London afternoon: Footsie heading higher again
12th Mar 2010 14:05
Futures pointing to a strong start on Wall Street after better than expected retail sales figures and demand for the UK banks have kept Footsie moving upwards. Lloyds, Royal Bank of Scotland and Barclays are all higher. Life groups Old Mutual, Legal & General and Standard Life are also in demand.
Read moreLondon midday: Banks keep Footsie ahead
12th Mar 2010 12:00
Banks are driving Footsie upwards following a sluggish start. Lloyds, Royal Bank of Scotland and Barclays are all higher. Life groups Old Mutual, Legal & General and Standard Life are also in demand. HSBC is the exception among the financials after Goldman Sachs reduced its view to 'neutral' and
Read moreLondon open: Flat start for Footsie
12th Mar 2010 08:39
Early gains have all now evaporated and Footsie has slipped into the red despite a good rally on Wall Street overnight. Financial are the best performers with the nearly all showing good gains. Lloyds, Royal Bank of Scotland and Barclays are all higher. Life groups Old Mutual, Legal & General and S
Read moreLondon close: Late gains for FTSE 100
10th Mar 2010 16:41
Footsie lacked direction for much of the day, but found strength following a bright start in the US to continue its gradual ascent of recent days. Mining stocks did their bit to bolster the Footsie as metal prices rose following a sharp increase in imports into China in February. Banks also helped,
Read moreLondon afternoon: Stocks trade sideways
10th Mar 2010 14:25
The market traded sideways over the lunchtime session allowing the blue-chip index to retain its tenuous position above the 6500 level. Mining stocks are doing their bit to bolster the Footsie as metal prices rise following a sharp increase in imports into China in February. Banks are also doing th
Read moreLondon midday: FTSE 250 stocks shine
10th Mar 2010 12:01
The Footsie is clinging on to positive territory, not helped by the likes of Admiral, BATS, Serco, Schroders, Standard Chartered and TUI Travel trading in ex-dividend form today. The main points of interest this morning were outside of the FTSE 100 index, however. FTSE 250 constituent Tullett Prebo
Read moreLondon open: Very quiet start
10th Mar 2010 08:51
London's blue chips have opened lower but there is little momentum either way at present with modest gains for the banks offset by a stack of companies going ex-dividend. Derivatives broker Tullett Prebon is the stand-out after it confirmed preliminary discussions with a third party which may or ma
Read moreLondon pre-open: Shares seen lower
10th Mar 2010 07:32
London's blue chips are expected to open lower on Wednesday with traders forecasting a 10 points drop. Life insurer Standard Life is lifting its efficiency targets for 2010 after delivering 'good profits and healthy cash flow' in 2009. Underlying profit before tax in 2009 rose to £291m from £154m t
Read moreWednesday paper round-up: EADS, Barclays, Google
10th Mar 2010 06:34
Lord Mandelson has tried to head off a transatlantic trade war by expressing concern at Washington's handling of a $35bn Pentagon procurement project that could spark European retaliation. At the centre of the row are allegations made by EADS that the Pentagon has skewed the terms of a competitive
Read moreLondon open: Footsie rising again
5th Mar 2010 08:47
UK equities have opened firmly helped by another good session on Wall St and more gains for the banks. Schroders, Royal Bank of Scotland, Barclays and Standard Chartered lead the financials higher, while Fresnillo, Lonmin and Xstrata are strong among the miners. Swiss group Glencore International
Read moreLondon close: Blue chips surge forward
26th Feb 2010 16:52
Footsie surged forward and closed in buoyant mood as buyers returned across a number of sectors despite disappointment with Lloyds Banking's results. Serco remains the best performer among Footsie stocks. The outsourcing group increased the dividend by a quarter as it ramped up profits by almost a
Read moreLondon afternoon: Stocks belcamed at higher levels
26th Feb 2010 14:23
Leading shares traded sideways over the lunchtime session, lacking any sort of lead from Wall Street, which is expected to open mixed as traders struggle through the snow storm engulfing New York to get into work. Serco remains the best performer among Footsie stocks. The outsourcing group increase
Read moreLondon midday:Stocks off the top
26th Feb 2010 12:22
Hopes that Footsie would claw back all of yesterday's losses look less likely to be realised after share prices came off the top late in the morning, though most stocks are still trading in positive territory. Serco remains the best performer among Footsie stocks. The outsourcing group increased t
Read moreLondon open: Footsie makes bright start
26th Feb 2010 08:50
London's blue chips have made a bright start after the late pick-up on Wall Street overnight, even though there is some disappointment with the figures from Lloyds Banking. The state-controlled bank joined sector peers Barclays and Royal Bank of Scotland in reporting better than expected figures.
Read moreLondon pre-open: Stellar gains ahead
26th Feb 2010 07:37
London's blue chips are expected to open sharply higher, with banking shares likely to be in focus after Lloyds reported full-year figures. Traders anticipate a 60 points gain when the market opens. Lloyds Banking joined sector peers Barclays and Royal Bank of Scotland in reporting better than expe
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