London 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
Read moreSector movers: Banks rise on Ireland hopes
1st Apr 2011 14:57
Financial stocks are in demand today, with banks performing strongly following the Irish banking stress tests yesterday. Irish banks are unsurprisingly leading the way amid hopes the government's plans will keep the sector out of harm's way. Bank of Ireland is sharply higher. British banks such as
Read moreLondon afternoon: US jobs data provides fresh impetus
1st Apr 2011 14:28
The release of generally favourable US non-farm payrolls data has given London shares fresh impetus. Some disappointing factory data here has failed to dull investor appetite. The March UK manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index PMI fell unexpectedly to 57.1 points, against consensus expectations f
Read moreLondon midday: Shares rise ahead of US jobs data.
1st Apr 2011 12:03
Shares have added to their early gains on hopes that jobs data from the US later today will fuel global economic optimism. Non-farm payroll numbers are due at 1.30pm. Some disappointing factory data here has failed to dull investor appetite. The March UK manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index PMI
Read moreLondon open: Shares win back gains
1st Apr 2011 08:34
Shares have got off to a decent start, clawing back some of the gains that came in late trading yesterday. Banks, which had been awaiting yesterday afternoon's banking stress test results nervously, are leading the way today, with Barclays, Lloyds and RBS posting good gains. In other news, Marks
Read moreThursday newspaper round-up: M&A rebound, Lloyds, Barclays
31st Mar 2011 06:04
US companies have returned to large strategic deal-making, helping to boost global mergers and acquisitions activity by 26% in the first quarter. Thanks to a flurry of big deals, US M&A activity jumped 84 per cent to $267bn in the first three months of the year, compared to the same period in 2010.
Read moreFriday newspaper round-up: BP, Barclays, Aviva...
25th Mar 2011 06:24
BP's $16bn joint venture with Rosneft was blocked last night in a ruling that has thrown the company's growth strategy into turmoil. A judgment by independent arbitrators that the deal cannot progress is hugely embarrassing for Robert Dudley, BP's chief executive, since he personally negotiated it
Read moreBudget preview: Leaving on a jet plane ... or not
22nd Mar 2011 19:14
For his second Budget speech Chancellor George Osborne has promised a finance bill that is "unashamedly pro-growth, pro-enterprise and pro-aspiration," as he seeks to move the UK economy from rescue mode to reform mode. Mindful of headline writers preparing to accuse him of pandering to "fat cats"
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