, Louis Schweitzer, intends to retire at the start of September. The firm said that Lief Johansson, currently Chairman of telecoms group LM Ericsson and former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of AB Volvo, will be propo
Read moreLondon midday: Risk appetite increases on Greek bailout hopes
20th Feb 2012 11:32
- Miners jump as investors seek riskier assets. - Officials optimistic about securing Greek bailout. - PBoC cuts RRR for banks. With the possibility of a Greek bailout edging closer, and China moving to ease fears of a 'hard-landing' over the weekend, UK stocks had extended gains by lunchtime, wit
Read moreLondon close: Stocks finish down with Greece in focus
15th Feb 2012 16:38
- Oil rises on supply concerns. - PBOC to keep buying Eurozone debt. - Samaras to honour terms of new package. Despite an earlier rise, the FTSE 100 index slumped in afternoon trade to finish in the red as strong performance by banks was offset by some heavyweight stocks that went ex-dividend. All
Read moreSector movers: Electricals rise, while ex-div stocks drag pharmaceuticals lower
15th Feb 2012 16:09
The full-year results from industrial materials maker Morgan Crucible were received well on Wednesday, helping to push the electronic and electrical equipment sector higher. Morgan Crucible saw record revenues and operating profit in 2011, with the group making rapid progress towards the attainment
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Ex-dividend stocks provide a drag
15th Feb 2012 14:46
Drugs giant AstraZeneca plunged into bottom spot, followed by sector peer GlaxoSmithKline and big oil players BP and Shell, after all four went ex-dividend today. Shares of ITV took a hit following a downgrade from Peel Hunt. The broker said that with the shares of the broadcaster having gained ste
Read moreLondon midday: Banks provide a boost
15th Feb 2012 11:45
- Banks lead the risers on the Footsie. - PBOC to keep buying Eurozone debt. - Venizelos foresees bailout resolution. UK stocks were slightly higher by midday after China pledged to continue buying Eurozone bonds, easing concerns of the region's debt crisis. Banks were the best performers of the d
Read moreLondon open: Stocks rise as China pledges to keep helping Eurozone
15th Feb 2012 08:19
- PBOC to keep buying Eurozone debt. - Eurogroup meeting cancelled. - Essar leads the risers early on. UK stocks rose in early trading on Wednesday, rebounding after yesterday's decline, with European indices following Asian markets higher after China pledged to continue buying Eurozone debt. Spea
Read moreFriday broker round-up - UPDATE
3rd Feb 2012 09:09
Royal Bank of Scotland: Deutsche Bank downgrades to hold from buy. BT Group: Nomura reiterates buy recommendation and 285p target. AstraZeneca: Nomura keeps reduce rating and 2,400p target. GlaxoSmithKline: Nomura reiterates neutral rating and 1,220p target. Royal Dutch Shell B: Nomura raises ta
Read moreLondon close: Stocks finish up after US data
2nd Feb 2012 16:37
After a morning session in the red, UK stocks erased losses in afternoon trading after some better-than-expected data Stateside helped the outlook for the world's largest economy. Leading the rise on the Footsie were the miners after some M&A rumours bolstered gains. Nevertheless, analysts at Digi
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Miners surge on Glencore-Xstrata merger speculation
2nd Feb 2012 14:46
Meanwhile, confirmation of a merger between Swiss commodities giants Glencore and Xstrata sent the two stocks to the top of the pile today, with Xstrata jumping 10% and Glencore rising 7%. A merger of mining outfit Xstrata and commodities trader Glencore could create a leviathan valued at around £52
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie flat despite mining strength, Xstrata surges
2nd Feb 2012 12:03
- Xstrata/Glencore surge on merger talks. - Mining strength outweighed by Astra, Unilever, Shell. - China considering increasing involvement in Eurozone rescue. The Footsie was broadly flat by lunchtime as poorly-received results from some big hitters outweighed strength in the mining sector. Mark
Read moreBroker tips: AstraZeneca, Kazakhmys, Imperial Tobacco
2nd Feb 2012 11:16
Panmure Gordon has reiterated its buy recommendation for drugs giant AstraZeneca after the group's fourth quarter results came broadly in line with forecasts. However, the broker says the results were "overshadowed" by Astra's lowering of its mid-term guidance contribution from recently launched an
Read moreBroker snap: Panmure remains a buyer of AstraZeneca
2nd Feb 2012 10:15
Panmure Gordon has reiterated its buy recommendation for drugs giant AstraZeneca after the group's fourth quarter results came broadly in line with forecasts. Panmure notes that the company's results were distorted by the proceeds from the disposal of Astra Tech and the charge on a couple of pipeli
Read more