London open: Good start for Footsie
29th Dec 2009 08:46
London's top stocks have made a decent start to the week after the extended weekend break, with miners among the top performers. There were good showings elsewhere, with the Nikkei index in Japan hitting a four-month high overnight and the German DAX closing above the 6,000 mark for the first time
Read moreBATS chairman invests £200,000
21st Dec 2009 16:12
Recently appointed British American Tobacco chairman Richard burrows has bought 10,000 shares in the cigarettes supplier. He previously held no shares in the company. His initial investment is just short of £200,000. the shares were acquired for 1,949.35p each. Burrows has a background in the dr
Read moreFamily purchase at BATS
16th Dec 2009 16:09
Dr Gerald Murphy's family interests have acquired 3,000 shares in British American Tobacco. Dr Murphy joined the board of British American Tobacco as a non-executive director on the 13 March. This is the first time he and his family interests have acquired any shares in the tobacco company since he
Read moreSector movers: Oil services stocks move higher
16th Dec 2009 11:09
The oil equipment services and distribution sector is burning bright after well received results from two companies in the sector. Facilities service provider Petrofac expects full year profits to be at least 25% higher than last year. The company has had a good year in the contracts front and sai
Read moreSector movers: Oil firms fall back
30th Nov 2009 12:41
Oil and gas firms have fallen back in spite of a rise in crude prices after the United Arab Emirates' central bank said it would take measures to protect its lenders against any potential default by Dubai World. Crude climbed above $76 in New York, but oil stocks are lower, including giants BP and
Read moreSector movers: Lonmin lifts miners
16th Nov 2009 12:13
A strong performance from the FTSE 100-listed platinum miner Lonmin is driving the mining sector higher. Lonmin reported a pre-tax loss of $272m for the period, compared with a profit of $779m over the same period the previous year, as revenues fell to $1,062m from $2,231m and said it will not pay
Read moreComment: New Imperial boss rolls out her vision
10th Nov 2009 15:12
Alison Cooper, who has been appointed as the new chief executive of the cigarette manufacturer Imperial Tobacco, said she wants the firm to be known for 'sales growth' as well as 'cost control'. But a quick scan through the firm's full year results suggests that its focus on cost control has served
Read moreSector movers: Insurers in demand
9th Nov 2009 13:56
Insurance stocks are going well after a strong performance from German insurer Allianz over the third quarter. Allianz was helped by strong performances from life insurance and asset management and saw operating profit climb by 23%. The best performer in the sector here is Prudential, which may be
Read moreLondon close: Triple-digit losses for FTSE 100
28th Oct 2009 16:26
A poor performance from mining and financial stocks ensured that Footsie ended with triple-digit losses. Insurer Prudential, which saw a surge in US business but posted a fall in UK sales, was a heavy faller. The Pru lifted group-wide retail sales by 10% to £699m in the third quarter thanks largel
Read moreLondon afternoon: Stocks steady at lower levels
28th Oct 2009 14:10
Miners and financials remain a dead weight around Footsie's neck, but elsewhere, leading shares are slowly beginning to claw back losses. Prudential, which saw a surge in US business but posted a fall in UK sales, is still among the heaviest fallers. The Pru lifted group-wide retail sales by 10% to
Read moreLondon midday: Miners join financials on the slide
28th Oct 2009 12:05
Miners have joined financial stocks in the dog house as the Footsie dives below 5200 and threatens to carry on going to sub-5100 levels. With metal prices in retreat miners such as Xstrata, Lonmin and Kazakhmys have muscled aside insurer Prudential in the race to be worst performing Footsie stock.
Read moreLondon open: Shares start down
28th Oct 2009 08:21
London's blue chips have opened lower as investors consider a slew of big corporate announcements and rumours surrounding the British banking sector. The European Commission is expected to approve plans to break up and sell Northern Rock, according to press reports. The Independent is quoting a Br
Read moreLondon pre-open: Drab start expected
28th Oct 2009 07:42
London is set to open moderately lower, though traders will be kept busy analysing a slew of big corporate announcements. BG Group has reported a drop in third quarter pre-tax profit to £838m from £1.53bn a year ago, with nine-month profit down to £3bn from £4.20bn. The oil giant said net income fe
Read moreBAT volume growth slows
28th Oct 2009 07:01
Tobacco firm British American Tobacco said it performed well in the nine months to the end of September, although total volume growth has slowed. Revenue for the nine months grew strongly in constant currency terms, it added, driven by the continued good pricing momentum and volume growth from the
Read moreWednesday preview: Glaxo, BG, BATs
27th Oct 2009 14:56
Drugs giant GlaxoSmithkline should see third quarter revenues come in higher than in the corresponding period of last year, helped by favourable currency fluctuations and a boost from the swine flue epidemic. Charles Stanley is forecasting group revenue of £6.75bn, up from £5.88bn in the third qua
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