London close: US jobless data sparks late rally
10th May 2012 16:59
- US jobless claims boost buying late on - BoE keeps interest rates, QE unchanged - Miners shrug off China data as Greek concerns ease London's blue chips rallied in afternoon trade on Thursday after some better-than-expected US economic data and easing concerns about Greece helped to snap a three-
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Barratt Developments up on strong spring season
10th May 2012 15:45
House builder Barratt Developments was in demand after reporting its "strongest spring selling season for five years". Average weekly net private reservations in the period between January 1st to May 6th were 25.3% higher than the previous year, as a result of higher sales rates per site and increas
Read moreLondon midday: Euro concerns weigh on stock, BoE maintains rates
10th May 2012 11:27
- BoE leaves interest rates, QE unchanged - Greece fails to form a coalition...again - Reckitt drops after shareholder sale Stocks were firmly lower by Thursday lunchtime as markets awaited a policy rate decision from the Bank of England. Concerns over the political uncertainty in Greece eased slig
Read moreLondon open: Stocks rise as euro concerns ease
10th May 2012 08:39
- Greek, Spanish worries ease - Markets await MPC decision, small chance of more QE - ENRC up after Q3 update, Legal & General wanted after CEO shake-up The FTSE 100 rose in early trading on Thursday following a two-day steep drop as concerns over the political situation in Greece eased somewhat.
Read moreStrong spring for Barratt as reservations surge
10th May 2012 08:05
House builder Barratt Developments has hailed an 'improved performance' in the third quarter as it benefitted from a strong spring selling season. Average weekly net private reservations in the period between January 1st to May 6th were 25.3% higher than the previous year, as a result of higher sal
Read moreThursday preview: Small chance of more QE
9th May 2012 16:49
The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is widely expected to leave its interest rates and asset purchase policies unchanged on Thursday. While it is generally accepted that, despite the difficulty the UK is having stuffing the inflation genie back into the bottle, the MPC will not wa
Read moreLondon close: Stocks surge on improving global outlook
13th Mar 2012 16:48
- FTSE 100 at highest levels since last summer - Markets await FOMC, words from Bernanke - Draghi sees signs of 'stabilisation' The Footsie finished at an eight-month high on Tuesday, up a whole percentage point on the day, as financial stocks made gains on the back of an improving global economic
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks extends gains after ZEW survey
13th Mar 2012 11:46
- German ZEW reaches highest level in over a year - Spain to accept Eurogroup's fiscal consolidation request - Miners, banks lead the rise on the Footsie Stocks were extending gains by lunchtime after a German confidence survey smashed expectations. Meanwhile, US stock futures are pointing to a pos
Read moreTuesday tips round-up: Catlin, Bovis, Barratt...
13th Mar 2012 06:59
Insurance firm Catlin has had a pretty tough year according to Questor in the Telegraph. Its "combined ratio"of 102.6% is not good news as the metric is a measure of profitability for insurers, with anything above 100% implying losses from the core underwriting business. But Questor thinks if Catl
Read moreMonday broker round-up
12th Mar 2012 09:51
Aggreko: UBS ups target from 2,400p to 2,500p, buy rating unchanged. AMEC: Societe Generale upgrades from hold to buy, target hiked from 950p to 1,320p. Antofagasta: Oriel Securities downgrades from add to hold, target cut from 1,294p to 1,258p. Ark Therapeutics: Collins Stewart keeps buy recomme
Read moreLondon open: Stocks flat after Chinese data
12th Mar 2012 08:34
- China in net deficit in January and February combined - Glencore eyeing up Viterra - Temenos drops out of the running for Misys The Footsie opened flat on Monday after some disappointing economic data from China was weighing on financials and resource stocks. Chinese economic indicators out over
Read moreSector movers: Persimmon cements gains for house-builders
28th Feb 2012 16:27
A 13% surge in the stock price of Persimmon boosted the household goods and home construction higher on Tuesday. While house-builder Persimmon's results appeared to be broadly in line with expectations, shares soared on news of a cash return worth £1.9bn over the next nine and a half years, somethi
Read moreThursday broker round-up - UPDATE
23rd Feb 2012 08:31
Bodycote: Credit Suisse raises price target on Bodycote to 380p from 350p. Royal Bank of Scotland: Nomura keeps reduce rating and 26p target. British American Tobacco: Nomura maintains buy rating and 3,320p target. RSA Insurance: Nomura reiterates buy rating and 148p target. Anglo American: Alp
Read moreWednesday broker round-up - UPDATE
22nd Feb 2012 09:32
Vodafone: Credit Suisse cuts target from 175p to 170p, outperform rating kept. Vedanta Resources: Credit Suisse maintains neutral rating and 1,400p target. AMEC: UBS raises target from 1,225p to 1,325p, buy rating unchanged; Nomura raises target from 1,130p to 1,240p, buy rating unchanged. HSBC:
Read moreBarratt beats profit forecasts in the first half
22nd Feb 2012 07:18
House builder Barratt Developments swung into the blue in the first six months of the year and said that the second half has started strongly with a substantial increase in private reservations. Pre-tax profit in the first half ended December 31st jumped to £21.6m, compared with a loss of £4.6m the
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