London open: UK stocks rise on quiet day for global markets
1st May 2012 08:28
- Several bourses closed for May Day - Chinese manufacturing PMI below expectations - Lloyds impresses, BP doesn't With most markets in Asia and Europe closed for May Day on Tuesday, London's FTSE 100 opened with moderate gains as some well-received results from Lloyds and Imperial Tobacco provided
Read moreBarclays in Qatar asset management team-up
30th Apr 2012 08:08
Barclays Natural Resource Investments, a division of Barclays Bank, is to team up with the Qatar Asset Management Company to form a joint investment partnership. Under the partnership terms agreed, the Qatar Asset Management Company (QAMC) will co-invest $250m in Barclays Natural Resource Investmen
Read moreAviva to review executive pay
30th Apr 2012 07:06
Insurance giant Aviva is the latest firm to sit up and take note of disgruntled shareholders as it announced a review of executive remuneration practises. It also said that chief executive Andrew Moss, who received a £2.69m package for 2012, would waive his pay rise for the year. It follows a stor
Read moreSunday share tips: Barclays, Berendsen, Galileo Resources
29th Apr 2012 11:40
Barclays had a "good" financial crisis. It did not need a government bail-out and it managed to snap up the investment banking arm of Lehman Brothers at a bargain price after it collapsed. However, with investment banking operations come high salaries. Across the whole sector a lot of value was bein
Read moreCarnwath feels Barclays' shareholders wrath
28th Apr 2012 13:25
More than a quarter of the votes cast at Barclays' annual general meeting (AGM) were in opposition to approving the bank's remuneration report for 2011. Institutional investors flexed their muscles at the AGM, expressing their displeasure at what they saw as out-of-proportion rewards, despite effor
Read moreLondon close: Footsie finishes week strongly, Man Group soars
27th Apr 2012 16:22
- Footsie finishes up five points on the week - Stocks rise despite US GDP data, Spanish downgrade - Man Group jumped 14% after upgrade Following a steep sell-off on Monday, a four-day rise for blue-chip stocks saw the FTSE 100 finish slightly above levels seen last week with financials leading the
Read moreBarclays vows to tilt rewards balance towards shareholders
27th Apr 2012 15:25
Barclays chairman Marcus Agius was heckled at the bank's annual general meeting (AGM) as he talked about the controversial issue of executive pay. With a command of understatement for which a certain breed of British gentleman is renowned, Agius remarked that "remuneration continues to be an issue
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Man Group leads the way after upgrade
27th Apr 2012 15:24
Hedge fund manager Man Group became the highest riser after Societe Generale upgraded its rating on the stock from hold to buy. Earlier this week Swiss bank UBS suggested the hedge fund operator could be a takeover target as its shares have more than halved over the last year, and are down by a quar
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks rise as markets await US GDP data
27th Apr 2012 11:56
- US futures flat ahead of GDP data - UK investors shrug off Spanish downgrade - Man, CRH, British Land rise after upgrades The Footsie was trading firmly higher on Friday morning as investors shrugged off a downgrade for Spain and some disappointing UK economic data. US stock futures were pointi
Read moreFriday broker round-up - UPDATE
27th Apr 2012 09:21
AstraZeneca: Credit Suisse maintains underperform rating and 2,600p target. ASOS: HSBC upgrades from neutral to overweight, target cut from 1,900p to 1,780p. Barclays: Nomura reiterates neutral recommendation and 268p target. British American Tobacco: Jefferies maintains buy recommendation and 3,
Read moreLondon open: Spanish downgrade weighs on sentiment
27th Apr 2012 08:41
- S and P downgrades Spain - UK consumer confidence misses estimates - Banks, miners lead the downside in London The FTSE 100 opened cautiously on Friday morning looking like it could snap a three-day winning streak, with banking and mining blue chips providing a drag on the back of concerns over t
Read moreBarclays faces shareholder rebellion on the Southbank
27th Apr 2012 08:24
London's Royal Festival Hall is world-renowned for its acoustics but the building on the Southbank will resonate to discord on Friday morning as it plays host to Barclays' annual general meeting (AGM). The lack of harmony arises from a group of shareholders who believe executive pay does not reflec
Read moreFriday preview: Barclays AGM, WPP trading statement
26th Apr 2012 17:50
After Thursday's barrage of company announcements there is the usual Friday let-up. Advertising firms WPP and Aegis will have the stage much to themselves, although the annual general meeting of Barclays could prove lively if the subject gets round to executive remuneration. In an effort to stave o
Read moreLondon close: Whitbread leads the Footsie higher
26th Apr 2012 16:41
- Whitbread up 6pc, Astra down 6pc - Economic data from UK and US comes in mixed - Fed sees growth picking up gradually The Footsie rallied in afternoon trade to finish close to its intraday highs reached in the morning session. Investors had to digest a barrage of company results and trading updat
Read moreBroker tips: Barclays, AstraZeneca, Whitbread
26th Apr 2012 12:49
Nomura has maintained its neutral rating and 268p target price for UK lender Barclays saying that while the first-quarter results were slightly better than expectations, the second-quarter outlook is 'deteriorating'. Barclays said that while the first-quarter performance was "encouraging", "the con
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