London open: Analysts challenge consensus forecasts for Fed and China
29th Jul 2013 08:15
According to the Financial Times European demand for oil is is rising for the first time in two years, possibly indicating increased economic activity. Yet that may not be the only thing which has been on the increase of late. Thus, and for the first time in a quite a bit, investors have awoken on
Read moreMonday newspaper round-up: Barclays, Savills, Publicis
29th Jul 2013 06:50
The Serious Fraud Office is expected to receive significant funding from the UK Treasury to help in its investigation into Barclays' emergency fundraising five years ago, according to the Financial Times. Property consultant Savills said its research shows almost 2,000 stores have in Britain have b
Read moreSunday newspaper round-up: Barclays, Lloyds, GKN
28th Jul 2013 16:28
Barclays could announce a four billion pounds rights issue on July 30th as part of its plan to boost capital, the Financial Times and other papers reported. The bank may also issue hybrid bonds and shrink its balance sheet to meet regulatory demands for a £7bn capital shortfall. The bank reports sec
Read moreThursday newspaper round-up: SFO, Barclays, M&S
25th Jul 2013 06:46
The Serious Fraud Office is set to bring new charges against individuals suspected of LIBOR rigging, its head told The Times. Barclays is nearing a deal with regulators that would see it comply with a new regulatory leverage requirement by December next year, according to the Financial Times. Mar
Read moreBarclays Africa receives regulatory approval for Absa merger
22nd Jul 2013 14:38
Barclays has been given the green light by regulators to merge its African operations with Absa Group. Absa, the South African bank in which Barclays owns a controlling stake, will start trading under Barclays Africa Group in Johannesburg on August 2nd. The deal, announced in December, was approv
Read moreLondon midday: Stock fall with corporate earnings in focus
22nd Jul 2013 11:56
The FTSE 100 has started the week on a dull note, trading with moderate losses on Monday morning as traders turned nervous a busy week for corporate earnings. Markets are in for a "bumpy ride" this week with nearly a third of S&P 500 companies set to report their quarterly earnings, according to Fi
Read moreLondon open: Stocks fall ahead of busy week for earnings
22nd Jul 2013 08:23
The FTSE 100 opened slightly lower on Monday morning as investors turned cautious ahead of a busy week for corporate earnings across the globe. Markets are in for a "bumpy ride" this week with nearly a third of S&P 500 companies set to report their quarterly earnings, according to Financial Sales T
Read moreLondon close: American tech giants weigh on global equities
19th Jul 2013 18:04
London's benchmark index closed at 6,631 on Friday, down by 4 basis points. The S&P 500 and Dow Jones closed at fresh all-time highs last night on the back of positive economic data and a raft of corporate earnings which came in better than expected. After the closing bell however, tech giants Goog
Read moreBroker tips: Banks, Chemring, DCC
19th Jul 2013 11:25
Investec has downgraded its ratings for banking peer HSBC and RBS from 'buy' to 'hold' in separate research reports, reiterating its preference for rival Barclays. The broker pointed out that HSBC has marginally outperformed the FTSE 100 so far this year and now trades within just 4.0% of its 57-mo
Read moreBroker snap: Investec downgrades ratings for HSBC and RBS
19th Jul 2013 10:19
Investec has downgraded its ratings for banking peer HSBC and RBS from 'buy' to 'hold' in separate research reports, reiterating its preference for rival Barclays. HSBC Analyst Ian Gordon said that while HSBC is not overtly expensive, consensus forecasts for the dividend have "now caught up with o
Read moreAbu Dhabi Shiekh sells stake in Barclays
19th Jul 2013 10:12
Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who helped bailout Barclays with a 3.5bn pound investment during the worst of the financial crisis, has sold its stake in the British lender. The Sheikh's PCP Gulf Invest 3 liquidated its 758.4m Barclays shares, which represent 7.0% of the bank, as of
Read moreFriday newspaper round-up: Barclays, FCA, Google
19th Jul 2013 06:52
The Abu Dhabi sheikh who helped bail out Barclays Bank with a 3.5bn pound investment at the height of the financial crisis, has sold his interest in the UK bank, the Financial Times reported. Martin Wheatley, Chief Executive of the Financial Conduct Authority, said he doubts the planned criminal o
Read moreMortgage lending highest since financial meltdown
18th Jul 2013 13:12
Mortgage lending has reached a level not seen since the financial system's near-collapse triggered the global recession. Gross mortgage lending in June rose 2.0% to £15bn, the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) said. Lending was up 26% from a year earlier. The total is the highest since October 200
Read moreThursday tips round-up: Severn Trent, Smiths Group, Barclays
18th Jul 2013 06:36
Severn Trent's stocks have plunged since rebuffing a potential bid by Long River Partners, a consortium led by Borealis Infrastructure Management, which offered £21.25 a share for the group last month. The offer was at a premium of about 28 per cent to the group's regulatory asset base (RAB), which
Read moreBarclays to contest fine for rigging US energy prices
17th Jul 2013 08:35
Barclays says it will contest a fine of 453m dollars levied on the bank and its traders for manipulating energy prices in the US from 2006 to 2008. The record penalty, equal to £298m, outstrips the total of $360m Barclays was fined in the US last year for rigging the inter-bank lending rate. The F
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