London pre-open: Stocks set to bounce back
21st Jan 2011 07:35
London's leading shares look set to claw back a small proportion of yesterday's heavy losses, encouraged by the late rally by Wall Street yesterday. City traders expect the Footsie will open around 17 points up from last night's close. Weather conditions in Australia have improved enough to allow
Read moreAstra responds to FDA's BRILINTA concerns
21st Jan 2011 07:16
AstraZeneca has thrown the ball back in to the US Food and Drug Administration's court regarding the drugs giant's new drug application (NDA) for its blood thinning drug, BRILINTA. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued Astra with a complete response letter (CRL) in December requesting addit
Read moreLondon close: FTSE 100 hits 6,000
23rd Dec 2010 16:37
It was a quiet the markets on the last full day of trading before Christmas, but the top share index's attempt to inch past the 6,000 point mark proved an exciting spectacle. A final push ensured that symbolically important feat was achieved, but FTSE 100 closed just below that level, last seen in
Read moreLondon afternoon: Stocks come off the top
23rd Dec 2010 14:24
Footsie's assault on 6,000 has run out of steam and the blue-chip index is now barely holding on to gains. Mortgage lending fell to a 20-month low in November new figures from the British Bankers' Association (BBA) show, underlining the weakness the housing market is currently experiencing. Oil pr
Read moreLondon midday: Stubborn FTSE 100 stays below 6,000
23rd Dec 2010 12:08
Domestic economic data has failed to jolt the top share index into life, but a raft of data from the US could trigger a move above 6,000 points later this afternoon. Mortgage lending fell to a 20-month low in November new figures from the British Bankers' Association (BBA) show, underlining the wea
Read moreLondon open: Assault on 6,000 begins
23rd Dec 2010 08:15
Blue chips have had a first stab at hitting the magic 6,000 level following gains in the US overnight and are regrouping after falling just one point short. Insurer Old Mutual is among the early winners, followed by Sainsbury's and Kingfisher, but ARM is giving back a little of yesterday's big gain
Read moreLondon pre-open: Footsie closing in on 6,000
23rd Dec 2010 07:44
It's looking touch and go whether the Footsie index will open above 6,000 this morning with City traders suggesting the blue-chip index will open around 16 points higher, just 1 point short of the 6,000 level. Rio Tinto has increased its offer for Riversdale Mining to A$16 a share in cash, securing
Read moreAstra and Abbott abandon Certriad development
23rd Dec 2010 07:17
Pharmaceuticals giants AstraZeneca and Abbott have dissolved their collaboration agreement covering the development of Certriad capsules. Certriad is an investigational compound that was being jointly developed for the treatment of mixed dyslipidemia. The co-development and licence agreement with
Read moreLondon close: FTSE 100 hits new highs
21st Dec 2010 16:36
The leading share index closed just off its highest levels since the first half of 2008, before the global economic crash, after banks and miners led another day of gains. With copper prices at a record in London on hopes that strength in the US will help sustain global economic growth, miners such
Read moreLondon afternoon: Footsie still going strong
21st Dec 2010 15:12
Footsie is still going strong after a decent start on Wall Street. The 6,000 point mark - not seen since the first half of 2008 - is in sight. With copper prices at a record in London on hopes that strength in the US will help sustain global economic growth, miners such as India's Vedanta and Mexic
Read moreLondon midday: Banks and miners buoy Footsie
21st Dec 2010 12:08
The FTSE 100 remains well above the 5,900 mark, with miners and banks moving higher in tandem once again. With copper prices at a record in London on hopes that strength in the US will help sustain global economic growth, miners such as India's Vedanta and Mexican silver specialist Fresnillo are go
Read moreLondon open: Footsie at 30-month high
21st Dec 2010 08:53
London has hit a new 30-month high on a partial recovery on Wall Street overnight and strong performance in Asia this morning. Banks are leading the way, with good gains for Barclays, RBS and Lloyds this morning. Reports, since played down, that Business secretary Vince Cable could walk away from t
Read moreLondon pre-open: Footsie targets new 2½-year high
21st Dec 2010 07:40
A partial recovery on Wall Street overnight and strong performance in Asia this morning looks like it could send London to fresh 2½-year highs early on. Indications are for the FTSE 100 to start almost 30 points higher, taking the FTSE 100 to its highest since the middle of 2008. In company news,
Read moreAstraZeneca abandons motavizumab
21st Dec 2010 07:05
AstraZeneca is to stop all development work on its fledgling respiratory drug motavizumab, resulting in a $445m impairment charge this quarter. Astra had already flagged up this possibility and has been considering the future of motavizumab since August when the US Food and Drug Administration aske
Read moreLondon close: Banks hold back Footsie
17th Dec 2010 17:03
Shares failed to haul themselves into the blue on a busy day's trading, as worries over the Irish economy spooked banking stocks. Ratings agency Moody's has slashed its credit rating on Ireland by five notches to Baa1 from Aa2 citing concerns over banking liabilities and economic prospects. Lloyd
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