Broker snap: Divi stocks back in vogue
22nd Feb 2010 13:06
Barclays Capital is advising its clients to buy 'high quality dividend stocks' as dividend yields trade close to historical highs relative to bond yields. 'After the 60% rally since March 2009 led by financials and cyclicals, we have seen a reversal in style in the market over the last four weeks.
Read moreTechMARK movers: Positive Autonomy
3rd Feb 2010 15:27
Data search software provider Autonomy Corporation reversed early share price declines and is now higher following its 2009 figures. Autonomy had already given the market a clear steer on the numbers so there were no surprises. Revenues for the twelve months ended 31 December totalled $739.7m, up
Read moreLondon afternoon: Footsie falls as miners switch sides
3rd Feb 2010 14:32
Mining stocks headed south over the lunch time session, taking the blue-chip index with them. Antofagasta is the worst performer in the mining sector. The copper miner produced 442,500 tonnes of the red metal in 2009, ahead of its original forecast of 433,000 tonnes but lower than the 477,700 tonne
Read moreSector movers: Confident Standard Life lifts insurance
3rd Feb 2010 13:52
Standard Life has given the life insurance sector a lift. The life assurance firm is looking to kick on in many areas of its business as the economic environment gradually improves. The company sees opportunities for growth in the UK in the SIPP (self-invested pension plans), Wrap and group pension
Read moreLondon midday: Merrills takes a shine to banks
3rd Feb 2010 12:08
Footsie ended the morning at an intra-day high, driven by a strong performance from financial stocks and miners. Standard Life is the top riser after it announced a 'significant increase' in flows and sales in the fourth quarter. Life and pensions net inflows more than tripled to £1.3bn from £0.4bn
Read moreLondon open: Quiet start despite Wall St rally
3rd Feb 2010 08:50
Hopes of a strong start have been dashed with Footsie limping along at present even though Wall Street posted its second triple-digit gain in two gains overnight. Data search software Autonomy reported fourth quarter and full year figures that were in line with expectations and gave a confident out
Read moreLondon close: US slide drags down Footsie
28th Jan 2010 16:45
London slumped near the close mirroring heavy falls in the US where technology stocks ran into heavy selling seemingly on disappointment with Apple's new iPad. AstraZeneca led the fallers after the Anglo-Swedish pharmaceuticals firm saw fourth quarter earnings rise 10% but warned that its predicted
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: AstraZeneca warns on sales
28th Jan 2010 13:59
The FTSE 100 index continues to head downwards although some financials are recovering. Drug developer AstraZeneca reported a smaller than expected increase in profits and warned that sales will fall in the coming years as major drugs are exposed to generic competition. On a constant currency basi
Read moreSector movers: Drug sector off colour
28th Jan 2010 13:48
The pharmaceuticals sector fell back after AstraZeneca posted a 10% rise in fourth quarter earnings, but predicted 2010 revenues would be hit by the loss of exclusive rights to sell certain drugs. The company is also planning to cut 8,000 jobs from its global workforce of 63,000. While Astra falls
Read moreCautious AstraZeneca to cut 8,000 jobs
28th Jan 2010 12:12
AstraZeneca posted a 10% rise in fourth quarter earnings, but the drug giant's shares fell back as it predicted 2010 revenues would be hit by the loss of exclusive rights to sell certain drugs. The company is also planning to cut 8,000 jobs from its global workforce of 63,000. The company saw pre-
Read moreThursday preview: Astra, BSkyB, Unilever
27th Jan 2010 17:33
AstraZeneca, one of the top ten UK companies by market value, releases fourth quarter and full year results on Thursday, when it will have to deliver on the increased profit expectations it announced at the end of October. Astra guided to mid to high single-digit sales growth at constant exchange
Read moreWeek Ahead: Astra, BSkyB, Ericsson, Nokia
22nd Jan 2010 07:01
AstraZeneca, one of the top ten UK companies by market value, releases fourth quarter and full year results on Thursday, when it will have to deliver on the increased profit expectations it announced at the end of October. Astra guided to mid to high single-digit sales growth at constant exchange
Read moreLondon afternoon: Footsie undermined by Chinese rumours
20th Jan 2010 14:24
The eight biggest fallers among FTSE 100 constituents are all miners, as the sector comes under the cosh on reports that China has told its banks to stop lending in an attempt to cool its runaway economy. Antofagasta, Xstrata, Lonmin, Eurasian Natural Resources and Vedanta were all nursing losses o
Read moreLondon midday: Miners hit by new China fears
20th Jan 2010 12:06
Miners are dragging Footsie lower on reports that China has told its banks to stop lending in an attempt to cool its runaway economy. If true, that could have ramifications for metal demand hence the meaty falls today for Lonmin, Xtrata, ENRC and Antofagasta. BHP Billiton set half-year production
Read moreLondon open: Blue chips edge lower
20th Jan 2010 08:37
London's blue chips have made a poor start despite triple-digit gains on Wall Street overnight. Pharmaceutical companies are the best performers after Republican Scott Brown won a shock victory in the race for the US Senate seat in Massachusetts. It puts a question mark over President Obama's plann
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