Low-income earners to receive pay rise as firms commit to living wage
2nd Nov 2014 14:31
UPDATE: On Monday KPMG released a structural analysis of hourly wages and current trends in household finances. Thousands of low-paid British workers are set to receive a pay rise after 1,000 companies pledged to boycott the minimum wage and pay at least the living wage. Citizens UK created the Li
Read moreLondon close: Stocks end higher after BoE announcement on leverage ratios
31st Oct 2014 16:35
Banking stocks drove the FTSE to a strong finish on Friday after the Bank of England (BoE) unveiled softer-than-expected requirements for banks' leverage ratios and also thanks in part to an unexpected boost to stimulus from the Bank of Japan announced overnight. The top tier closed the day 82.92 po
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Barclays and RBS rise after BoE unveils softer-than-expected requirements for leverage ratios
31st Oct 2014 16:11
Banking stocks, already bolstered by stronger-than-expected quarterly results from RBS, received another big lift on Friday afternoon as the Bank of England unveiled softer-than-expected requirements for leverage ratios. The leverage ratio, a key gauge of a bank's ability to cushion itself against l
Read moreSector movers: Banking stocks surge on leverage ratio rules, RBS results
31st Oct 2014 15:02
Banking stocks, already bolstered by stronger-than-expected quarterly results from RBS, received another big lift on Friday afternoon as the Bank of England unveiled softer-than-expected requirements for leverage ratios. The leverage ratio, a key gauge of a bank's ability to cushion itself against l
Read moreFriday broker round-up UPDATE
31st Oct 2014 09:36
Afren: Deutsche Bank lowers target price from 110p to 105p, leaving its hold recommendation unaltered. Aviva: Barclays ups target price from 397p to 420p and reiterates its equal-weight rating. Barclays: Deutsche Bank lowers target price from 300p to 295p and leaves its buy recommendation. Country
Read moreBroker tips: Shell, Barclays, British Land, St James's Place
30th Oct 2014 12:28
Broker Charles Stanley has lifted its recommendation for Royal Dutch Shell from 'accumulate' to 'buy', saying that the company should be resilient to the recent slump in oil prices. The broker said Shell was "well-placed to improve its returns and deliver its objectives" over the medium term in spit
Read moreLondon midday: Miners, oil stocks drag FTSE lower after hawkish Fed
30th Oct 2014 11:33
Heavy falls in the resource sectors on a stronger dollar ensured that London's stock market was firmly in the red on Tuesday, after the withdrawal of stimulus by the Federal Reserve. Blue chips Shell, Barclays and BT Group were also lower after a poor reaction to their latest results, with the FTSE
Read more'Buy' Barclays after Q3 profit beat, recommends Shore Capital
30th Oct 2014 09:31
Shore Capital has retained its 'buy' rating on shares of Barclays after the UK bank reported third-quarter profits well ahead of the broker's forecasts. Shore analyst Gary Greenwood said that the stock's "depressed valuation" - trading at just 0.77 times tangible net asset value of 287p - "more than
Read moreLondon open: Miners drag UK stocks lower, but Barclays gains
30th Oct 2014 08:34
London's stock exchange opened more or less flat on Thursday as heavy falls from mining stocks and BT offset gains from Barclays and St James's Place. The FTSE 100 was trading 0.1% lower at 6,449 in early deals. The subdued start follows a weak performance on Wall Street overnight as investors reac
Read moreLondon pre-open: Stocks set for modest gain after Fed offers no surprises
30th Oct 2014 07:41
London-listed stocks are set for a modest gain on Thursday morning, after the Federal Reserve surprised no one with its decision to terminate its third round of quantitative easing. City sources predict the FTSE 100 will open around 12 points above Wednesday's close of 6,453.87. The Fed also opted
Read moreBarclays Q3 profits beat expectations as costs slashed - UPDATE
30th Oct 2014 07:10
Barclays unveiled a third-quarter adjusted pre-tax profit well ahead of forecast as it held costs to a five-year quarterly low and made a £670m provision against fines for rigging forex and PPI mis-selling. The bank, which it emerged on Thursday morning has been sued for $10bn in damages by a Saudi
Read moreBarclays sued for $10bn by Saudi businessman
30th Oct 2014 07:04
Barclays acted "corruptly" to further its own interest in Saudi Arabia, according to a businessmen who is suing the bank for $10bn in damages. Sheikh Mohamed Bin Issa Al Jaber, who owns property firms MBI International and Jadawel International, claims that the UK bank "betrayed its duty" by ceasing
Read moreThursday preview: Barclays reports third quarter results
29th Oct 2014 15:52
Barclays will take centre stage on Thursday as it reports its third quarter interims. The UK bank may report an adjusted £1.08mbn pre-tax profit, down from the previous year's £1.65bn, reflecting lower investment banking revenues, according to forecasts by Numis. The group's results come after it p
Read moreSector movers: Standard Chartered, Lloyds drag UK banks lower
28th Oct 2014 13:20
The second profit warning in a year from Standard Chartered and some underwhelming results from Lloyds ensured that the banking sector was the worst-performing segment in London on Tuesday. Shares of Asia-focused StanChart were down 9% in afternoon trade after the bank warned that second-half underl
Read moreLondon open: UK stocks rise, but Lloyds and StanChart fall
28th Oct 2014 08:54
Despite some heavy falls from banking heavyweights Lloyds and Standard Chartered, UK stocks advanced on Tuesday morning as the FTSE 100 rebounded from a one-week low. London's benchmark index was up 0.6% at 6,404 in early deals, helped by decent gains from oil major BP. The Footsie closed at 6,363.
Read more