London afternoon: Hard going for Footsie
1st Mar 2011 14:53
It's proving a struggle in London with not long to go until the close, as Wall Street fails to inject much excitement and miners either see gains trimmed or disappear completely. Aerospace and vehicles engineer GKN has few friends. It bounced back into the black last year as all divisions bar aeros
Read moreTuesday tips round-up: HSBC, Senior, Bloomsbury...
1st Mar 2011 06:43
HSBC looks like a good hold with a high dividend yield of 3.9% and a forecast price earnings multiple for 2011 of 11.2. It is true that Asia offers fantastic earnings opportunities, but there are cheaper ways to gain that exposure and with European recovery priced so cheaply at the moment - Lloyds
Read moreLondon close: FTSE 100 rally falls short
28th Feb 2011 16:51
The top share index failed to sustain a rally that came on the back of strength in the US and closed a few points lower. A slight easing in the oil price lightened the mood. Crude had edged up in the morning session amid continuing turmoil in Libya and the spread of protests to the Gulf state of Om
Read moreBroker tips: Lloyds Banking, AB Foods, Bunzl
28th Feb 2011 15:28
Japanese broker Nomura is still bullish on Lloyds Banking Group which tomorrow welcomes on board new chief executive António Horta-Osório. Last week's full-year profit was in line with the analysts' expectations, with lower revenues and slightly higher costs offset by a much lower impairment charg
Read moreBroker snap: Upgrades imminent at Bunzl
28th Feb 2011 15:25
Results for 2010 from Bunzl were better than Panmure Gordon had been expecting and the broker thinks the plastic disposables specialist will enjoy another good year this time round. Profits before tax of £276.2m were comfortably ahead of Panmure Gordon's projection of £268.8m, largely because the b
Read moreLondon afternoon: Footsie waxes as oil price wanes
28th Feb 2011 14:29
Shares staged a recovery over lunch, boosted by indications of a firmer start on Wall Street and a weakening of the oil price. Oil prices had edged up in the morning session amid continuing turmoil in Libya and the spread of protests to the Gulf state of Oman. Brent crude for April delivery was abo
Read moreLondon midday: Shares stuck lower
28th Feb 2011 12:05
Shares remain under pressure as the turmoil continues in the Arab world. Company updates have also been given a slightly frosty reception. Oil prices have edged up again amid continuing turmoil in Libya and the spread of protests to the Gulf state of Oman. Brent crude for April delivery was above $
Read moreLondon open: Oil worries hit blue chips
28th Feb 2011 09:02
London has opened lower on fears of unrest contagion in the Middle East and the possible impact that will have on global oil supplies. A cautious trading update from AB Foods and poorly received results from HSBC have added to the poor start. HSBC doubled its profits to over $19bn last year as bad
Read moreBunzl looks for more deals
28th Feb 2011 07:21
Plastics disposables giant Bunzl is to continue with its acquisition spree despite some concerns over the health of the global economy. Bunzl made nine acquisitions last year, costing £126m and adding £154m in annualised revenue. Revenue overall increased by 4%, from £4.65bn to £4.83bn, in 2010. Un
Read moreLondon close: Highest finish for FTSE 100 since 2008
14th Dec 2010 16:38
London's leading share index finished at its highest closing level in more than two years as buoyancy in the US helped shake Footsie out of its early sluggishness. Better than expected retail sales in the world's biggest economy in November heartened traders. Here, it was company updates that sen
Read moreLondon afternoon: Shares clinging on after US open
14th Dec 2010 15:26
Shares have crept higher after a decent start on Wall Street, but the gains are modest amid a mixed reception for company updates. Whitbread, the company behind Costa Coffee and the Premier Inn hotel chain, posted another strong set of numbers though there were a few signs of weakness and the share
Read moreLondon midday: Shares little changed
14th Dec 2010 12:01
Company updates have given investors plenty to mull over today, but shares are little changed overall. Whitbread, the company behind Costa Coffee and the Premier Inn hotel chain, posted another strong set of numbers though there were a few signs of weakness and the shares have fallen. Another boo
Read moreBunzl growth picks up
14th Dec 2010 07:39
Bunzl has seen a slight improvement in its second half growth rate compared to the first half of 2010. The distributor of a whole range of disposables expects group revenue growth for the year to be between 3% and 4% driven by underlying revenue growth and the positive impact from acquisitions and
Read moreThursday tips round-up: Sports Direct, Eddie Stobart, Bunzl
21st Oct 2010 06:49
Sportswear retailing has long had something of a Wild West reputation, marred as it is by feuds, backbiting and the odd run-in with the law. Tuesday's announcement by the Serious Fraud Office that it was no longer pursuing a cartel inquiry against Sports Direct and JJB Sports may go some way to salv
Read moreG4S's Gibson secures nearly £500,000
20th Oct 2010 16:06
Grahame Gibson, chief operating officer of security group G4S, has sold 180,000 shares at 265.81p each for £478,458. Gibson has been involved in the security industry for 27 years, having joined the group's UK operating company in 1983 as the finance director. Since then, he has held a number of o
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