London midday: Japan earthquake casts shadow
11th Mar 2011 12:21
The earthquake in Japan is casting a shadow over trading today and the FTSE 100 sits just a few points above 5,800 now. The insurance sector has been hit by worries over the possible effects of the Japan earthquake. Aviva, Legal & General and Prudential are suffering losses. The damage caused by th
Read moreLondon open: Footsie recovers early losses
11th Mar 2011 09:07
London is trying to stage a rally after the rout on Wall Street yesterday over the situation in Libya, sovereign debt in the eurozone and overnight a huge earthquake in Japan. Bus and train group FirstGroup remains on track to hit full-year to earnings and cash targets, but warns it's been a bumpy
Read moreLondon pre-open: Sub-5800 in sight for Footsie
11th Mar 2011 07:37
There is no respite for London as shares look set to continue their retreat as concerns mount over the situation in Libya while worries about sovereign debt in the eurozone have flared up again. City traders predict the blue-chip index will keep its head barely above the 5800 level at the outset, h
Read moreBritish Land FD to step down
11th Mar 2011 07:16
There is to be a new senior number cruncher at property giant British Land after finance director Graham Roberts announced his intention to stand down from the board at the end of June. Roberts spent nine years in the role. His replacement will be the deputy finance director, Lucinda Bell. "Lucind
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: ABF warns on consumer demand
28th Feb 2011 13:53
Associated British Foods is leading the market lower. The British Sugar and Primark owner says that its interim figures will be in line with expectations but it warns of weakening UK consumer demand and rising cotton prices hitting margins. HSBC doubled its profits to over $19bn last year but it
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Miners lead the fall
23rd Feb 2011 14:20
Declining metals prices have pushed Antofagasta, Xstrata and Fresnillo lower. Consumer packaging giant Rexam has been hit by profit-taking even though it grew underlying profit by a bigger than expected 45% in 2010 and expects further progress this year. Profit before tax and exceptional items jum
Read moreLondon close: FTSE 100 shrugs off mining weakness
16th Feb 2011 16:47
The top share index retained its strength to close with good gains, in spite of weakness in the mining sector. Rocketing commodity prices meant record profits for BHP Billiton in the first half, bankrolling a huge investment programme and share buyback scheme, but the shares still fell. Profit a
Read moreLondon afternoon: Stocks consolidate gains
16th Feb 2011 14:20
Footsie finished the lunchtime session barely changed from where it started it after an attempt to extend gains fizzled out. Rocketing commodity prices meant record profits for BHP Billiton in the first half, bankrolling a huge investment programme and share buyback scheme. Still, the shares are
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: BHP falls after bumper figures
16th Feb 2011 12:52
Rocketing commodity prices meant record interim profits for BHP Billiton plus a huge investment programme and share buyback scheme but the share price still fell. Profit attributable to shareholders jumped 72% to US$10.5bn (£6.5bn) on revenue up 39% to $34.2bn. The group announced an ambitious inv
Read moreWednesday tips round-up: British Land, Premier Foods, Micro Focus...
16th Feb 2011 06:38
More good news from British Land, with third-quarter results that had analysts gushing. The property company showed underlying portfolio growth of 2.3% (to £9.3bn) in the third quarter, comfortably ahead of the 1.2% and the 1.4% in the first and second quarters respectively. The shares are trading
Read moreLondon close: Late rally not enough
15th Feb 2011 16:44
Weakness in the US sent shares into the red and a slight rally in late trading failed to lift the FTSE 100 into positive territory. US retail sales were up 0.3% in January, according to the Commerce Department, though they'd risen 0.5% the month before and were expected to do the same this time. Ex
Read moreBroker tips: British Land, IHG, Ashtead
15th Feb 2011 14:55
British Land continued to enjoy its period of continued outperformance at the end of 2010 driven by both income and capital growth, according to broker Panmure Gordon. The real estate investment trust reported a third quarter (Nov - Dec) pre-tax profit of £64m, slightly below the broker's estimate
Read moreLondon afternoon: US retail sales setback
15th Feb 2011 14:30
Footsie moved into the red over the lunch time session after the release of disappointing US retail sales figures. US retail sales were up 0.3% in January, according to the Commerce Department, though they'd risen 0.5% the month before and were expected to do the same this time. Excluding autos,
Read moreBroker snap: British Land continues strong growth
15th Feb 2011 14:03
British Land continued to enjoy its period of continued outperformance at the end of 2010 driven by both income and capital growth, according to broker Panmure Gordon. The real estate investment trust reported a third quarter (Nov - Dec) pre-tax profit of £64m, slightly below the broker's estimate
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Barclays leads risers
15th Feb 2011 13:57
There was a positive reaction to Barclays' results and Lloyds and RBS have risen in sympathy. The bank has cut its staff bonuses by 7% even though profits jumped by a better than expected 32% as bad debt charges tumbled everywhere except Spain. Real estate investment trust British Land grew underl
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