Sector movers: Miners fall on commodities sell-off
12th May 2011 15:16
Unsurprisingly, the miners are the worst performing stocks on Thursday, as commodity prices continue to decline. Fresnillo, Antofagasta, Vedanta Resources, Kazakhmys and Lonmin are among the fallers on the FTSE 100. Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation is lower even though it reported a positive
Read moreBroker tips: Sainsbury, AstraZeneca, Imperial Tobacco
12th May 2011 12:58
Even though Sainsbury's full-year results were in line with expectations, Nomura thinks there's better value - and growth - elsewhere in the supermarket sector, and downgrades its sales forecasts or 2012. Nomura trims its like-for-like sales forecasts (excluding fuel, including VAT) for the current
Read moreBroker snap: Brilinta suggests significant upside for Astra
12th May 2011 12:44
UBS has upgraded drug giant AstraZeneca to a 'buy', from 'neutral', and adds the stock to its 'Key Calls' list on upcoming catalysts, such as the US Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) decision on the group's Brilinta drug. The broker highlights consensus estimates for the impact of the FDA decisi
Read moreLondon close: Flat finish ahead of Royal Wedding
28th Apr 2011 16:46
Stocks finished flat heading into the long weekend, though there was no shortage of company updates for investors to digest. Costa Coffee and Premier Inn owner Whitbread shrugged off the economic difficulties said to be plaguing Britain as it upped its dividend by 17% and announced plans to step up
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Shire and Astra take a hit
28th Apr 2011 15:25
Drug groups Shire and AstraZeneca are lower are reporting their first quarter results. While Shire posted a strong rise in revenues and profits in the period, sentiment seems to have been hit by sector peer Astra which cited US healthcare reform measures and generic competition as the reasons why it
Read moreBroker snap: Generic competition to continue at AstraZeneca
28th Apr 2011 12:36
Matrix says it has "significant concerns" related to AstraZeneca's ability to deliver revenue growth amid generic competition, and keeps its 'reduce' rating on the drugs giant after its first quarter results. The group reported on Thursday that sales in the first three months of the year were down
Read moreLondon midday: FTSE 100 seeking direction after updates
28th Apr 2011 12:05
A stream of updates from big-hitters such as Shell and Unilever has failed to give the top share index any overall sense of direction. Costa Coffee and Premier Inn owner Whitbread shrugged off the economic difficulties said to be plaguing Britain as it upped its dividend by 17% and announced plans
Read moreLondon open: Stocks edge higher
28th Apr 2011 08:31
Shares have got off to a firmer start as the stream of company updates continues. Costa Coffee and Premier Inn owner Whitbread shrugged off the economic difficulties said to be plaguing Britain as it upped its dividend by 17% and announced plans to step up expansion plans. Revenues in the year to 3
Read moreLondon 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
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