BoE says size of investment banks leaves them vulnerable to risks
9th Mar 2015 16:53
With trading assets of 10 of the largest investment banks in the UK summing to more than £5trn, the sheer scale of these operations means that liquidity in financial markets can be vulnerable to the failure of a single firm. That was the message of the Bank of England's (BoE) latest quarterly bullet
Read moreMonday broker round-up
9th Mar 2015 11:29
Barclays: Charles Stanley reiterates accumulate. Nomura stays at buy, ups target to 81p from 78p. Lloyds: Investec reiterates buy and 85p target price. RSA: Credit Suisse reiterates outperform recommendation and hikes target to 525p from 475p. Goldman downgrades to sell from neutral. ARM Holdings:
Read moreMonday newspaper round-up: Euribor probe, Greece, Tesco
9th Mar 2015 06:50
Former traders from Barclays and Deutsche Bank will be interviewed by UK fraud investigators in an ongoing criminal probe into the alleged rigging of Euribor, writes the Financial Times. "The move raises the prospect for the banks that investigations into alleged manipulation of interbank rates will
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: ITV soars after beating 2014 forecasts, Fresnillo plunge on weak profits
4th Mar 2015 15:11
ITV topped the risers after the strongest advertising performance in five years helped it beat forecasts for 2014, as it hiked its annual dividend 34% and proposed an extra payout for shareholders. Numis Securities upped its rating on the broadcaster and producer from 'add' to 'buy'. Emerging market
Read moreSector movers: StanChart and Barclays give banks a boost
4th Mar 2015 14:53
Decent gains from the likes of Standard Chartered and Barclays drove the UK banking sector higher on Wednesday. Emerging markets-focused lender Standard Chartered was rising 4.3% in afternoon trade despite announcing that adjusted pre-tax profits in 2014 dropped 25% to $5.2bn as operating income fel
Read moreWednesday tips round-up: Barclays, Merlin Entertainments
4th Mar 2015 13:49
Sentiment may have turned on shares of Barclays. The stock has risen 15% over the last six months, outperforming other UK banks and its universal European peers. Hence, the lender's stock now changes hands at 0.8 times book value, versus 0.6 times before. But a vote of confidence from investors woul
Read moreBroker tips: StanChart, Barclays, ITV, Rightmove
4th Mar 2015 11:38
Standard Chartered's annual results missed analysts' forecasts by a long way on Wednesday, though the market gave a warm welcome to the 2014 report with Shore Capital choosing to keep its 'buy' recommendation. Analyst Gary Greenwood said: "The introduction of more aggressive action on costs and capi
Read moreUBS cuts Barclays target price but re-rating still expected
4th Mar 2015 10:41
UBS has trimmed its target price for Barclays from 305p to 295p following the bank's results this week, but kept a 'buy' stance on the stock telling investors to expect a "continued re-rating". The stock's current valuation remains "unchallenging", according to UBS. It said Barclays delivered a mix
Read moreWednesday broker round-up
4th Mar 2015 10:16
Electrocomponents: Peel Hunt takes up to a buy. Pearson: Morgan Stanley keeps at overweight, target reiterated at 1,500p. StanChart: Shore Capital stays at buy. Moneysupermarket: UBS lifts to buy, raises target to 260p from 240p. Rightmove: Citi raises to neutral. Barclays: Deutsche keeps at buy
Read moreLondon close: Mixed data, weak earnings pull FTSE below 6,900
3rd Mar 2015 16:33
A mixed batch of economic data and weak corporate earnings gave investors the excuse to take profits on Tuesday, as markets continued to retreat from their recent record highs. London's FTSE 100, which had started the day in positive territory, swung sharply into the red by mid-morning and extended
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Barclays and Glencore fall after annual results, Taylor Wimpey higher
3rd Mar 2015 13:44
Shares in Barclays fell after the bank set aside a total of £1.25bn for provisions to cover litigation costs related to ongoing probes into mis-selling PPI and rigging foreign exchange rates. The news came as Barclays reported a pre-tax loss of £532m for the fourth quarter. Commodities trader and mi
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks pull back as corporate earnings disappoint
3rd Mar 2015 12:08
After coming close to another record high early on, UK stocks flatlined by Tuesday lunchtime as corporate earnings received a cool reaction from investors. The FTSE 100 was down 0.1% at 6,934.70 by midday, pulling back after reaching a high of 6,963.55 early on as Barclays, Glencore, Ashtead and Tra
Read moreBroker tips: Barclays, Travis Perkins, Intertek, Kingfisher, Consumer staples
3rd Mar 2015 11:51
A handful of brokerages continue to rate Barclays stock as 'buy' despite Tuesday's results from the bank that contain a huge increase in provisions to cover the costs of legal fees relating to scandals. Despite concerns in the market that rising litigation costs could dent the group's profitability
Read moreLondon open: Taylor Wimpey and Ashtead drive markets higher, Barclays falls
3rd Mar 2015 09:11
The FTSE 100 was closing in on another record high on Tuesday morning as impressive German data and gains from Taylor Wimpey and Ashtead helped markets higher. However, upside was limited as Barclays and Travis Perkins underwhelmed with their annual results, while the heavyweight mining sector inche
Read moreLondon pre-open: Positive start expected after record close on Wall Street
3rd Mar 2015 07:50
UK stocks are expected to open with modest gains on Tuesday following a decent performance on Wall Street the night before, as investors watch corporate earnings on a quiet day for economic data. City sources predict the FTSE 100 will open 10 points higher than Monday's close of 6,940.64. Both the
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