Friday newspaper round-up: Royal Bank of Scotland, Barclays, Twitter
7th Aug 2009 06:14
The Government made a £1bn paper profit on its 70% stake in Royal Bank of Scotland yesterday on growing optimism that the lender will follow Lloyds today in predicting that the worst is over for the economy. But RBS, the UK's biggest bank in balance-sheet terms, is likely to adopt a more cautious
Read moreLondon close: Financials spark good gains
6th Aug 2009 16:22
Footsie fell back in the afternoon session after the Bank of England increased its quantitative easing programme, but still finished healthily in the blue. Banks continued to rise with Royal Bank of Scotland, Lloyds Banking and Barclays all up. RBS reports its interim figures tomorrow. It is being
Read moreLondon afternoon: Footsie eases back from day's highs
6th Aug 2009 14:35
Footsie fallen back in the wake of the £50bn increase to £175bn in the Bank of England's quantitative easing programme. Interest rates, as expected, remained on hold at 0.5%. Banks continue to rise with Royal Bank of Scotland, Lloyds Banking and Barclays all up. RBS reports its interim figures tomo
Read moreSector movers: Banks dominate
6th Aug 2009 13:29
This week's well-received results from Lloyds, Barclays and HSBC continue to keep buyers active. All three are sharply higher Thursday, sending Banks to the top of the tree. Royal Bank of Scotland is also better ahead of tomorrow's interim results. Unilever has given Food Producers & Processors a
Read moreLondon midday: QE increase boosts Footsie
6th Aug 2009 12:13
Footsie has reacted calmly to a surprise £50bn increase to £175bn in the Bank of England's quantitative easing programme. Interest rates, as expected, remained on hold at 0.5%. Insurer Aviva is the best performer and leads a life sector rally despite a 31% cut in the interim dividend. A plan for a
Read moreLondon open: Stocks surge ahead
6th Aug 2009 08:53
London's top stocks charge off the blocks as financials set a fast pace in early deals. Insurer Aviva is the main riser after it cut interim dividend by 31% and announced plans for a partial IPO of its Dutch business. IFRS operating profit fell to £1.05bn for the six months ended 30 June 2009 from
Read moreTuesday newspaper round-up: Royal Bank of Scotland, Barclays, BHP Billiton
4th Aug 2009 06:15
ANZ will buy Royal Bank of Scotland's operations in six Asian countries for US$550m (A$687m). ANZ will buy RBS's retail, wealth management and commercial businesses in Taiwan, Singapore, Indonesia and Hong Kong, as well as the UK bank's institutional banking businesses in Taiwan, the Philippines a
Read moreLondon close: Footsie ends at 10-month high
3rd Aug 2009 16:16
Blue chips closed at their highest since early October as investors piled into heavyweight miners and the big banks, although the index failed to hold above 4,700. Oil services specialist Petrofac was in pole position after UBS upgraded the shares to 'buy' and its target price to £10. Crude prices
Read moreLondon afternoon: Banks dominate as Footsie rises
3rd Aug 2009 14:50
Footsie is still well in the blue with HSBC and Barclays leading the way and a decent start on Wall Street helping the mood. HSBC posted a profit before tax of $5bn during the period, down from $10.2bn a year ago, but just ahead of forecasts. It said it is 'pleased' with the results. Barclays deli
Read moreSector movers: Bank results impress market
3rd Aug 2009 13:19
Well-received results from Barclays and HSBC help lift the banking sector higher. Barclays shares shot up after it posted half-year profits of £3bn, despite an 86% rise in impairment charges, as profits at its investment banking division doubled. Pre-tax profit more than halved at HSBC in the firs
Read moreLondon midday: Bank results send Footsie soaring
3rd Aug 2009 11:59
Footsie is posting big gains on the back HSBC and Barclays results, with an upward move from the miners on higher metal prices also helping the mood. HSBC posted a profit before tax of $5bn during the period, down from $10.2bn a year ago, but just ahead of forecasts. It said it is 'pleased' with th
Read moreUpdate: Barclays jumps after posting £3bn profit
3rd Aug 2009 11:38
Barclays shares shot up after it posted half-year profits of £3bn, despite an 86% rise in impairment charges, as profits at its investment banking division doubled. Bob Diamond, president of Barclays and head of the investment bank Barclays Capital, said the record profits made at BarCap were "sus
Read moreTechnical Analysis Snap: Barclays results push shares higher
3rd Aug 2009 08:53
Shares in Barclays have rallied after the bank delivered profits of £3bn for the first half of 2009, an increase of 8% on last year, although slightly under analyst expectations. There was also an increase in income, not surprising given their takeover of Lehman's business, up 37%. The shares, a
Read moreLondon open: Footsie makes good progress
3rd Aug 2009 08:42
Footsie has made good progress in early dealings helped by Barclays' first half results and more gains for the miners. Barclays delivered profits of £3bn for the first half, an increase of 8% against the same period last year, despite £4.6bn of gross losses on credit market exposures and £3.3bn of
Read moreLondon pre-open: Early gains expected
3rd Aug 2009 07:38
Footsie is expected to post moderate gains in early dealings as Barclays kicks off a round of banking results Barclays delivered profits of £3bn for the first half, an increase of 8% against the same period last year, despite £4.6bn of gross losses on credit market exposures and £3.3bn of other imp
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