London midday: Waiting for US jobs data
8th Jan 2010 11:58
The market remains in wait-and-see mode ahead of the release of the change in US non-farm payrolls at 1:30pm. The December figure could be significant in that some economists are expecting it to show the trend for job losses evident since December 2007 has finally ended. Back in the UK leading sha
Read moreLondon close: Footsie flatlines
7th Jan 2010 16:46
A late afternoon rally fizzled out to leave London's blue chip index little changed on the day. Banks emerged from a sticky start as the day's best performers led by Barclays and Lloyds Bank, which both received decent write-ups in an otherwise cautious broker note from Keefe, Bruyette & Woods. It
Read moreLondon afternoon: Banks defy broker gloom
7th Jan 2010 14:27
Leading shares are mixed, with the Footsie barely changed now miners have recovered from a weak showing in the morning session to show gains in the afternoon. Kazakhmys and Fresnillo lead the mining sector but their gains are surpassed by two stocks from the banking sector where Barclays and Lloyds
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Banks mixed, supermarkets higher
7th Jan 2010 13:06
Footsie has hauled itself back into the blue as banks and miners rallied and from a weak start. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods initailly unsettled the bank sector with comments that European banks are 'growing nowhere fast', and has downgraded the sector to 'neutral'. But within that broad sector view i
Read moreLondon close: Strong run continues
5th Jan 2010 16:40
Strength in the financial sector helped Footsie continue its strong start to 2009, closing near its highest levels in more than a year. RBS added to yesterday's stellar gains and is joined higher by fellow banks Barclays and Lloyds. The latter pair have been selected by Deutsche Bank as the best t
Read moreLondon afternoon: Cadbury melts as Nestle withdraws
5th Jan 2010 14:26
The Footsie moved sideways over the lunch time session, with strength in financials and miners continuing to offset weakness among retailers. RBS adds to yesterday's stellar gains and is joined higher by fellow banks Barclays and Lloyds. The latter pair have been selected by Deutsche Bank as the b
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: RBS still climbing
5th Jan 2010 13:11
RBS adds to the strong gains it posted yesterday, and is the best performer in the FTSE 100. Barclays is another riser, boosted by comments from Deutsche Bank, which says the bank offers both growth and recovery potential. Also among today's big gainers is the hedge fund manager Man Group, which
Read moreSector movers: Next caution holds back retailers
5th Jan 2010 12:37
Retailers are on the back foot after Next kicked off the stream of Christmas trading updates by increasing full-year profit forecasts but saying it was cautious on prospects for 2010. Next's fellow clothing retailer Marks & Spencer, which is due to update tomorrow, is another faller. Other notable
Read moreLondon midday: Banks buoy Footsie
5th Jan 2010 12:18
Strength in financial stocks is helping Footsie offset declines in the retail sector. RBS adds to yesterday's stellar gains and is joined higher by fellow banks Barclays and Lloyds. Also among today's big gainers is the hedge fund manager Man Group, which has benefited from some upbeat coverage fr
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Miners buoyed by China talk
24th Dec 2009 11:13
Miners continue to drive Footsie higher, with silver miner Fresnillo leading the sector higher today. Reports yesterday quoted Chinese sources as saying that it could start to increase its imports of commodities for its strategic reserves at an "appropriate" time. This was taken as a signal China
Read moreThursday newspaper round-up: Fullers, Foxtons, Mama
24th Dec 2009 06:40
Foxtons is to appeal against a High Court ruling that millions of pounds of fees it has charged landlords are unfair, after the banks' overdraft charges victory gave the estate agent hope that it could win a renewed legal battle against the Office of Fair Trading. The decision to appeal means that
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Miners on the march
23rd Dec 2009 12:27
Miners are among the top risers, including Rio Tinto, which has accepted a $2.025bn offer for its Alcan Packaging pharmaceutical, tobacco and food divisions from the packaging group Amcor as it continues its programme of asset sales to ease its debt pile. Kazakh pair ENRC and Kazakhmys are the top
Read moreOFT drops action on bank charges
22nd Dec 2009 07:09
The Office of Fair Trading has decided to drop its action to curb bank charges after last month's ruling by the Supreme Court in favour of the banks. 'The Supreme Court judgment was not the outcome we had hoped for and was disappointing for many bank customers. Having now considered in detail all t
Read moreLondon Close: Footsie posts strong gain
21st Dec 2009 16:54
Footsie ended the day almost 2% higher after a strong performance throughout the day. The positive opening of Wall Street gave a further boost later in the afternoon. The Dow has jumped over 100 points helped by optimism that the $800bn plus Health Care Bill could get approved sooner rather than l
Read moreLondon afternoon: Dow gains lift Footsie
21st Dec 2009 14:47
Footsie is pushing forward following a strong start on Wall St fuelled by weakness in the dollar and related gains for the miners. The Dow has jumped over 80 points helped by optimism that the $800bn plus Health Care Bill could get approved sooner rather than later. Over here, Cairn Energy is sti
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