London close: Footsie stays in red
8th Apr 2010 16:51
Footsie remained in the red by close with banks and miners weighing, while ongoing concerns over Greece's debt problems caused uncertainty in most European markets. Miners were out of favour as metal prices show signs of fatigue. Vedanta Resources provided a spot of cheer to the sector, saying it
Read moreLondon afternoon: Footsie dips below 5700
8th Apr 2010 14:21
Footsie has slipped back below 5700 with banks joining miners in the doghouse this afternoon. Miners are out of favour as metal prices show signs of fatigue. Vedanta Resources provided a spot of cheer to the sector, saying it saw a significant uplift in annual production at all its businesses in fi
Read moreNorthern Rock boss paid £1.3m
31st Mar 2010 14:42
Northern Rock's new boss received more in salary and bonuses last year than in his previous job at Barclays even though he waived a £700,000 bonus, accounts from the nationalised bank revealed. Gary Hoffman was paid £1.3m in 2009, consisting of £700,000 salary, pension contributions and £400,000 fo
Read moreLondon close: Footsie takes a late tumble
30th Mar 2010 16:55
A late dive in line with a slide into the red on Wall Street sent shares lower ahead of the close. US stocks were hit by worries over the sovereign debt situation. The retreat came as rating agency Standard & Poors cut Iceland's rating and after subdued demand for an auction of 12-year Greek debt.
Read moreSector movers: Miners on the march
30th Mar 2010 14:48
The mining sector is higher after a couple of updates from big players. BHP Billiton has successfully persuaded several of its iron ore customers in Asia to move to shorter term contracts. The group said it has reached agreement with a significant number of customers throughout Asia to move existin
Read moreLondon afternoon: Footsie seeking direction
30th Mar 2010 14:20
Footsie is still marking time as gains in the mining sector struggle to offset losses among banking stocks. Mining giant BHP Billiton is higher after saying it has successfully persuaded several of its iron ore customers in Asia to move to shorter term contracts. The renegotiated contracts cover th
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Financials negate mining gains
30th Mar 2010 12:14
Mining companies remain the best performers in the Footsie but they can't totally offset the decline in financials. Strong demand for metals plus news that BHP Billiton has successfully persuaded several of its iron ore customers in Asia to move to shorter term contracts has boosted the whole sect
Read moreLondon midday: Equities mark time
30th Mar 2010 12:01
Footsie finished the morning little changed despite a strong showing from the mining sector. Mining giant BHP Billiton is higher after saying it has successfully persuaded several of its iron ore customers in Asia to move to shorter term contracts. The renegotiated contracts cover the majority of B
Read moreLondon open: Miners push Footsie higher
30th Mar 2010 08:55
London has started on a firm footing and is heading for its best month in decades with mining stocks in focus with BHP Billiton and Kazakhmys both making announcements. Mining giant BHP Billiton has successfully persuaded several of its iron ore customers in Asia to move to shorter term contracts.
Read moreRBS fined £29m for giving loan info to Barclays
30th Mar 2010 08:13
Royal Bank of Scotland has been fined £28.6m by the Office of Fair Trading after Barclays blew the whistle that information on loans to professional firms was passed between the two banks. RBS admitted the breaches of competition law between October 2007 and February or March 2008. The fine was red
Read moreMPs call for 'radical reform' of banking system
29th Mar 2010 09:46
MPs are calling for "radical reform" of the UK banking system to prevent taxpayers from picking up the bill next time a lender fails. The Treasury Select Committee, which said that the public would not stand for another bail-out of the banks, urged ministers not to rule out the break-up of institut
Read moreMonday paper round-up: Election, Royal Bank of Scotland, ITV
29th Mar 2010 06:34
The Conservatives will try to seize the electoral initiative today with a pledge to reverse part of Labour's national insurance rise due to come into effect next year. After several weeks in which the Tory poll lead has narrowed, George Osborne, the Shadow Chancellor, will announce that the party
Read moreLookers boss adds to stake
19th Mar 2010 16:49
Peter Jones, the chief executive of motor dealer Lookers, has added to his stake in the company. He has bought 300,000 shares at 59p each. Jones now owns 2.281m shares in Lookers, which is equivalent to 0.59% of the company. Jones bought 1.42m shares at 40p each in the company's placing and open
Read moreLondon close: Footsie comes off highs
19th Mar 2010 16:37
Footsie reached levels not seen since 2008 in afternoon dealings, but the gains dwindled after a poor start in the US and the leading share index finished just a few points in the blue. Banks led the way after an upbeat trading update from Lloyds Banking Group. Lloyds will be profitable on a combin
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Banks drive Footsie to 21-month high
19th Mar 2010 15:33
Footsie hit a 21-month high as banks charged forward after Lloyds said it would be profitable on a combined businesses basis in 2010. Chief executive Eric Daniels said trading in the first 10 weeks of 2010 had been "strong", prompting UBS to lift is rating on Lloyds shares to 'buy' from 'neutral' w
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