London pre-open: Stocks to edge higher
28th Apr 2011 07:46
Shares are expected to open higher as investors digest a raft of company updates. US healthcare reform measures and competition resulting from the expiry of exclusive rights over its drugs hurt revenues at drug giant AstraZeneca in the first quarter. Pre-tax profits fell to $3.565bn from $3.857bn
Read moreUS healthcare reform squeezes AstraZeneca
28th Apr 2011 07:19
US healthcare reform measures and competition resulting from the expiry of exclusive rights over its drugs hurt revenues at drug giant AstraZeneca in the first quarter. Pre-tax profits fell to $3.565bn from $3.857bn in the first quarter of 2010, on revenues that were down to $8.292bn from $8.576bn.
Read moreThursday preview: Shell, Unilever, Astra ...
27th Apr 2011 18:21
As is usually the case, hot on the heels of a trading update from oil titan BP comes a report from its Anglo-Dutch rival Royal Dutch Shell. Broker Charles Stanley says that after Shell's fourth quarter update failed to cut the mustard, the first quarter update "will be quite an important staging p
Read moreSector movers: Falling metals prices pressures mining sector lower
12th Apr 2011 14:18
The miners are on the decline Tuesday, helped lower by the falling metals prices. Copper and gold futures have fallen as the escalating crisis in Japan has bought about concerns over demand. Mining titans Kazakhmys, Eurasian Natural Resources Corp, Anglo American, Antofagasta and Fresnillo are all
Read moreLondon close: Shares in late dive
7th Apr 2011 16:43
Shares were little changed for much of the day as central banks in London and Frankfurt acted as expected, but another earthquake in Japan sent jitters through markets ahead of the close. The Bank of England kept its key lending rate unchanged. The European Central Bank, however, stuck to its scrip
Read moreLondon afternoon: FTSE 250 stocks take a bashing
7th Apr 2011 15:12
The blue-chip index moved into positive territory over the lunch time trading session as the Bank of England removed all doubt about its current focus on the health of the economy, rather than the inflation risk, and kept its key lending rate unchanged. The European Central Bank, however, stuck to
Read moreLondon midday: Shares unchanged after Bank holds rates
7th Apr 2011 12:21
Shares are little changed after the Bank of England kept interest rates unchanged at 0.5%. The decision was expected, while the ECB is expected to raise interest rates for the first time since they were slashed in the wake of the financial crisis. Turning to stocks, the retail sector has come back
Read moreLondon open: Nervous start ahead of rate decisions
7th Apr 2011 08:27
Shares are in nervous mode this morning ahead of rate decisions from the Bank of England (BoE) and the European Central Bank(ECB) later today. The BoE is expected to keep rates unchanged at a record low of 0.5%, but the ECB is expected to press ahead with its first rate rise since they were slashed
Read moreLondon pre-open: More woe for retailers
7th Apr 2011 07:36
The market looks set to crawl higher at the outset with City traders predicting the top share index will open six or seven points higher despite further evidence from results this morning of hard times on the high street. In the first quarter of 2011 international recruitment firm Hays saw like-for
Read moreFDA approves Astra's thyroid cancer drug
7th Apr 2011 07:19
Anglo-Swedish drugs leviathan AstraZeneca has received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its thyroid cancer treatment Vandetanib. The drug is used to treat medullary thyroid cancer that cannot be removed by surgery or that has spread to other parts of the body. It is a so-
Read moreBroker tips: Dunelm, National Express, AstraZeneca
29th Mar 2011 12:39
UBS upgrades Dunelm to a 'buy', from 'neutral', saying that the homeware retailer's store growth is undervalued. The group has the fastest store growth forecast in the sector, with high single digit space growth per annum forecast for the medium term, according to the broker. "Dunelm is already
Read moreBroker snap: Brilinta concerns at AstraZeneca
29th Mar 2011 11:36
RBS cuts the target price for pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca after increasing concerns ahead of the US Food and Drug Association's decision on its new blood-thinning drug Brilinta. "A recent exchange of views in the journal Thrombosis and Haemostasis shows that the lack of benefit of Brilinta in
Read moreLondon close: Flat day for FTSE 100
28th Mar 2011 17:03
A second attempt to spring into life evaporated ahead of the close on Monday and the top share index finished just a few points higher. Worries that Japanese carmakers may have to suspend production at their plants in China following the earthquake disruption have sent copper prices lower. As a res
Read moreLondon afternoon: Shares mark time
28th Mar 2011 14:57
Footsie finished the morning clinging on to positive territory and not much changed over the lunch time trading session, with a mildly firmer start on Wall Street providing little additional impetus. Worries that Japanese carmakers may have to suspend production at their plants in China following t
Read moreLondon open: Blue chips track sideways
28th Mar 2011 08:51
It's been a very quiet start with little company news and more concern over the state of the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan. Latest reports suggest extremely high radiation levels have been detected in some buildings near the plant's number two reactor. In Europe, concern over Portugal'
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