London midday: Miners lead strong rally
2nd Feb 2010 12:15
Footsie has moved into the blue as gains in the mining sector help offset falls among oil stocks after BP's fourth quarter figures failed to impress. BP chief executive Tony Hayward described it as a 'very good' year for the company with a sharp increase in fourth quarter profits, but they came in
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Strong smartphone demand lifts ARM
2nd Feb 2010 11:43
Shares in ARM Holdings are going well after market share gains and growing demand for smartphones kept the chip designer ahead of its rivals at the end of 2009, though sales and profits were still lower in the quarter. Engineering support services group Babcock is higher after saying it remains on
Read moreLondon open: BP drags Footsie down
2nd Feb 2010 08:50
Footsie has fallen in early dealings on a poor response to BP's fourth quarter figures, while the decision by Australia not to increase interest rates has raised more questions over the strength of the global economy. BP capped what chief executive Tony Hayward termed a 'very good' year for the com
Read moreLondon pre-open: Slight slip expected
2nd Feb 2010 07:37
Footsie is expected to slip into the red slightly in early dealings. Oil giant BP capped what chief executive Tony Hayward termed a 'very good' year for the company with a sharp increase in fourth quarter profits. Underlying replacement cost profit in the fourth quarter was up 70% on a year earlier
Read moreBabcock set for year of excellent progress
2nd Feb 2010 07:27
Engineering support services group Babcock remains on track for ‘another year of excellent progress’. The group is enthused by the long term growth prospects of its main markets, and sees significant growth opportunities available in the UK and overseas. The order book is solid at around £6bn and
Read moreThursday tips round-up: Sage, Prudential, Babcock
3rd Dec 2009 06:17
The virtues of Sage ? a strong base of recurring revenues and tight management of costs ? remain intact. The pressure on sales is also likely to ease from here. However, at 221p, or 11 times current year forecasts, and yielding 3.5 per cent, their shares require something more than resilience if the
Read moreWednesday tips round-up: Randgold, Schroders, InterContinental Hotels
11th Nov 2009 06:19
As most things have crashed down around the feet of investors in the past year, so gold has enjoyed a revival as investors flocked to safer ground. As such, Randgold Resources, possibly the biggest company you might never have heard of, has cashed in. The mining group is the only pure gold miner on
Read moreLondon close: Flat finish for FTSE 100
10th Nov 2009 16:29
Footsie finished slightly in the red having failed to find any sense of direction all day as results sent stocks in both directions. Banking titan HSBC climbed after it said underlying third quarter profit was "significantly" ahead of the same time last year. It's also seeing some stabilisation in
Read moreLondon afternoon: Miners drag Footsie under
10th Nov 2009 14:31
With the US markets opening lower, London has followed suit, despite a strong performance from FTSE 100 index heavyweight HSBC. Banking titan HSBC said underlying third quarter profit was "significantly" ahead of the same time last year. It's also seeing some stabilisation in its bad debts picture,
Read moreLondon midday: Mixed fortunes for banks
10th Nov 2009 11:58
Despite a slew of company results to pick over the market continues to lack direction, though a good reception to results from index heavyweight HSBC helps underpin the FTSE 100's positive showing. Banking titan HSBC said underlying third quarter profit was "significantly" ahead of the same time la
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Cookson leads the way
10th Nov 2009 10:51
Shares in Cookson are the best performing in the FTSE 250 after the engineer and ceramics group said it expects trading profit this year will be at the upper end of market forecasts and near to £110m after a stronger than anticipated rally in sales over the past three months. Investors have given t
Read moreBabcock sees FY in line
10th Nov 2009 07:34
Engineering support services firm Babcock International posted a 30% increase in half year profit as good growth in Marine and Defence mitigated a decline in Rail, Engineering and Plant. The group, which maintains Britain's submarine fleet, said pre-tax profit rose to £66.1m in the six months ende
Read moreWeek Ahead: Sainsbury, Imperial Tobacco, Babcock
6th Nov 2009 10:57
Supermarket chain Sainsbury issues half-year results on Wednesday, having already warned that it is unlikely to be able to maintain its impressive sales growth, due to the effects of reduced inflation. Excluding the impact of the fuel and the VAT cut announced last November, like-for-like sales wer
Read moreLondon close: Miners fire Footsie higher
2nd Nov 2009 16:23
Miners dominated London's top ten risers, offsetting weakness among financials, while promising US manufacturing data encouraged buyers over here. Randgold Resources was top of the pile as the price of gold topped $1,060 an ounce. It's also keen to bring the renamed Kibali mine into production as s
Read moreLondon afternoon: Market consolidates gains
2nd Nov 2009 15:11
Footsie has spent the afternoon session consolidating the morning's gains., with miners continuing to be the star performers while financials stumble. Sharply higher metal prices and news that Randgold Resources is keen to bring the renamed Kibali mine into production as soon as possible helped min
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