London open: Shares drop amid flood of results
5th Aug 2010 08:20
London's blue chips are slightly lower as investors consider a mixed bag of corporate results on what is set to be one of the busiest days of the year. Cobham is leading the fallers, down more than 6%, after the defence and aerospace products group saw pre-tax profits fall in the half year to June
Read moreLondon pre-open: Hesitant step forward expected
5th Aug 2010 07:34
On what is set to be one of the busiest days of the year for big company announcements London is poised to open moderately firmer, with the FTSE 100 index tipped by City traders to open around 14 points higher. Banking giant Barclays reported a 44% rise in first half pre-tax profits as profits at t
Read moreBarclays gets boost from BarCap
5th Aug 2010 07:02
Barclays reported a 44% rise in first half pre-tax profits as a 225% profit jump at its investment banking arm, Barclays Capital, was partially offset by an increase in impairments in Barclays Corporate in Spain. Pre-tax profit rose to £3.95bn in the first half of 2010 compared with £2.75bn last t
Read moreThursday preview: Barclays, Aviva, RSA, BoE rate decision
4th Aug 2010 17:32
On what may well be the busiest day of the year for company results the likes of Aviva, Barclays, Cobham, Randgold Resources, Rio Tinto, RSA Insurance, Schroders, Smith & Nephew and Unilever will be wrestling each other for prominent coverage. Investment analysts will be waiting to see whether Barc
Read moreSantander nears RBS branch buy
3rd Aug 2010 11:40
Spanish bank Santander is expanding its overseas empire with the acquisition of 318 branches being sold by government-owned Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS). The sale, thought likely to make about £2bn, is part of a deal agreed with the European Commission as RBS's punishment for borrowing billions fro
Read moreSociete Generale To Become UK Gilt Primary Dealer
2nd Aug 2010 16:21
LONDON (Dow Jones)--French bank Societe Generale SA will become a primary dealer of U.K. government bonds, known as gilts, from September 1, 2010, the bank said Monday. Societe Generale will now participate directly in gilt auctions and take an active role in the issuance, distribution and marke
Read moreUPDATE: European Buyouts Power Ahead On Pass-the-Parcel Deals
2nd Aug 2010 16:11
(Adds detail.) By Marietta Cauchi Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES LONDON (Dow Jones)--European private equity buyouts continue to gather steam, with activity fueled by a string of "pass-the-parcel" deals in which private equity firms sell on to each other rather than trade buyers or to the public
Read moreEuropean Buyouts Power Ahead Boosted By Pass the Parcel Deals
2nd Aug 2010 13:28
LONDON (Dow Jones)--European private equity buyouts continue to gather steam with activity fueled by a string of 'pass the parcel' deals in which private equity firms sell on to each other rather than trade buyers or to the public markets in an initial public offering, according to a study released
Read moreLondon open: Strong start for Footsie
2nd Aug 2010 08:53
Banks and miners are in favour this morning, helping Footsie make a bright start. The banks' interim results season kicks off later today with HSBC's first half figures and predictions at the weekend were for strong numbers across the sector. Lloyds, Barclays and Royal Bank of Scotland are all hig
Read moreAT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile Target Visa, MasterCard In Venture - Bloomberg
2nd Aug 2010 06:26
DOW JONES NEWSWIRES AT&T Inc. (T), Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) and T-Mobile USA are attempting to create a system to bypass credit and debit cards and allow consumers to pay for purchases by smartphones, Bloomberg News reported Monday, citing unnamed sources. The venture is a direct th
Read moreBanks chided again on small cap lending
1st Aug 2010 18:34
Britain's banks have again been warned over bonuses and lending to small and medium-sized firms (SMEs) with the top four tipped to post over £8bn in collective first half profits this week. In an interview with the Sunday Telegraph, UK chancellor George Osborne said the the government would not tol
Read moreSunday newspaper round-up: Bank profits, BP, ITV
1st Aug 2010 11:59
Royal Bank Of Scotland could break back into the black this week, boosting hopes that taxpayers could make a profitable exit from the government's bank bailouts. Analysts expect RBS to post a pre-tax profit of about £200m for the first six months of the year, ending a two-year run of multi-billion
Read moreMARKET TALK: Citigroup Cuts Barclays Price Target
30th Jul 2010 14:33
1333 GMT [Dow Jones] Citigroup cuts Barclays (BARC.LN) price target to 442p from 470p ahead of Barclays's 1H '10 results August 5. The key issue will be revenues at Barclays Capital in 2Q, says Citi. It revises down its '10 EPS forecast to 29.6p from 34.5p and '11 to 43.6p from 44.4p. However the ma
Read moreUK MARKET TALK ROUNDUP: SHARES LOSING
30th Jul 2010 14:33
Stocks on the fall in the UK today. Compiled by Dow Jones Newswires Markets Desk, [email protected] Contact us in London. +44-20-7842-9464 [email protected] 1333 GMT [Dow Jones] Citigroup cuts Barclays (BARC.LN) price target to 442p from 470p ahead of Barclays's 1H '10 results A
Read moreMARKET TALK: Citigroup Lowers Barclays Target Price
30th Jul 2010 11:00
1000 GMT [Dow Jones] Citigroup lowers Barclays (BARC.LN) target to 442p from 470p ahead of 1H results, due August 5. Brokerage lowers its FY10 EPS forecast by 14% to 33p, but says FY11- FY13 earnings forecasts have been shaved by only 5%-7%, "since we envisage a reasonable rebound in Barclays Capit
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