London open: Gentle upward progress
15th Sep 2010 09:00
London has made modest progress in early dealings with Next providing a fillip to retailers after half year results. Over here, Next did pretty much as expected in the six months to July given that the clothes retailer's last update was only a month ago, but the high street remains a "testing" plac
Read moreLondon pre-open: Prepare for small loss
15th Sep 2010 07:39
London is seen starting down 5 points at the start of play following last night's late dip on Wall Street. The Dow Jones ended Tuesday's session down 17 points despite better than expected retail sales data. Over here, Next did pretty much as expected in the six months to July given that the cloth
Read moreUpdate: Astra wilts on FDA delay
15th Sep 2010 07:12
No news is bad news seems to be the market's view as shares in Anglo-Swedish drugs giant AstraZeneca retreated on news that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not yet made a decision on Astra's ticagrelor blood thinning drug. The FDA said the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) date h
Read moreLondon close: Footsie little changed
2nd Sep 2010 16:31
Leading shares struggled for direction all day and closed little changed as most blue chips traded sideways. Wall Street was similarly becalmed with the Dow Jones up just one point in the first few hours. European bourses did better as the ECB upped its forecast for eurozone growth for this year an
Read moreLondon afternoon: Bid talk spices up dull day
2nd Sep 2010 14:28
Leading shares are still lacking direction, a condition matched in the US where shares are expected to open mixed. High-flying computer chip designer ARM Holdings is flying a little lower today after Panmure Gordon reiterated its "sell" recommendation and cut its price target for the stock to 265p
Read moreLondon midday: Profit-takers weaken ARM
2nd Sep 2010 12:07
London completed an indecisive morning with the blue-chip index marginally in the red. Investors have shown little inclination to chase prices higher after yesterday's strong advance and economic data has not been helpful to sentiment. UK construction sector growth slowed for the third month in a
Read moreLondon open: Shaky start for top share index
2nd Sep 2010 08:41
Shares are slightly lower in early dealings as traders pause for breath following yesterday's strong gains. In company news, AstraZeneca has received approval from the European Commission (EC) for its schizophrenia and bipolar drug Seroquel XR as an add-on treatment for major depressive episodes wh
Read moreLondon pre-open: Dull start for London
2nd Sep 2010 07:38
Despite the strong showing overnight by Wall Street and Asian markets London appears set for a subdued start, with City sources predicting the FTSE 100 will open down by around 16 points from yesterday's close. Global recruitment firm Hays saw a return to growth in the second half of its financial
Read moreEurope backs Astra's Seroquel XR as add-on for depression
2nd Sep 2010 07:09
AstraZeneca has received approval from the European Commission (EC) for its schizophrenia and bipolar drug Seroquel XR as an add-on treatment for major depressive episodes where antidepressants haven't worked. The drug giant will now start obtaining local approvals, which will take about 30 days in
Read moreLondon close: Footsie rallies amid US optimism
31st Aug 2010 17:00
Footsie gave up its poor start to close in the red after positive economic figures from the US. The latest survey on US consumer confidence came in ahead of expectations, easing fears over the state of the world's biggest economy. The reading on consumer confidence for August was 53.5, ahead of exp
Read moreLondon afternoon: Markets continue to struggle
31st Aug 2010 14:22
It remains a struggle for blue chips today with US markets unlikely to give much help as futures point to an early fall. Investors are now nervous about a Conference Board report on consumer confidence in the world's number one economy later today. Here, GfK NOP's consumer confidence index came in
Read moreLondon midday: Shares stuck lower
31st Aug 2010 12:04
The leading share index has failed to make any progress after its early slide, remaining firmly in the red. The fall comes after a slide in Wall Street last night. Investors are now nervous about a Conference Board report on consumer confidence in the world's number one economy later today. Here
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: TUI Travel disappointment
10th Aug 2010 13:49
Travel operator TUI Travel is the biggest faller in the Footsie after it warned profits this year will be at the low end of forecasts after poor bookings. TUI's third quarter profit of £103m was in line with expectations. Volcanic ash disruption cost £105m. Bookings by Britons are down by 2% over
Read moreLondon close: Financials lead the way
9th Aug 2010 17:05
Leading equities trod water for the afternoon session consolidating strong gains made in the morning. Hopes that the US Federal Reserve will introduce new economic stimulus measures this week played well with the financial sector, with the likes of fund managers Schroders and St. James's Place and
Read moreLondon afternoon: Gains consolidated
9th Aug 2010 14:18
Footsie hit its peak at around 10:00am and has been moving sideways ever since on a relatively quiet day for corporate news. In a buoyant insurance sector Prudential is firmer prior to Thursday's results while Aviva is lifted by Panmure Gordon raising its price target from 496p to 535p. Reboundi
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