London open: ABF and Fresnillo buck the downward trend
14th Jul 2011 08:29
Stocks have taken a dive following a swoon on Wall Street last night, with worries over the Eurozone crisis continuing to cast a shadow. In the latest twist in that saga, ratings agency Fitch lowered its rating on Greece's long-term debt to CCC. Turning to stocks, Associated British Foods is bucki
Read moreLondon pre-open: Sharp falls expected
14th Jul 2011 07:46
London's blue-chip shares are set to open sharply lower, with traders taking note of the late swoon on Wall Street yesterday which saw early gains pared. City traders think the Footsie will open around 50 points down from last night's close of 5,906. House builder Barratt Developments confirmed it
Read moreBarratt expects profit before tax of £40m
14th Jul 2011 07:03
Barratt Developments wrapped up the season of trading updates from house builders by giving thanks to the London market, as conditions outside of the nation's capital continue to remain challenging in some areas. The group confirmed its return to profitability in the year, and expects to deliver a
Read moreThursday preview: Opinions divided on Barratt Developments
13th Jul 2011 16:10
House builder Barratt Developments issues a pre-close period trading update on Thursday ahead of its preliminary results, which are due for release on 14 September. Panmure Gordon is expecting the company to report "a robust performance during 2011 from both a pricing and completions point of view,
Read moreLondon close: Stocks finish higher despite retreat
24th Jun 2011 16:47
Stocks gave up most of their early gains as economic worries resurfaced, but the top share index still closed in positive territory. Some observers attribute this resilience to comments from Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao that may be pointing towards a quicker end than previously expected to tightening
Read moreLondon midday: Gains fade as Bank warns on risks
24th Jun 2011 12:01
Shares are still going well after a strong start but have given up some of their earlier gains as nerves linger over the eurozone situation. With Greece and the European Union settled on the contents of the austerity package to be put before the Greek parliament next week, hopes have risen that th
Read moreLondon open: Sharp gains for Footsie as Greek fears ease
24th Jun 2011 08:42
The Footsie registered sharp gains in early trading, after last night's reports from Greece buoyed sentiment in London. The FTSE 100 opened up 68 higher at 5,742 on Friday morning. With Greece and the European Union settled on the contents of the austerity package to be put before the Greek parliam
Read moreBroker tips: Barratt, Majestic, Tarsus
13th Jun 2011 12:58
There's still further to go in Barratt Developments' share price, claims Panmure Gordon, which raises its target price on the stock to 158p, from 147p. Despite a strong rally in the share price over the last half year, the broker said that the housebuilder remains its key sector pick and keeps its
Read moreBroker snap: Barratt remains sector pick, says Panmure Gordon
13th Jun 2011 12:25
There's still further to go in Barratt Developments' share price, claims Panmure Gordon, which raises its target price on the stock to 158p, from 147p. Despite a strong rally in the share price over the last half year, the broker said that the housebuilder remains its key sector pick and keeps its
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Ocado fails to deliver
11th May 2011 15:25
Online grocery firm Ocado - which has a long-term delivery deal with Waitrose - has seen its share price drop after it said sales growth in the second quarter has, as expected, been lower than the first as a result of capacity constraints and the higher incidence of holidays. Garfunkel's and Frank
Read moreBarratt refinances, sees upswing
11th May 2011 14:54
House builder Barratt Developments is enjoying 2011 a lot more than it did 2010, with sales rates turning to more normal levels and selling prices on the up. "We are encouraged by the improvement in market conditions we've seen since the start of 2011, following a challenging autumn period," said M
Read moreLondon close: Miners push Footsie higher
23rd Mar 2011 17:19
Footsie ended the day close to its high point though that was largely due to the strength of mining stocks rather than a rapturous reception to the UK Budget. What did get a rapturous reception, at least for a while, was the news that the voting by the Monetary Policy Committee in March on interest
Read moreLondon afternoon: Housebuilders get Budget boost
23rd Mar 2011 15:00
It would appear that the UK Budget was far from a blockbuster as the market has reacted phlegmatically to the Chancellor's big day. The headline grabbing move was the commitment to effectively abolish National Insurance and push up income tax to compensate, but this will not take effect for some t
Read moreSunday tips round-up: Barratt Developments, RSA, Greene King...
27th Feb 2011 11:59
There is no doubt that the UK housing market is in trouble. However, an investment in Barratt Developments is not a play on a recovery in the market - it is based on increasing margins. Because the group snapped up land cheaply during the downturn, if prices stay flat then margins will increase. Al
Read moreLondon close: Blue chips rally near close
24th Feb 2011 16:40
Shares rallied near the close despite the ongoing turmoil in Libya as Saudi Arabia indicated it would boost production to meet any shortfall caused by the unrest. Libya only produces about 2% of global output, but traders are worried the turmoil could spread to bigger oil producers, such as Algeri
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