London close: Footsie clings on
27th Oct 2009 16:47
Footsie managed to close with gains despite spending some of the day in the red, with oil giant BP leading the risers. BP climbed after it kicked off the oil majors results season with third quarter figures that showed a smaller than feared drop in profits. Profit attributable to shareholders came
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: BP leads the way
27th Oct 2009 14:42
Shares in BP are higher after the oil giant kicked off the oil majors results season on Tuesday with third quarter figures that showed a smaller than feared drop in profits. Peer BG Group, due to deliver third quarter results tomorrow, is also higher. Drug group GlaxoSmithKline is another FTSE 10
Read moreMonday newspaper round-up: Bradford & Bingley, Northern Rock, BA
26th Oct 2009 06:25
Bradford & Bingley is to divide its £50 billion balance sheet into "good" and "bad" assets in an exercise that echoes similar plans at Northern Rock. B&B, which was broken up and partly nationalised a year ago, is looking for attractive assets that it can sell to private buyers, says the Times. The
Read moreWeek Ahead: BP, Shell, BG, Glaxo, Astra
23rd Oct 2009 11:46
Oil and pharmaceuticals companies will dominate the company results scene next week, with BP, Royal Dutch Shell, BG Group, AstraZeneca and GlaxoSmithkline all set to give trading updates. Oil giant BP kicks off on Tuesday with third quarter figures, where net income is set to tumble to just over $3
Read moreAstra says Onglyza gets EC green light
5th Oct 2009 16:15
Anglo-Swedish drugs company AstraZeneca said the European Commission has given marketing authorisation for the type 2 diabetes treatment Onglyza. The drug is the first to be launched by Astra in Europe through its worldwide collaboration with Bristol-Myers Squibb; the two companies have pooled reso
Read moreLondon close: Buoyant US lifts FTSE 100
28th Sep 2009 16:37
Footsie put a sluggish start to the day behind it to post strong gains, helped by buoyant showing on Wall Street. There were contrasting fortunes for two stocks dependent on the health of the housing market, with Wolseley on the rise and Home Retail on the slide. Earlier today property research fi
Read moreLondon afternoon: Market cements morning's gains
28th Sep 2009 14:15
London made further headway over the lunchtime session, boosted by expectations of a firm opening on Wall Street. There are contrasting fortunes for two stocks dependent on the health of the housing market, with Wolseley on the rise and Home Retail on the slide. Earlier today property research firm
Read moreSector movers: Drug groups given a boost
28th Sep 2009 12:23
Drug group AstraZeneca is going well on news that it has won another round in its long-running fight against generic competition to bipolar treatment Seroquel. A US appeal court upheld its infringement claim against Sandoz and Teva Pharmaceutical over Seroquel tablets. The other big drug company,
Read moreLondon midday: Market edges higher despite weak banks
28th Sep 2009 11:59
Leading shares remain mixed, but the Footsie is still in the blue despite weakness from banks and miners. Cash call rumours continue to swirl around the two part-nationalised banks Lloyds Banking and Royal Bank of Scotland while miners are easier despite some upbeat comments from Anglo American bos
Read moreLondon open: Early gains fizzle out
28th Sep 2009 08:47
London's blue-chip have started the week hesitantly desite a rally by Wolseley on hopes its fortunes may have bottomed. Builders' supplies specialist Wolseley racked up losses of more than £1bn last year after a raft of one-off charges. Ongoing pre-tax losses came in at £766m in the year to July, a
Read moreLondon pre-open: Flat start expected
28th Sep 2009 07:39
London's blue-chip equities are set to start the week hesitantly lower with traders predicting the FTSE 100 will open down by about 6 points at 5,076. Builders’ supplies specialist Wolseley racked up losses of more than £750m last year after a raft of one-off charges. Pre-tax losses came in at £766
Read moreAstraZeneca gets Seroquel patent boost
28th Sep 2009 07:25
AstraZeneca has won another round in its long-running fight against generic competition to bipolar treatment Seroquel after a US appeal court upheld its infringement claim against Sandoz and Teva Pharmaceutical over Seroquel tablets. A US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has affirmed the Su
Read moreSector movers: Mining rally stops for breath
21st Sep 2009 11:32
Mining stocks have run into profit taking amid weakness in the metals markets. The sector posted good gains last week in line with growing optimism over the prospects for global economic recovery. Even Antofagasta, upgraded today to 'buy' from 'neutral' in a Goldman Sachs mining sector review, is
Read moreSector movers: Chemical sector reacts to Johnson Matthey downgrade
14th Sep 2009 14:00
Johnson Matthey is helping drag the chemicals sector lower. The platinum refiner and catalytic converter maker was downgraded to 'equal-weight' from 'overweight' at Morgan Stanley. Elsewhere in chemicals, Plant Health Care falls back slightly after depressed agricultural markets resulted in widenin
Read moreLondon close: Footsie plunges after Wall Street reversal
1st Sep 2009 16:43
A sharp reversal in US stocks' fortunes ensured Footsie finished deep in the red after abruptly giving up an attempt to climb into positive territory. Miners were weak on lower metals prices, with Kazakh pair ENRC and Kazakhmys among the worst hit. Lower metals prices also hurt the likes of Antof
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