London open: Footsie tries to break losing streak
29th Jan 2010 08:48
London's blue chips have kicked on this morning despite the bad night for tech stocks on Wall Street. Huge numbers from Microsoft after the US market closed did restore some calm, while a rally by the miners has helped Footsie reverse its recent losing trend. Rio Tinto and Randgold lead the way. A
Read moreFriday newspaper round-up: Bernanke, BP, Microsoft
29th Jan 2010 06:33
Ben Bernanke won a second term as Federal Reserve chairman following the closest-ever Senate vote for a US central bank head. The Senate voted 70-30 in favour of the 56-year-old economist's second four-year term at the helm of the Fed, despite accusations that Mr Bernanke's regulatory failures hel
Read moreLondon close: US slide drags down Footsie
28th Jan 2010 16:45
London slumped near the close mirroring heavy falls in the US where technology stocks ran into heavy selling seemingly on disappointment with Apple's new iPad. AstraZeneca led the fallers after the Anglo-Swedish pharmaceuticals firm saw fourth quarter earnings rise 10% but warned that its predicted
Read moreLondon afternoon: Banks lead rally
28th Jan 2010 14:31
Blue chips put on a spurt over the lunch time session despite drugs giant Astra issuing disappointing fourth quarter figures. The Anglo-Swedish pharmaceuticals firm saw fourth quarter earnings rise 10% but warned that its predicted 2010 revenues would be hit by the loss of exclusive rights to sell
Read moreSector movers: Drug sector off colour
28th Jan 2010 13:48
The pharmaceuticals sector fell back after AstraZeneca posted a 10% rise in fourth quarter earnings, but predicted 2010 revenues would be hit by the loss of exclusive rights to sell certain drugs. The company is also planning to cut 8,000 jobs from its global workforce of 63,000. While Astra falls
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie flat after mixed earnings news
28th Jan 2010 12:13
Blue chips are struggling to make headway in the face of mixed company news today. Pay TV and Internet service provider British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB) is one of the best performers after it said it had a strong second quarter with revenues coming in marginally ahead of expectations. Turnover in
Read moreThursday newspaper round-up: HSBC, Barclays, Morrison
28th Jan 2010 05:58
Alistair Darling is to meet the chiefs of top British and American banks at a secret meeting in Davos tomorrow to hear their concerns about the introduction of tough new sanctions against the banking sector. The Times has learnt that the bosses of HSBC, Barclays and Standard Chartered, and top exec
Read moreLondon close: Footsie weakness continues
27th Jan 2010 17:00
Shares continued their weak run of recent days, with the FTSE 100 ending the day deep in the red. Mining stocks fell on enduring concerns that the Chinese authorities will introduce further measures aimed at cooling down the country's overheating economy. Xstrata, Fresnillo and Anglo American are t
Read moreLondon afternoon: Stocks stuck in reverse
27th Jan 2010 13:38
London's attempts at a rally fizzled out over the lunch time session though the Footsie is trying once more at the mid-afternoon point to climb the mountain. Mining stocks continue to impede the blue-chip index's progress, however, on enduring concerns that the Chinese authorities will introduce f
Read moreBankers line up to slam 'over-regulation'
27th Jan 2010 13:37
World bankers presented a united front in condemning moves to regulate the industry further with chief after chief stepping up at the World Economic Forum in Davos to slam planned bank reforms. Bob Diamond, Barclays president and head of its investment bank BarCap, led the assault. "If you say th
Read moreHSBC chairman attacks bank bonuses
26th Jan 2010 13:03
HSBC chairman Stephen Green has hit out at 'distorted' banker's bonuses and predicts pay-outs will be lower in future. 'In banks' remuneration, there's been plenty of distortion,' he said in an interview with the Financial Times. 'You've had bonuses paid off gross income, you've had bonuses paid of
Read moreLondon close: Downward drift continues
25th Jan 2010 16:33
Nervousness returned to the markets after an indecisive start, sending Footsie to another day of losses on top of last week's slump. British American Tobacco, National Grid, GlaxoSmithKline and Scottish & Southern Energy were among the fallers. Miners were also hit, with ENRC, Anglo American and R
Read moreLondon afternoon: Shares drift lower
25th Jan 2010 16:04
Nervousness has returned to the markets following an indecisive start to the day. The UK's leading index has suffered further losses after last week's 200 point slump as investors discussed the potential impact of President Obama's new bank controls. US shares fell heavily last week on the shock
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie holding on
25th Jan 2010 12:22
London continues to trade just above 5,300 thanks to financials and mining plays, although defensive issues are proving a drag. The UK's leading index slumped 200 points last week as investors discussed the potential impact of President Obama's new bank controls. But it appears there's a feeling t
Read moreSector movers: Banks bounce back
25th Jan 2010 11:07
Banks are one of the strongest sectors after recovering from a shaky start. Continuing fears over the potential impact of President Obama's new bank controls weighed on the UK sector in early dealings, with additional fears that a new chunk of fund raising could be on the cards to meet tougher new
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