London afternoon: Stocks tread water
11th Oct 2010 14:34
The blue-chip index trod water over the lunchtime session with the majority of leading stocks consolidating the morning's gains. Oil services group Petrofac is firmer on the back of a lucrative contract win. The government of Sharjah has appointed the company to take over operational responsibilit
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie crawls higher
11th Oct 2010 12:06
Footsie traded in a narrow range throughout the morning session and started the afternoon in marginally in positive territory, boosted by expectations of a moderately firm opening on Wall Street. Oil services group Petrofac is leading the market's far from vigorous advance. The government of Sharja
Read moreLondon open: Bright start fizzles out
11th Oct 2010 08:46
Early gains for Footsie have quickly fizzled out and the index is almost back where it started. Builders merchant and Wickes' owner Travis Perkins is on track as sales improved again in the third quarter. Turnover for the nine months to end of September rose 6%, driven by the merchants businesses a
Read moreLondon pre-open: Positive start likely
11th Oct 2010 07:36
Friday's rally above 11,000 on Wall Street looks enough to convince City traders to start buying this morning. The futures market points to a 20-point gain for the FTSE 100 Monday following gains in the US on hopes of additional stimulus government stimulus after weak monthly jobs numbers. In comp
Read moreAstra and Pozen's Vimovo gets EU approval
11th Oct 2010 07:08
Drugs companies AstraZeneca and Pozen said their jointly developed pain reliever Vimovo has received positive agreement for approval across 23 EU countries. Vimovo has been developed for the symptomatic treatment of osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis in patients who ar
Read moreLondon close: Late slip sends Footsie lower
27th Sep 2010 16:43
After a sluggish day that saw shares mostly hovering around the zero mark, Footsie finished lower, in line with weakness in other markets. Worries over the Eurozone debt situation were at the fore again, sending shares in mainland Europe and the US lower, after the rating agency Moody's downgraded
Read moreLondon afternoon: Back to square one
27th Sep 2010 14:20
The market really can't make up its mind today, with the Footsie now back at Friday's closing level after opening firmer and then turning lower this morning. Unilever is the best performer. The household products group is paying $3.7bn (£2.3bn) in cash for America's Alberto Culver, adding the TRESe
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Positive reaction to Unilever deal
27th Sep 2010 12:52
Investors have reacted favourably to Unilever's $3.7bn (£2.3bn) purchase of Alberto Culver, the owner of such brands as TRESemmé, Nexxus, VO5, St Ives and Simple. Barclays Capital has launched research into Autonomy with an overweight rating and has Sage at equalweight. Vedanta Resources is high
Read moreLondon midday: Blue-chips turn south
27th Sep 2010 12:06
Investors with portfolios weighted towards second-liners are happier than those more exposed to blue-chip stocks, as the FTSE 100 turns south while the FTSE 250 pushes ahead. Wolseley, supplier of goods to the plumbing and heating trade, is to shift its tax base to Switzerland and resume paying div
Read moreLondon open: Gains continue
27th Sep 2010 08:55
Equities have extended Friday's near-1% rally following huge gains on Wall Street and triple-digit advances in the Far East. In company news, Wolseley, the supplier of goods to the plumbing and heating trade, is to shift its tax base to Switzerland and resume paying dividends. Although revenue for
Read moreLondon pre-open: Promising start is forecast
27th Sep 2010 07:38
Equities are set to extend Friday's near-1% rally following huge gains on Wall Street and triple-digit advances in the Far East. In company news, Wolseley, the supplier of goods to the plumbing and heating trade, is to resume paying dividends at the interim stage next year after finishing the old y
Read moreAstraZeneca prostate drug disappointment
27th Sep 2010 07:09
AstraZeneca's prostate cancer treatment zibotentan showed little patient benefit in the first of three late stage trials, the drugs giant has revealed. A phase III study evaluating zibotentan in men with metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer did not show a significant improvement in the
Read moreLondon close: Lower close as rally falters
15th Sep 2010 16:35
Footsie closed a few points in the red Wednesday as a rally brought about by an improvement on Wall Street lost momentum. The US had a weak start following poorly-received manufacturing figures but sentiment recovered as trading progressed. Here, BP was lower in line with weaker oil prices, with t
Read moreLondon afternoon: Retailers provide some cheer
15th Sep 2010 14:29
Resource stocks remain a weight around Footsie's neck and have been joined over the lunch time session by banks, which are lower as the market ponders the implications of the Basel III banking guidelines. BP is lower in line with weaker oil prices, with the oil giant suffering more than its peers
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie hobbled by resource stocks
15th Sep 2010 11:58
Resource stocks are dragging London lower despite a good showing by retailers. Lower commodity prices are largely responsible for the sell off of commodity stocks, though legal battles also hover over a couple of stocks. BP is lower in line with weaker oil prices, with the oil giant suffering more
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