London afternoon: Footsie holds above 5,600
11th Mar 2010 14:32
A steady decline continued through lunch, but London bounced off 5,600 despite a weak start on Wall Street as mining sector losses narrowed very slightly. Falling commodity prices have damaged miners Thursday. Investors decided to take profits in Fresnillo, Randgold, Rio Tinto, ENRC, Kazakhmys, BHP
Read moreLondon midday: Thos. Cook a ray of sunshine
11th Mar 2010 12:08
The Footsie has drifted into the red, weighed down by the weakness of mining stocks. Among the miners Fresnillo, Randgold Resources, Rio Tinto, ENRC, Kazakhmys, BHP Billiton and Xstrata are all on offer, as metals prices retreat. Smith & Nephew is under the weather after coming out on the wrong
Read moreLondon open: Miners lead decline
11th Mar 2010 08:17
London's main index is being dragged lower by mining stocks, though Old Mutual is the weakest link among the blue chips after it published full-year results this morning. South African insurer Old Mutual has resumed dividend payments following a better second half and is exploring the sale of US Li
Read moreLondon pre-open: Early retreat expected
11th Mar 2010 07:40
It looks like being a gloomy start to trade in London after last night's flat finish on Wall Street, wit stocks pulling back from yesterday's new 18-month high. Futures prices indicate an early 17-point drop for the FTSE 100. In company news, oil giant BP has beefed up its exploration operations w
Read moreAstraZeneca in generics deal with Torrent
11th Mar 2010 07:16
Drug giant AstraZeneca today announced a license and supply agreement with Indian peer Torrent Pharmaceuticals. Under the deal, Torrent will supply a portfolio of generic medicines for which it already has licenses in a range of countries. Astra said it intends to brand and market these products
Read moreLondon close: Shares end with small gains
8th Mar 2010 17:14
London's top stocks ended the day with small gains after trading in a very tight range all day as shares paused for breath following last week's good gains. Oil fabrications giant Petrofac was one of the day's major bright spot after it made a bit more than expected last year, with after tax profit
Read moreLondon afternoon: Footsie still seeking direction
8th Mar 2010 14:56
Footsie continues sitting around the 5,600 point mark as shares pause for breath following last week's good gains. Oil fabrications giant Petrofac is today's major bright spot after it made a bit more than expected last year, with after tax profit up 37%, and hiked the dividend by an impressive 41%
Read moreBroker tips: Astra, Intertek, Petrofac
8th Mar 2010 13:08
'Buy on weakness' is the recommendation of Panmure Gordon which remains a fan of AstraZeneca even after the company announced a disappointing trial result for its lung cancer treatment Recentin. 'We expect the stock to come under pressure but we advocate buying on weakness as the mid-term guidance
Read moreBroker snap: Failure priced in at Astra
8th Mar 2010 13:05
'Buy on weakness' is the recommendation of Panmure Gordon which remains a fan of AstraZeneca even after the company announced a disappointing trial result for its lung cancer treatment Recentin. 'We expect the stock to come under pressure but we advocate buying on weakness as the mid-term guidance
Read moreLondon midday:Stuck in neutral
8th Mar 2010 12:21
The market trod water throughout the morning session in the absence of any economic data or corporate news to set the pulses raising. Oil fabrications giant Petrofac is today's major bright spot after it made a bit more than expected last year, with after tax profit up 37%, and hiked the dividend b
Read moreAstraZeneca suffers cancer treatment set-back
8th Mar 2010 07:05
Drug giant AstraZeneca said its metastatic colorectal cancer treatment Recentin failed to meet the primary endpoint in a clinical study to compare it with rival treatment Avastin. 'While we recognised that challenging Avastin would be a high hurdle, it is still disappointing, despite evidence of cl
Read moreLondon afternoon: Stocks drift lower
23rd Feb 2010 15:16
A weak opening on Wall Street has dragged Footsie lower, though the number of fallers among the blue-chip index's constituents barely outnumbers the risers. Wolseley is leading the risers, after surprising the market with an unscheduled trading update. The building supplies group said it expects p
Read moreLondon midday: Leading shares mixed
23rd Feb 2010 12:13
For the second day in succession the FTSE 100 has turned lower after a moderately bright start. Comments on the fragility of the UK economy from Bank of England governor Mervyn King have given investors pause for thought. King, appearing before a parliamentary committee, said: 'There have been some
Read moreAstra raises guidance after settling tax row
23rd Feb 2010 10:49
Drugs giant AstraZeneca has upped its 2010 earnings forecast after settling a long running dispute with the UK tax authorities. Under the agreement, AstraZeneca will pay £505m to resolve all claims by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) relating to transfer pricing over a 15 year period to the end of 2010.
Read moreBroker tips: Income stocks, AB Foods, Reed Elsevier
22nd Feb 2010 13:11
Barclays Capital is advising its clients to buy 'high quality dividend stocks' as dividend yields trade close to historical highs relative to bond yields. Barclays Capital (BarCap) has identified 20 European high quality dividend stocks, a list that includes UK stocks Cable & Wireless, RSA, BP, Ast
Read more