London 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 moreThursday broker round-up
2nd Feb 2012 09:15
AstraZeneca: Panmure Gordon maintains buy rating and 3,600p target. Imperial Tobacco: Nomura upgrades from reduce to neutral, 2,150p target unchanged. Compass Group: Panmure Gordon maintains buy rating and 675p target. Smith & Nephew: Panmure Gordon reiterates buy stance and 640p target. Unileve
Read moreLondon open: Stocks pull back but Xstrata soars
2nd Feb 2012 08:35
Stocks opened slightly lower on Thursday, pulling back from the +100 point gain for the Footsie yesterday as markets celebrated positive global macroeconomic data with manufacturing indices in the UK, Eurozone, US and China all showing an improvement in January. In other news, ratings agency Standa
Read moreAstraZeneca to cut 7,300 jobs, predicts lower earnings in 2012 - UPDATE
2nd Feb 2012 07:17
Pharmaceuticals giant AstraZeneca has reported a strong rise in earnings in 2011 but, in an attempt to "enhance productivity" and reduce costs, the company has revealed it will by making 7,300 job cuts. To make things worse, the group said a decline in both constant currency revenues and core earni
Read moreWednesday broker round-up - UPDATE
1st Feb 2012 07:03
Shire Pharmaceuticals: Credit Suisse maintains outperform rating and 2,350p target. Reckitt Benckiser: Credit Suisse maintains outperform rating and 3,800p target. easyJet: Credit Suisse maintains outperform rating and 503p target. Meggitt: Credit Suisse reiterates underperform rating and 330p ta
Read moreLondon close: Euro worries drag Footsie down 1.1%
30th Jan 2012 17:13
Just nine stocks in the FTSE 100 finished above water on Monday as the Eurozone crisis weighed heavily on sentiment. With the borrowing rate of Portuguese debt surging, Greek talks still unresolved and an EU summit taking place, a risk-off attitude swept across the market today with resource stocks
Read moreSector movers: Miners sold off as dollar gains on euro crisis
30th Jan 2012 14:50
The Eurozone crisis sparked a sell-off in the industrial metals and mining sector today, as ongoing talks in Greece and this afternoon's EU summit weighed on market sentiment. The absence of a debt-swap deal in Greece, the downgrade of five Eurozone nations, and a euro-era record high Portuguese 10
Read moreLondon close: Footsie up 0.7% as banks and IAG surge
19th Jan 2012 17:05
-Euro optimism drives gains. -Barclays, Lloyds, RBS leads the risers. -Essar falls 11.9%, still volatile after Indian tax ruling. A combination of better-than-expected earnings figures and economic data from the US, talks of progress between the Greek government and private creditors, and strong de
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