London open: Political uncertainty in Italy hammers stocks
26th Feb 2013 08:25
Election results in Italy prompted in a sell-off across European stock markets on Tuesday morning after the country was thrown into a political deadlock. The centre-left party led by Pier Luigi Bersani appears to have won the lower house by a narrow margin though the there was an inconclusive vote
Read moreTuesday broker round-up UPDATE
26th Feb 2013 07:27
Andor Technology: Investec shifts target price from 460p to 500p and keeps a buy recommendation. Associated British Foods: Nomura revises target price from 1790p to 1800p, while its neutral rating remains unchanged. Barclays: Espirito Santo raises target price from 346p to 418p and reiterates its
Read moreLondon close: Markets volatile after mixed news on Italian election
25th Feb 2013 17:11
The FTSE 100 saw a volatile end to the trading session on Monday as a number of conflicting news reports emerged from the Italian exit polls. Milan's FTSE MIB index gained as much as 4.0% earlier in the day after it was rumoured that centre-left Pier Luigi Bersani could win a majority in both the l
Read moreSector movers: RBS and Barclays lead banks higher
25th Feb 2013 15:43
Cyclical sectors were performing well on Monday afternoon as stimulus hopes in the US and Japan increased risk appetite. Banks were among the highest risers with strong gains for RBS, Barclays and Standard Chartered helped the sector higher. Domestic lender Royal Bank of Scotland was up 2.9% at 35
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Banks lead the race
25th Feb 2013 14:36
Royal Bank of Scotland topped the FTSE 100 on Monday following reports it was poised to announce a plan to float part of its US business. It comes as the state-backed lender looks for ways to raise capital and restructure ahead of planned reprivatisation. Barclays followed closely behind as minorit
Read moreLondon midday: Banks lift markets higher despite UK downgrade
25th Feb 2013 11:47
The FTSE 100 was making decent gains on Monday morning in spite of Moody's stripping the UK of its prized 'AAA' credit rating, as sentiment was lifted by central-bank stimulus speculation in the US and Japan. Over the last few days, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke showed his commitment to the
Read moreAbsa minority shareholders support Barclays Africa deal, reports say
25th Feb 2013 09:27
Minority shareholders of South Africa's Absa Group reportedly backed a plan to buy the African operations of parent Barclays for 2.1bn dollars in new shares, according to a news report published by Reuters on Monday morning. The news agency reported that the deal, although dilutive to minority shar
Read moreLondon open: Stocks gains as market shrugs off UK downgrade
25th Feb 2013 08:19
Markets managed to shrug off the UK ratings downgrade and some disappointing economic data from China on Monday morning, as stocks advanced on the back of optimism surrounding central-bank stimulus. "Signs from the US and Japan indicate they will continue with their monetary policy for some time ye
Read moreMonday broker round-up UPDATE
25th Feb 2013 07:26
Afren: Canaccord Genuity increases target price from 160p to 200p and reiterates a buy recommendation. Antofagasta: Bank of America upgrades to buy with a target price of 1400p. Ashmore Group: Espirito Santo shifts target price from 364p to 368p and maintains a neutral rating. ASOS: Deutsche Bank
Read moreBroker tips: Barclays, Lloyds, Chariot Oil&Gas
22nd Feb 2013 12:38
Investec analysts on Friday retained a 'sell' recommendation for Lloyds Banking Group shares but upgraded Barclays to 'buy.' However, they received two very different reviews from Investec on Friday. Investec told investors to "get back on it" and buy stocks in Barclays as the bank undergoes a mas
Read moreBroker snap: Investec gives differing outlooks on Barclays and Lloyds
22nd Feb 2013 11:05
Investec analysts on Friday retained a 'sell' recommendation for Lloyds Banking Group stocks, but upgraded Barclays to 'buy'. The two UK banks have been making headlines in recent months for alleged financial wrongdoings. Barclays was hit by a string of scandals in relation to LIBOR rigging, whil
Read moreFriday broker round-up UPDATE
22nd Feb 2013 07:12
Antofagasta: RBC upgrades from underperform to outperform. Ashmore Group: Citigroup raises target price from 330p to 355p upgrading to neutral. JP Morgan ups target price from 361p to 413p and maintains a neutral rating. Babcock International: Citigroup revises target price from 965p to 1185p and
Read moreLondon close: Stocks gain as BoE divided on QE
20th Feb 2013 16:40
Gains were trimmed by the close of trade on Wednesday as heavy falls in the insurance and mining sectors partially offset earlier optimism about further stimulus from the Bank of England (BoE). RSA Insurance was leading the fallers on the FTSE 100 after a surprise cut to its dividend, while preciou
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie breaches 6,400 on stimulus hopes
20th Feb 2013 11:41
The FTSE 100 hit a fresh five-year high in morning trade on Wednesday morning on the back of hopes for further stimulus from the Bank of England, as minutes of the latest rate-setting meeting showed that more policy-makers voted for further asset purchases. London's benchmark index hit an intraday
Read moreBroker tips: Barclays, RSA, Compass
20th Feb 2013 11:08
After a strong performance over the last few months, Barclays has now been removed from Goldman Sachs' Pan-European 'buy' list and is now rated 'neutral' by the US investment banks. The broker said that following Barclay's strategic review announced earlier this month, the risk/reward in the shares
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