FTSE 100 movers: Aggreko extends gains, pharmas fall
20th Dec 2011 15:29
Temporary power supplier Aggreko was leading the gains on the FTSE 100 on Tuesday, as investors continue to celebrate yesterday's news that full-year profits should come in slightly ahead of previous guidance. Media stocks were also on the rise with advertising giant WPP among the best performers i
Read moreLondon midday: Banks and pharmas drag Footsie lower
20th Dec 2011 11:54
London's blue chip index was slightly down at midday, despite a temporary stint in the blue, with heavyweight banking and pharmaceuticals stocks providing a drag. The Footsie nevertheless has been trading within a narrow range, with just 33 points separating the intraday low and high. The European
Read moreLondon close: Banks tumble as Osborne speaks
19th Dec 2011 16:19
The Footsie tanked in late afternoon trade with the government's response to Sir John Vickers banking report weighing heavily on the banking sector. In a debate in the House of Commons, Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne said that lenders should be forced to ring-fence their high street len
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Banks weighed down by ICB report
19th Dec 2011 14:21
The banks were among the worst performers of the day on Monday as they awaited a the government's response to proposed changes to the sector by the Independent Commission on Banking (ICB). The ICB has recommended that lenders should be forced to ring-fence their High Street lending operations from
Read moreLondon midday: Banks fall, Footsie flat
19th Dec 2011 11:50
The Footsie pared gains and was trading flat by midday with banking stocks providing a drag ahead of the government's response to Sir John Vickers' report into banking. The Bank of England's Quarterly Bulletin revealed that 56% of households surveyed reckoned that income available after tax, insura
Read moreAADB will investigate Barclays Capital auditor Price Waterhouse
16th Dec 2011 14:48
The Accountancy and actuarial discipline board (AADB) has launched an investigation, under its accountancy scheme, into the conduct of Pricewaterhouse Coopers, auditors to Barclays Capital Securities, in relation to its role in reporting to the Financial Services Authority (FSA) on the firm's compli
Read moreFTSE 100 Movers: Kazakhmys leads the miners higher
16th Dec 2011 14:14
Kazakhmys leapt into the top spot after investors learnt that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with the China Development Bank Corporation for a $1.5bn loan facility, which is to be used for the development of the major copper project at Aktogay, East Kazakhstan. The facility consists of
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie up 0.5% as miners rise
16th Dec 2011 11:47
The Footsie extended gains by midday, with miners leading the advance, despite some gloomy comments by leaders in the Eurozone. The blue chip index was trading just 27 points higher by lunchtime, up 0.5% at 5,427, while bourses in Europe edged lower. EUROZONE WORRIES CONTINUE France may have ente
Read moreLondon open: Miners provide a lift early on
16th Dec 2011 08:19
The Footsie opened moderately higher on Friday morning, with financials an miners providing a lift. Miners were among the best performers early on. In other news, the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund has said that the world is facing similar threats seen in the Depression: "econ
Read moreFitch downgrades several global banks including Barclays
16th Dec 2011 08:18
Fitch Ratings has downgraded some of the major global banks due to the growing risks for financial markets arising from both economic developments as well as a "myriad of regulatory changes". Specifically, the agency cut Barclays and Credit Suisse by two notches (to AA- from A) and the ratings of
Read moreBarclays Capital to sell €1bn in assets, FT says
16th Dec 2011 07:49
Barclays Capital is reported this morning to be planning the sale of more than €1bn worth of German apartments. That would be one of Europe's largest residential property deals since the start of the financial crisis, the newspaper adds. However, it also coincides with the asset disposals announc
Read moreFriday newspaper round-up: Barclays, Deutsche Bank, Taxes, Portugal
16th Dec 2011 06:50
Christian Noyer, the governor of the Bank of France, said that Britain faced larger national debts, higher inflation and slower growth than France. François Baroin, the finance minister, said Britain was "marginalised" and faced "a very difficult economic situation" because of Coalition policies. Th
Read moreLondon close: Footsie drops 1.8% on Eurozone worries
12th Dec 2011 16:46
London's Footsie finished at its lowest levels of the day after Wall Street bourses opened sharply in the red. The Eurozone crisis appeared to be weighing heavily on investors' minds (as usual) following some downbeat comments from Moody's. The FTSE 100 finished 1.8% down at 5,428, some 101 points o
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks continue to fall, banks tumble
12th Dec 2011 11:49
The Footsie was trading just below the 5,500 level at midday, with banks and miners providing a drag on London's blue chip index. It seems that markets across Europe have given a lukewarm reaction to the 'fiscal compact' agreed by (some) EU leaders late last week, with indices in Paris, Frankfurt an
Read moreLondon close: Banks provide a boost after summit
9th Dec 2011 16:45
The EU summit has of course dominated markets today and investors have taken the news reasonably well, with benchmark indices across Europe finishing between 2-3% higher after Eurozone nations (and some others) reached an agreement on enhancing fiscal discipline and strengthening economic policy coo
Read more