London open: Stocks flat with US earnings and EU summit in focus
19th Oct 2012 08:31
- Sentiment dampened by Microsoft and Google - EU summit in focus - Aggreko, Bunzl and financials provide a drag Worse-than-expected results from some US blue chips and the EU summit were in the spotlight on Friday morning, keeping UK stocks flat early on. "European equities are trading lower this
Read moreLondon close: Barclays limits gains after PPI confession
18th Oct 2012 16:44
- Barclays to take another unexpected hit from PPI claims - Chinese data boosts miners - Markets cautious before EU summit After swinging between gains and losses for most of the session, UK stocks finished flat on Thursday despite some robust growth figures from China, as some worse-than-expected
Read moreBarclays to take another unexpected hit from PPI claims
18th Oct 2012 16:23
Barclays has just announced that it has set aside a further 700m pounds in provisions against the possible costs associated with compensating customers for mis-sold payment protection insurance (PPI), taking its total provisions for this concept to 2bn pounds. That is the second largest such provis
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: IAG rises following IATA stats and buy reiteration
18th Oct 2012 15:09
Shares in IAG got a boost after international trade body the IATA announced that much of August's rise in premium passenger numbers came from the North Atlantic, where British Airways, an airline owned by IAG, dominates. The firm was also boosted by Investec's decision to reiterate its buy recommend
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Miners soaring ahead of Chinese Q3 growth data
17th Oct 2012 15:40
Miners were firmly higher on the FTSE, boosted by investor confidence ahead of the third quarter growth data due out from China, which is expected to increase demand for commodities. Metals futures were higher for gold, silver, platinum and copper. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao was quoted as saying th
Read moreLondon close: US earnings spark surge in UK stocks
16th Oct 2012 16:32
- US earnings lift sentiment - Speculation Spain nearing a bailout request - Germany's Meister says remarks over interpreted -Guardian - German ZEW index beats forecasts Better-than-expected earnings from Goldman and Johnson & Johnson and signs of progress in the Eurozone saw the FTSE 100 surge 1.2
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Financials, miners jump on increased risk appetite
16th Oct 2012 15:03
Financial and resource stocks were performing well on Tuesday afternoon as investors adopted a 'risk-on' attitude on the back of improved newsflow from the Eurozone and better-than-expected corporate results in the US. Lloyds, Admiral, Royal Bank of Scotland and Barclays were leading financials hig
Read moreLondon close: Stocks hold on to gains despite Eurozone uncertainty
15th Oct 2012 16:25
-Chinese data and US figures lift sentiment -All eyes on Spain and Greece ahead of EU summit -Citi economist predicts 'Grexit' -Spanish 10 year bond yields rise 19bp to 5.82 per cent -Greek 10 year bond yields fall 48bp to 17.56 per cent London's FTSE 100 index finished the day in positive territor
Read moreRBS 'suspends Europe rates trading head'
15th Oct 2012 16:00
The Royal Bank of Scotland has suspended its head of rates trading for Europe and the Asia- Pacific region as part of its ongoing investigation into rate rigging, according to Bloomberg. Jezri Mohideen was suspended on 12th October following reports that he instructed colleagues to lower the Britis
Read moreMonday newspaper round-up: Austerity, BAE, RBS
15th Oct 2012 07:00
George Osborne has been warned by the International Monetary Fund that he risks further damaging the economy unless the pace of austerity slows and he faces up to the country's "growth challenge". David Lipton, the IMF's deputy managing director, suggested the Chancellor may have to take bolder meas
Read moreSector movers: RBS, Lloyds lift banking sector on FSA decision
10th Oct 2012 17:17
Banking stocks finished strongly on Wednesday after it was revealed that the Financial Services Authority (FSA) has eased certain capital buffers. Banks will now not need to hold extra capital against lending that qualifies for 'Funding for Lending', meaning that loans given under the government's
Read moreLondon close: Global slowdown concerns weigh on stocks
10th Oct 2012 17:00
London's FTSE 100 index registered its third consecutive day in negative territory as uncertainty surrounding the outlook for the global economy continued to weigh on investor sentiment. "Financial markets struggled to find direction today, drifting into the red as persistent fears over slowing glo
Read moreFSA loosens capital rules for banks
10th Oct 2012 15:33
The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has eased capital buffers for the UK's largest banks, meaning that loans given through the government's 'Funding for Lending' (FLS) scheme can be effectively be classed as risk-free. According to The Financial Times on Tuesday night, the move "puts Britain at
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Banks top risers after FSA decision
10th Oct 2012 15:22
Banking peers Lloyds and RBS were leading the risers today after the Financial Times reported that the FSA has eased capital and liquidity rules in an attempt to boost lending. Meanwhile, according to reports this morning, RBS has agreed to sell two buildings in Frankfurt and Berlin to Axa Investm
Read moreLondon midday: Banking stocks gain, yet Footsie falls
10th Oct 2012 11:32
- IMF warns about Eurozone crisis - Unions call for strikes in Greece - Banks gain on speculation of eased capital rules UK stocks suffered more losses on Wednesday in spite of some relative strength in the banking sector, as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned about the risks emanating f
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