London close: Stocks slump again
18th Aug 2011 16:40
Volatility returned with a vengeance on Thursday, with the leading share index slumping back towards the lows it hit last week. The day got off to a bad start after a gloomy report on global economic growth from Morgan Stanley and things got worse after some more poor figures from the US. The glob
Read moreLondon midday: More losses amid global worries
18th Aug 2011 12:03
London's leading share index is nursing heavy losses now, with global worries over economic growth continuing to hurt sentiment. Miners are among the worst performers, with Kazakhmys, Vedanta and Rio Tinto deep in the red. FTSE 100 mining giants Anglo American, BHP Billiton and Xstrata also fall d
Read moreLondon open: Miners drag Footsie below 5,300
18th Aug 2011 08:34
Just five stocks were making gains at 8.35am on Wednesday, as the blue chip index opened below the 5,300 level. The miners were among the worst performers, with Kazakhmys, Vedanta and Rio Tinto among the heaviest fallers, partially offsetting the gains made yesterday. FTSE 100 mining giants Anglo
Read moreLondon close: Financials drag Footsie lower
17th Aug 2011 16:46
Following a steep decline early on, the blue chip index staged a partial recovery on the back of a positive start on Wall Street. Nevertheless, the Footsie still finished in the red, as losses for financial stocks outweighed gains in the mining sector. Meanwhile, it was revealed today that all nine
Read moreSpectre of transaction tax hits financial shares
17th Aug 2011 12:32
Suggestions that European leaders could resurrect the idea of a financial transaction tax have sent shares in banks and bourses into a spin. A meeting of Germany's Angela Merkel and France's Nicolas Sarkozy yesterday offered little by way of concrete plans to solve the ongoing Eurozone debt crisis.
Read moreFTSE 100 Movers: France and Germany's new tax sees index drop
17th Aug 2011 11:50
The FTSE 100 dropped 0.9% on opening, with Icap, a broker for financial institutions, leading the journey south after a proposal by French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel to introduce a new tax on financial transactionS. RBS and Barclay's share prices were also suffer
Read moreSector movers: Spectris bolsters gains in electronic sector
15th Aug 2011 15:17
Gains for FTSE 250 precision instrumentation and controls company Spectris are bolstering the electronic and electrical equipment sector on Monday. Spectris's shares rose 5% to 1,416p (3.35pm) after it announced that it is to acquire Omega, a privately held US business providing measurement and con
Read moreFTSE 100 Movers: Banks suffer while miners do well
15th Aug 2011 11:47
BP saw a rise despite announcing that its growth could be hampered because it "cannot find skilled workers". With the price of silver on the up it was no surprise to see that precious metals miner Fresnillo was performing well, topping the board at almost 5%. It was a similar story for Kazakhmy
Read moreLondon close: Stocks soar as outlook brightens
12th Aug 2011 16:40
Stocks were posting meaty gains heading into the weekend after four Eurozone countries banned short-selling banking stocks and strong retail sales in the US. France, Italy, Spain and Belgium have banned short-selling of financial stocks in an attempt to prevent further slides in banking stocks' sha
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks give up weak start
12th Aug 2011 12:25
London's leading share index is posting strong gains now, in line with mainland European bourses following the short selling ban. France, Italy, Spain and Belgium have banned short-selling of financial stocks in an attempt to prevent further slides in banking stocks' share prices. Barclays and oth
Read moreFTSE 100 Movers: SocGen likes the look of UK peers
12th Aug 2011 10:00
Despite ongoing economic instability, Barclays topped the leader board in the morning session in London, with Lloyds and RBS hot on its heels, helped by an upbeat research note on the sector from Societe Generale. Commodities trader Glencore took a small hit despite crude oil closing at its highes
Read moreLondon close: Stocks rally after strong start in US
11th Aug 2011 16:30
The volatile trading continued on Thursday as losses were turned into gains in London on the back of a rally on Wall Street. A steep rise was seen after midday erased earlier losses and helped the Footsie to finish near its highs for the day. Equities were on the rise in morning trade in New York a
Read moreSector movers: 9% gain for Barclays boosts banks
11th Aug 2011 15:42
Every sector was notching up gains on Thursday afternoon as the markets in London surged on the back of a positive start on Wall Street. Mondi, the biggest company of the five forestry and paper stocks rose over 6.6% in late afternoon trading, sending the sector to the top of the pile. The paper an
Read moreSector movers: Micro Focus provides spark in software sector
10th Aug 2011 14:20
The software and computer services sector was in demand on Wednesday after results and updates from three of its constituents. FTSE 250 legacy software specialist Micro Focus soared after it revealed that it is trading ahead of expectations. The upbeat trading statement made a change from profit wa
Read moreLondon close: Footsie bounces after morning sell-off
9th Aug 2011 16:45
Following another steep decline in early trading, the Footsie clawed its way back, surging nearly 400 points since the mid-morning to finish 1.89% higher. The blue chip index closed up 96 points. All eyes are on the Federal Reserve's monetary policy meeting, with markets eagerly waiting to hear of
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