FTSE 100 movers: M&S leads risers on Qatar rumours
18th Mar 2013 15:43
Takeover speculation at M&S stepped up a gear this weekend with Qatar's sovereign wealth fund thought to be mulling a bid for the High Street giant worth eight billion pounds. According to the Sunday Times, the Qatar Investment Authority is said to be assembling a consortium of private-equity invest
Read moreLondon midday: Banks, miners drop after controversial bailout deal in Cyprus
18th Mar 2013 11:44
Markets were in risk-off mode on Monday morning as fears over the Eurozone debt crisis resurfaced after a deal to bail out Cyprus sparked a run on banks across the country. Banks and miners were bearing the brunt of the sell-off in London after Cyprus' €10bn bailout deal with the Troika - a move in
Read moreBroker snap: Nomura prefers HSBC and StanChart among UK banks
18th Mar 2013 11:03
Nomura has reviewed its ratings in the UK banking sector, reiterating its preference for emerging markets-focused lenders HSBC and Standard Chartered, both rated 'buy'. The broker said it continues to have a "defensive/growth bias" within the sector and believes that both HSBC and StanChart are "we
Read moreLondon open: Fears of Cypriot bank run sink stocks after bailout deal
18th Mar 2013 08:27
Fears of a bank run in Cyprus and contagion across the wider Eurozone sparked a mass sell-off on European stock markets on Monday, as the Eurozone debt crisis rears its ugly head once again. Analysts at UniCredit said in their morning note to clients that markets would be in a "risk-off mood" today
Read moreThursday broker round-up UPDATE
14th Mar 2013 07:11
Amara Mining: After having been under review, Cantor Fitzgerald reinitiates coverage with a price target of 81p and a buy recommendation. Antofagasta: Citigroup shifts target price from 990p to 1000p, but retains its sell recommendation. Ashtead Group: Investec raises target price from 475p to 700
Read moreLondon close: FTSE 100 breaches 6,500 despite mixed data
11th Mar 2013 16:30
The FTSE 100 breached the psychological barrier of 6,500 on Monday afternoon, hitting fresh five-year highs, though gains were only slight given a barrage of mixed economic data released earlier in the session. The fact that a number of benchmark indices around the globe are trading at (or close to
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Banks decline on calls for operations to be divided
11th Mar 2013 15:09
Barclays and RBS were both in the biggest fallers after the Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards called for British banks to be forced to divide its routine retail operations from investment operations. The panel is looking for ways to bring about banking reform as part of the Banking Refor
Read moreLondon close: Markets cement gains after strong US jobs data
8th Mar 2013 16:56
The FTSE 100 registered its highest closing price in over five years on Friday after a key indicator of the US labour market smashed expectations. However, the figures failed to give stocks a boost in afternoon trade as investors pondered whether the data is strong enough to prompt the Federal Rese
Read moreSector movers: Barclays, HSBC lead banks higher
8th Mar 2013 15:50
Strong economic data from the States pushed markets higher on Friday, with the banks benefitting from the bullish mood. UK banking heavyweights Barclays and HSBC were among the best performers on the FTSE 100 in afternoon trade. Barclays hit the headlines on Thursday night after its Chief Executiv
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Evraz rises on hopes of greater demand from Asia
8th Mar 2013 15:15
Evraz rose into the top spot as the prospects of greater demand from Asia looked up, boosted by the release of a sharp upwards revision to Japanese growth estimates for the last three months of 2012. Shares in financial companies were also making decent gains in early trading as risk appetite incr
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks rise as market prices in strong US jobs data
8th Mar 2013 11:36
Markets maintained their positive bias on Friday morning as traders showed confidence ahead of a key reading of labour-market strength in the US later on, the February employment report. Increased risk appetite in London meant that financial stocks were leading the way higher today. Expectations r
Read moreLondon open: Risk appetite increases ahead of US jobs report
8th Mar 2013 08:25
The FTSE 100 was firmly in positive territory on Friday morning ahead of the crucial US employment report due out this afternoon, with traders hoping that jobs figures could beat forecasts given the solid economic data seen as of late. The US jobs report, out at 13:30 London time, is expected to gi
Read moreBoE says Funding-for-Lending Scheme will 'take time', as lending falls
4th Mar 2013 10:50
Just 13.8bn pounds was drawn down from the Bank of England (BoE) Funding-for-Lending Scheme (FLS) last year, figured published Monday revealed. The research also showed that net lending to UK households and business by FLS participants fell by £2.4bn during the three month period, compared to a ri
Read moreLondon close: Stocks rebound after upbeat US housing data
27th Feb 2013 17:08
Continuing upbeat data from the US housing sector boosted the FTSE 100 in afternoon trade on Wednesday, as stocks tracked Wall Street indices higher. Stocks sank yesterday (FTSE 100 down 1.3%, Cac 40 down 2.7% and FTSE MIB down 4.9%) in the wake of the Italian elections which revealed growing suppo
Read moreSector movers: UK banks gain despite FSA plan to increase competition
27th Feb 2013 15:46
Banking stocks in London were performing well on Wednesday afternoon, rebounding slightly after a political impasse in Italy hammered markets (especially cyclical stocks) the day before. RBS, Lloyds, Barclays and HSBC were in positive territory despite the news that the Financial Services Authority
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