London close: Stocks near 6,000 as rally continues
1st Jul 2011 16:27
London's leading share index made a valiant incursion towards the 6,000 point mark heading into the weekend, but fell just short. The gains capped a good week for the FTSE 100 following the Greek parliament's vote in favour of austerity measures that could mend its wrecked finances. Today's stando
Read moreLondon midday: FTSE 100 inching towards 6,000 points
1st Jul 2011 12:21
The 6,000 point mark is in sight now as the top share index adds to yesterday's gains. That said, there is little in the way of excitement with yesterday's flood of company results slowing to a trickle. Pub group Greene King, which yesterday reported a big rise in profits but also reported volati
Read moreLondon open: Stocks edge higher, Premier Foods slide continues
1st Jul 2011 08:32
Stocks have edged higher on a quiet day on the company news front following yesterday's deluge. Pub group Greene King, which yesterday reported a big rise in profits but also reported volatile trading since the year end, sending the shares lower, has won back some losses. However, Hovis bread maker
Read moreAstraZeneca wins Japanese approval
1st Jul 2011 07:31
AstraZeneca, the FTSE-100 pharmaceuticals firm, has won approval to sell its drug Nexium in Japan. The drug helps in the treatment of acid related conditions, including peptic ulcer disease. Daiichi Sankyo will be responsible for its distribution and its approval follows 8 "in-country" clinical s
Read moreLondon pre-open: Flat start in store
1st Jul 2011 07:03
London looks set for a quiet end to what has been a buoyant week with City traders expecting the Footsie to open more or less unchanged. There is not much corporate news to generate enthusiasm, and with the Greek can of worms kicked further down the road, the macro-economic scene is looking placid
Read moreLondon close: Utilities provide late boost
27th Jun 2011 16:39
The Footsie closed near its daily highs after a strong start on Wall Street. Utilities stock lead the rise, while financials were lower. Utilities stocks finished higher, with United Utilities Group and Severn Trent making gains of nearly 3.7% and 2.2%, respectively. Financials were among the wors
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Man Group leads financials lower
27th Jun 2011 14:35
Financials are among the worst performers of the day, helping to drag the FTSE 100 below the 5,700 level. Hedge fund manager Man Group is the heaviest fallers, losing nearly 4% as of 14:40 on Monday afternoon.RBS and Barclays are trading 1.7% and 1.2% lower, respectively. The mining sector has bee
Read moreAstra and Bristol-Myers hail diabetes test results
27th Jun 2011 06:40
Drugs giants AstraZeneca and Bristol-Myers Squibb announced over the week-end that an extension to the phase 3 trial of their jointly developed dapagliflozin drug indicated that the drug, when added to metformin, provides a new therapeutic option for treatment of type 2 diabetes in patients who have
Read moreThursday tips round-up: Imagination, AstraZeneca, Sepura
23rd Jun 2011 06:50
Imagination Technologies takes licensing payments when a chipmaker adopts its technology and then royalties when the completed chips are used in their end product, a mobile phone, tablet or whatever. The problem for the market is twofold. One, the shares are on a multiple that, even for the sector,
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Man Group leads the recovery
22nd Jun 2011 15:33
Hedge fund manager Man Group is the high riser of the day, pulling the Footsie back into positive territory, after some kind words from Credit Suisse. Man is "moving in the right direction", according to the Swiss brokerage, who upgraded the firm from a 'neutral' to an 'outperform' rating. "Clearly
Read moreAstra sells Swedish dental unit
22nd Jun 2011 08:46
Pharmaceuticals behemoth AstraZeneca is to sell its dental and healthcare Astra Tech business to DENTSPLY for around $1.8bn in cash. In 2010, Astra Tech recorded worldwide revenue of $535m and normalised earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation of $105m, with net assets valued a
Read moreLondon close: FTSE 100 slumps after US jobs shock
1st Jun 2011 16:38
After a directionless start, the top share index fell deep into the red ahead of the close, with some unfavourable US economic data denting sentiment. Rio Tinto held out to finish with gains. The mining giant announced today that it is to establish a large-scale presence in commodity hungry China
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Ex-div stocks provide a drag
1st Jun 2011 14:07
National Grid, Vodafone and Marks & Spencer were among the blue chips that went ex-dividend today, providing a drag over the lunchtime period. Mining giant Rio Tinto is trading higher after announcing today that it is to establish a large-scale presence in commodity-hungry China with the formation
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks seeking direction
1st Jun 2011 12:16
Stocks are uncertain which way to move after a rally that brought the top share index past the psychologically important 6,000 point barrier yesterday. Rio Tinto is doing its bit to keep the FTSE 100 close to that level. The mining giant announced today that it is to establish a large-scale presenc
Read moreLondon open: Footsie slips into red in early trading
1st Jun 2011 08:29
The Footsie has opened up in the red, with ex-div stocks National Grid, Marks and Spencer and Vodafone providing an early drag. Plumber's merchant Wolseley has taken a hit after it saw like for like (LFL) revenue growth of 6% in its third quarter. This represents a slow-down from the LFL growth ra
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