London close: Footsie at 15-month high
24th Dec 2009 12:28
Miners pushed London sharply higher in a shortened trading session Thursday, getting the leading index up to 5,400 briefly and to its highest close since September 2008. Silver producer Fresnillo is top of the table on stronger metal prices, with BHP Billiton, Vedanta Resources and Rio Tinto also h
Read moreLondon open: Markets move sideways ahead of early close
24th Dec 2009 08:36
London is winding down ahead of the Christmas break with Footsie trading sideways in very light activity. Dismal travelling conditions may have encouraged those going away for the break to leave early, especially as trading finishes at lunchtime today. News is also very thin. US private equity gro
Read moreLondon pre-open: Heading higher again
24th Dec 2009 07:33
London appears determined to enter the Christmas break in festive spirit, with the leading index seen higher at the start after Wall Street eventually shrugged off weak housing data. Futures prices indicate an early gain of about 15 points for the FTSE 100, although trading is expected to be very l
Read moreAstra submits respiratory treatment response to FDA
24th Dec 2009 07:11
Drug maker AstraZeneca said its biologics unit, Medimmune, has filed a Complete Response Letter (CRL) to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in respect of its Biologics Licence Application (BLA) for motavizumab. The FDA had asked for additional information regarding motavizumab on 25 November
Read moreLondon close: Footsie hits one-month high
23rd Dec 2009 16:23
The UK's leading index lost a chunk of its gains late on as weak housing data hurt Wall Street, although London still registered its best close in over a month. Despite predictably quiet trade, the FTSE 100 ended ahead for the third session in a row and as high as it's been since 16 November. It w
Read moreAstraZeneca pays up to $½bn for French antibiotics firm
23rd Dec 2009 15:49
AstraZeneca has done a deal to buy French private infection research company Novexel for as much as $505m (£316m). The Anglo-Swedish drug giant will pay an initial $350m (£219m) in cash plus an extra $75m (£47m) if certain milestones are achieved. Another $80m (£50m), equivalent to the French group
Read moreLondon close: Oils and pharmas shine
22nd Dec 2009 17:09
London equities added to the previous day's gains although a late pull-back ensured that rises were not as extensive as yesterday. Oil stocks and pharmaceuticals led the way higher. Cairn Energy enjoyed another strong day after it announced yesterday that it would start its drilling programme in G
Read moreUK close: FTSE 100 closes higher
16th Dec 2009 16:43
Footsie ended with gains as better than expected UK unemployment figures lifted sentiment. The number of people claiming unemployment benefit fell for the first time since February 2008 in November amid further signs the UK economy is beginning to recover from the economic downturn. The claimant
Read moreLondon afternoon: Stocks lack direction
16th Dec 2009 14:30
Leading shares are mixed, with the Footsie dipping a toe into negative territory despite better than expected UK unemployment figures announced this morning. The number of people claiming unemployment benefit fell for the first time since February 2008 in November amid further signs the UK economy
Read moreLondon midday: Data gives blue chips a boost
16th Dec 2009 12:14
Footsie is maintaining most its early gains after some better-than-expected unemployment data. The number of people claiming unemployment benefit fell for the first time since February 2008 in November amid further signs the UK economy is beginning to recover from the economic downturn. The claim
Read moreLondon open: Decent start for Footsie
16th Dec 2009 08:40
London's blue chips have opened higher with financials and support services groups leading the way. It has been a busy morning for company statements ahead of the holiday wind-down. Overall demand at GKN has been better than predicted at its last update in October and the automotive and aerospace e
Read moreAstra welcomes FDA vote on Crestor
16th Dec 2009 07:15
A US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory committee has given a favourable verdict on the use of AstraZeneca’s anti-cholesterol drug Crestor. The FDA’s Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee (EMDAC) voted by 12 to four, with one abstention, in favour of the judgement that Astr
Read moreSector movers: Dubai bailout buoys banks
14th Dec 2009 10:17
Banks have moved higher following the decision of Abu Dhabi to bail out Dubai, its financially embarrassed neighbour. Standard Chartered leads the sector higher after receiving a boost in the form of an upgrade by Credit Suisse, which highlighted the low exposure to Dubai as well as the bullish tra
Read moreLondon close: Rate rise fears fuel late slide
4th Dec 2009 17:17
Euphoria over the better than expected US jobless figures proved short-lived as week-end profit taking took hold and miners headed underground. Metal prices weakened in the afternoon session, taking mining stocks with them, as some pundits suggested that with the better than expected jobless figure
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: British Airways boosted by upgrade
4th Dec 2009 14:55
British Airways led the FTSE 100 index higher today as hopes of a US economic revival after the non-farm payroll number coincided with an upgrade from Citigroup. The US broker raised its recommendation on the shares from 'hold' to 'buy'. The airline said yesterday that long haul premium traffic is
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