London midday: German ZEW survey provides a boost to UK stocks
14th Feb 2012 11:48
- German ZEW expectations index swings into positive territory. - Moody's downgrades six nations, cuts outlook for three others to negative. - Bunzl, Barclays higher after broker upgrades. After an initial slump on the back of a mass downgrade of European sovereigns by Moody's, a sharp rise was rec
Read moreBroker tips: Barclays, UK insurers, Yell
14th Feb 2012 11:25
UBS has raised its target price for UK lender Barclays by 21% but has maintained its neutral rating on the stock, saying it is "well-positioned but under-earning." The uplift in the target price, from 199p to 240p, reflects the improvement in tangible net asset value from the BlackRock revaluation
Read moreBroker snap: UBS ups target for Barclays
14th Feb 2012 10:47
UBS has raised its target price for UK lender Barclays by 21% but has maintained its neutral rating on the stock, saying it is "well-positioned but under-earning." The uplift in the target price, from 199p to 240p, reflects the improvement in tangible net asset value from the BlackRock revaluation
Read moreTuesday broker round-up - UPDATE
14th Feb 2012 10:40
British Land: Credit Suisse downgrades to neutral from outperform, target cut to 532p from 560p. Barclays: UBS raises target from 199p to 240p, neutral rating kept. Shore Capital upgrades to neutral from sell. Exane BNP upgrades to overweight from neutral. Standard Life: Nomura raises target from
Read moreTuesday tips round-up: Helical Bar, Highland Gold, Barclays
14th Feb 2012 06:58
In the Times the Tempus column runs the rule over property firm Helical Bar and decides it does not really measure up. In the last three months of last year 13 of the group's tenants went out of business or failed to renew their rents, cutting income by over £700,000, and there's the rub for inves
Read moreLondon close: Greek optimism buoys Footsie
13th Feb 2012 16:39
- Stocks rise as Greece approves austerity package. - CBI cuts UK GDP forecasts. - Vodafone confirms potential takeover of C&W Worldwide. Stocks managed to hold on to gains on Monday as Greece moves one step closer to securing the next crucial tranche of aid. Mining and financial stocks led the ri
Read moreBank lending to SMEs falls short of targets in 2011
13th Feb 2012 15:17
Lending to businesses by the five major UK banks exceeded targets in 2011, but loans to small- and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) came up short, according to the latest data from the Bank of England (BoE). Gross lending from Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds, Royal Bank of Scotland and Santander totalled £214
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Miners buoyed by Greek deal
13th Feb 2012 13:07
Antofagasta lead the risers, closely followed by its fellow miners, after the Greek deal sparked a rise in the euro against the dollar, sending greenback-denominated metals´ prices higher. Anglo American, Kazakhmys, Rio Tinto and Xstrata were all making gains of at least 2%, with Anglo American pe
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks extend gains and banks, miners advance
13th Feb 2012 11:40
- Stocks rise as Greece approves austerity package. - Banks miss 'Project Merlin' lending targets. - Vodafone confirms potential takeover of C&W Worldwide. The Footsie was trading a whole percentage point higher by midday, with banks and miners extending gains from the morning session, following
Read moreBroker tips: UK banks, Old Mutual, Entertainment One
13th Feb 2012 10:35
Nomura has today cut its ratings on UK banking peers Lloyds and Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) from neutral to reduce, saying that the recent strong recovery in the sector should be seen as a selling opportunity. "Both groups are banking sector restructuring stories and therefore geared to market ris
Read moreBroker snap: Nomura downgrades UK banks on weak outlook
13th Feb 2012 09:40
Nomura has today cut its ratings on UK banking peers Lloyds and Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) from neutral to reduce, saying that the recent strong recovery in the sector should be seen as a selling opportunity. "Both groups are banking sector restructuring stories and therefore geared to market ris
Read moreMonday broker round-up - UPDATE
13th Feb 2012 09:08
SAB Miller: Credit Suisse initiates at outperform and with a price target of 2,900p. Lloyds: Nomura downgrades from neutral to reduce, cuts target from 40p to 35p. Royal Bank of Scotland: Nomura downgrades from neutral to reduce, cuts target from 34p to 26p. Barclays: Nomura downgrades from buy
Read moreLondon close: Stocks drop as protests to Greece's austerity deal intensify
10th Feb 2012 17:01
- Another Greek minister resigns. - Miners drag Footsie lower as copper prices fall. - Barclays pares gains as profits drop. Stocks finished the session at their lowest levels of the day as the political situation in Greece took a turn for the worse with another minister handing in her resignation
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Barclays rises despite falling profits
10th Feb 2012 13:32
Barclays was topping the risers despite reporting falling profits and revenues in 2011. Of note, the bonus pool at Barclays Capital, its underperforming investment banking arm, was cut by 32%. Critically, however, the lender raised its dividend. That may have raised confidence in the lender´s abilit
Read moreLondon midday: Achtung! Greece missing debt-cutting targets
10th Feb 2012 11:36
- German Finance Minister says Greece missing targets-Bloomberg - Barclays rises after cutting bonuses, but profits fall. - Eurogroup fails to approve Greek package. - C&W Comms drops after profit warning. Stocks continued to fall by midday after Eurozone finance ministers last night refused to g
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