FTSE 100 movers: Vodafone, Smith & Nephew rise as results beat forecasts
6th Feb 2014 12:51
Telecoms giant Vodafone gained on Thursday after third-quarter revenue declined by a less-than-expected 3.6 per cent. Chief Executive Vittorio Colao also said he was optimistic that sales trends would begin to improve. Medical equipment manufacturer Smith & Nephew also beat analysts' forecasts as i
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks push higher ahead of ECB as BoE holds rates
6th Feb 2014 11:28
- BoE keeps policy on hold - ECB decision, press conference in focus - US futures higher ahead of data techMARK 2,769.50 +0.89% FTSE 100 6,517.70 +0.93% FTSE 250 15,697.91 +0.88% After a cautious start, UK markets pushed firmly into positive territory on Thursday and were registering decent gains
Read moreLondon open: Stocks rise but upside limited ahead of busy session
6th Feb 2014 08:29
- Stocks await economic data, policy decisions - ECB rate cut on the cards - Blue-chip updates come in mixed techMARK 2,750.64 +0.21% FTSE 100 6,465.58 +0.12% FTSE 250 15,605.64 +0.28% UK markets opened with small gains on Thursday morning as investors reacted to a number of blue-chip results, th
Read moreLondon pre-open: Stocks seen higher ahead of data, policy meetings
6th Feb 2014 07:22
Stocks are expected to open with decent gains on Thursday morning as investors take an optimistic approach ahead of what is set to be a busy day for financial markets. City sources predict that London's benchmark FTSE 100 index will open around 30 points higher yesterday's close of 6,457.89. The
Read moreAstraZeneca's annual results hurt by generic rivals
6th Feb 2014 07:09
- Annual revenue and profit fall - Rival generic brands impact results - 2014 revenue expected to drop AstraZeneca's 2013 annual revenue fell six per cent to 25.7 dollars as the drug maker was hurt by competition from generic brands. The company lost exclusive rights on products including Seroquel
Read moreSector movers: Pharmaceuticals gain after Glaxo results
5th Feb 2014 15:07
Pharmaceuticals stocks were among the better performers on Wednesday after fourth-quarter sales from sector giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) impressed. GSK, which has a market capitalisation of over £76bn, said that turnover edged up 2% to £6.9bn in the last three months of 2013; ahead of analysts who h
Read moreAstraZeneca completes acquisition of diabetes business
3rd Feb 2014 14:38
Pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca has completed the acquisition of Bristol-Meyers Squibb's interest in the company's diabetes alliance. The company, which has produced a new drug pipeline, completed the acquisition on February 1st. The FTSE 100 constituent now owns and has full rights of the inte
Read moreSunday newspaper round-up: RBS, Centrica, Vodafone
2nd Feb 2014 17:27
The Bank of England will question Royal Bank of Scotland over its capital position in the next two weeks, the Sunday Telegraph reported. The BoE's Prudential Regulatory Authority arm will call in RBS boss Ross McEwan to check on the bank's capital strength in light of his strategy review, due Februa
Read moreAstraZeneca awarded approval for latest diabetes drug
22nd Jan 2014 08:07
AstraZeneca and its partner Bristol-Myers Squibb have been granted marketing authorisation by the European Commission for Xigduo, its treatment of type 2 diabetes in the European Union. It is the first regulatory approval for a fixed dose combination treatment of its kind. The product is for use
Read moreLondon pre-open: FTSE to float higher ahead of BoE minutes
22nd Jan 2014 07:21
City sources predict the FTSE 100 will open 18 points above yesterday's close of 6,834.26, ahead of the release of the most recent Bank of England (BoE) minutes and the release of UK unemployment figures. In the US last night markets finished in a mixed fashion, with the gains on the Nasdaq and S&
Read moreFriday broker round-up UPDATE
17th Jan 2014 10:05
Aberdeen Asset Management: JP Morgan cuts target price from 544p to 529p, while its overweight rating remains unchanged. Canaccord Genuity reduces target price from 586p to 540p and reiterates a buy recommendation. UBS lowers target price from 540p to 520p and keeps a buy recommendation. Ashtead Gr
Read moreThursday broker round-up UPDATE
16th Jan 2014 08:59
Aberdeen Asset Management: Canaccord Genuity cuts target price from 586p to 540p, while its buy recommendation remains unchanged. Anglo American: UBS ups target price from 1500p to 1580p upgrading from neutral to buy. Antofagasta: Investec reduces target price from 716p to 685p maintaining a sell
Read moreWednesday broker round-up UPDATE
15th Jan 2014 08:42
African Barrick Gold: Liberum Capital downgrades to sell with a target price of 147p. Deutsche Bank lowers target price from 190p to 180p, while maintaining a hold recommendation. African Minerals: Deutsche Bank shifts target price from 410p to 414p and maintains a buy recommendation. Amlin: JP Mo
Read moreLondon close: BSkyB leads markets higher after decent economic data
14th Jan 2014 16:31
- Markets at highest level since October 30th - UK inflation falls to BoE target - Eurozone industrial production, US retail sales beat forecasts - UBS highlights potential M&A at BSkyB techMARK 2,818.48 +0.54% FTSE 100 6,766.86 +0.14% FTSE 250 16,236.02 -0.12% Markets managed to finish in positiv
Read moreSector movers: AstraZeneca, Shire lift pharma stocks on upbeat guidance
14th Jan 2014 15:22
Decent gains from AstraZeneca and Shire gave the pharmaceuticals sector a boost on Tuesday as both firms gave confident outlooks. At the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco, AstraZeneca Chief Executive Pascal Soriot said he expects the company to return to growth sooner than analysts c
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