London afternoon: Burberry eases after third quake
11th Apr 2011 14:15
The Independent Commission on Banking (ICB) has issued its interim report on changes proposed for the sector, and while Lloyds Banking has had a grumble about the ICB's recommendation that it should have to sell more than 600 branches, the market's reaction is that the report looks favourable for th
Read moreLondon midday: Banks advance after ICB report
11th Apr 2011 12:03
Banking stocks are in focus on an otherwise dull day on the company news front after the Independent Commission on Banking (ICB) issued its interim report on changes proposed for the sector. It stopped short of recommending that banks that have investment banking arms should demerge those operation
Read moreLondon open: Banks buoyant after ICB report
11th Apr 2011 08:24
Shares are subdued in early dealings, though banking stocks have moved ahead following the publication of the Independent Commission on Banking's interim report. It stopped short of recommending that banks that have investment banking arms should demerge those operations. Instead, it has recommend
Read moreLondon close: Shares in late dive
7th Apr 2011 16:43
Shares were little changed for much of the day as central banks in London and Frankfurt acted as expected, but another earthquake in Japan sent jitters through markets ahead of the close. The Bank of England kept its key lending rate unchanged. The European Central Bank, however, stuck to its scrip
Read moreLondon afternoon: FTSE 250 stocks take a bashing
7th Apr 2011 15:12
The blue-chip index moved into positive territory over the lunch time trading session as the Bank of England removed all doubt about its current focus on the health of the economy, rather than the inflation risk, and kept its key lending rate unchanged. The European Central Bank, however, stuck to
Read moreSector movers: Talvivaara weighs down industrial metals stocks
7th Apr 2011 14:43
The industrial metals and mining sector is the worst performing sector today, led lower by Finnish miner Talvivaara. The company lowered annual production guidance to take into account longer than previously anticipated maintenance breaks, and believes it realistic to anticipate a production shortf
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Banks dominate risers
7th Apr 2011 14:12
The banking sector is making ground, offsetting losses by miners. Blue chip lenders are firmer in London after the Bank of England resisted calls to raise interest rates. The benchmark rate is unchanged at a record low of 0.5% and the quantitative easing programme has been maintained at £200bn. H
Read moreLondon midday: Shares unchanged after Bank holds rates
7th Apr 2011 12:21
Shares are little changed after the Bank of England kept interest rates unchanged at 0.5%. The decision was expected, while the ECB is expected to raise interest rates for the first time since they were slashed in the wake of the financial crisis. Turning to stocks, the retail sector has come back
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: M&S tops the risers
6th Apr 2011 13:12
Retailers are providing a boost on Wednesday, with Marks & Spencer performing best among the blue chips. The group saw a sharp drop in like-for-like sales of clothes and other non-food items in the 13 weeks to 2 April, though the fall wasn't as severe as expected and overall sales growth was mainta
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: M&A speculation lifts TUI Travel
5th Apr 2011 16:28
M&A chatter is lifting TUI Travel, the owner of Thomson and other holiday brands. Its parent group, Germany's TUI AG, is said to be considering selling its stake in the shipping group Hapag-Lloyd. Advertising giant WPP is buying a minority stake in Canadian firm Vice Holdings, a global youth media
Read moreBroker tips: Vodafone, Barclays, Kesa Electricals
5th Apr 2011 12:31
Nomura slightly reduces its target price for telecoms titan Vodafone as consensus aligns to a more cautious margin outlook. The group sold its 44% holding in French mobile phone group SRF to media firm Vivendi on Monday for €7.75bn (£6.8bn) in cash, which the broker believes was a good price. Wit
Read moreBroker snap: Revenue outlook uncertain at Barclays
5th Apr 2011 10:10
Seymour Pierce keeps a 'hold' on banking giant Barclays, saying that it is uncertain about future growth in revenues. The broker highlighted the Financial Times article that said that Barclays is to increase risk appetite amid internal expectations that a return on equity of 7.2% (versus an end of
Read moreTuesday newspaper round-up: Oil, Barclays, National Express
5th Apr 2011 06:25
Oil has hit $120 per barrel for the first time since before the financial crisis - threatening global growth and putting the world at risk of an inflationary shock. Brent crude, the London benchmark, had been trading around $115 per barrel for a fortnight, but the price has crept up over the past co
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: UK a drag on 3i's performance
1st Apr 2011 17:08
The UK is letting the side down for private equity investor 3i, today's biggest faller among Footsie constituents. "Overall, the private equity portfolio has performed well," chief executive Michael Queen said. "There have, however, been marked regional differences, with strong growth in Northern
Read moreLondon close: FTSE 100 soars past 6,000
1st Apr 2011 16:38
Shares have moved back above the 6,000 point mark as economic data from the US stoked optimism. Private non-farm payrolls rose by 216,000 in March, versus consensus expectations for a 190,000 person increase. Also, the unemployment rate fell unexpectedly, to 8.8% (Consensus: 8.9%). Average hourly e
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