London close: Barclays limits gains after PPI confession
18th Oct 2012 16:44
- Barclays to take another unexpected hit from PPI claims - Chinese data boosts miners - Markets cautious before EU summit After swinging between gains and losses for most of the session, UK stocks finished flat on Thursday despite some robust growth figures from China, as some worse-than-expected
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Go-ahead tops risers after strong Q1 trading
18th Oct 2012 15:48
Transport group Go-Ahead rose after it said that trading in the first quarter has been strong as it announced a new ambitious target for profit growth in its bus division. The company reckons bus operating profit should be £100m by 2015/16, compared with the £64-70m range over the past five years.
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks flat but BP gains after Rosneft deal
18th Oct 2012 11:39
- BP gains after Rosneft offer - Markets cautious ahead of EU summit - Chinese economic data impresses The Footsie was trading within a narrow range of just 22 points on Thursday morning as investors showed caution ahead of the upcoming EU summit in Brussels this afternoon. The UK benchmark was f
Read moreBroker tips: Go-Ahead, Booker, Mothercare
18th Oct 2012 11:13
Jefferies has maintained its 'hold' rating and 1,220p target price for transport group Go-Ahead, saying that while the new target for bus profits should be well-received, there is still some uncertainty surrounding rail franchises. Go-Ahead said that bus operating profit should grow to £100m by 201
Read moreBroker snap: Makro addition will enhance Booker's growth
18th Oct 2012 11:02
Panmure Gordon has retained its 'buy' rating for cash and carry chain Booker after the firm's better-than-anticipated interim results and synergies expected from the Makro deal. First-half sales rose 3.3% with non-tobacco sales up 4.2% and tobacco sales up 2.0%. Meanwhile, pre-tax profits (before p
Read moreThursday broker round-up - UPDATE
18th Oct 2012 09:24
Ashtead: UBS raises target from 375p to 400p, buy rating kept. ASOS: Panmure Gordon keeps buy rating and 2,530p target. AZ Electronic Materials: Goldman Sachs upgrades to conviction buy. Booker: Panmure Gordon keeps buy rating and 108p target. Britvic: Panmure Gordon keeps hold rating and 380p t
Read moreLondon open: Stocks flat ahead of EU summit
18th Oct 2012 08:34
- Markets await EU summit - Chinese data points to stabilisation - EVRAZ and the miners gain early on London's FTSE 100 index opened broadly flat on Thursday morning as investors showed caution ahead of the EU summit in Brussels. Markus Huber from ETX Capital said this morning: "EU leaders are kic
Read moreBooker shrugs off wash-out summer
18th Oct 2012 07:08
The UK's biggest cash and carry chain Booker Group said like-for-like (LFL) sales rose 3.1 per cent for the 24 weeks ended September 14th 2012 as more shoppers chose to shop locally to avoid taking the car. Booker, which supplies corner shops, pubs and restaurants, said group turnover in the second
Read moreLondon close: Losses pared but miners are hit hard
20th Sep 2012 16:31
Losses were pared in the final 90 minutes of trading in London on a day when investors fretted about a slow-down in the global economy. Disappointing Chinese manufacturing data was released overnight, and the news was not good. China´s manufacturing sector Purchasing Manufacturers' Index (PMI) for
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Ocado falls as update misses expectations
20th Sep 2012 15:27
Online grocer Ocado is on offer after an underwhelming trading update. Coming in below expectations, the firm said gross sales increased 9.9 per cent in the 12 weeks to August 5th and that it expects an increase in the rate of sale growth in the fourth quarter. This was the initial reaction frm trad
Read moreLondon midday: Global slow-down fears mash miners
20th Sep 2012 11:58
Miners remain under a cloud after disappointing Chinese manufacturing data was released overnight, but there was some cheer on the home front, as retail sales fell by less than feared in August. UK retail sales fell by 0.2% in August, slightly less than the 0.3% fall expected by economists. In year
Read moreBooker reports good growth, boosted by tobacco sales
20th Sep 2012 07:48
Food and drink wholesale group Booker Group has reported a 4.3 per cent year-on-year rise in total sales in the 12 weeks to September 14th, with non-tobacco sales 3.9 per cent higher, while tobacco sales rose by 5.1 per cent. On a like-for-like basis, total sales rose by 4.4%, non-tobacco sales by
Read moreThursday preview: Olympic distraction to hit retail sales
19th Sep 2012 17:36
UK retail sales data for August will include a 12-day period when the entire nation was apparently glued to the telly watching the Olympics. Market expectations are for sales (including petrol) to have fallen 0.3% in August after rising 0.8% in July. The year-on-year (y/y) gain, however, is expecte
Read moreWeek Ahead: ASOS, Booker, MPC, inflation
14th Sep 2012 11:56
After the recent gloomy trading statement from fashion retailer Next, ASOS shareholders might be a bit apprehensive ahead of the online clothes seller's interim management statement on Wednesday, but Panmure Gordon says not to worry. The broker recently raised its price target for the stock from 21
Read moreBroker tips: HSBC, Rio Tinto, Booker
18th Jul 2012 11:46
Galvan Research has labelled shares of global banking giant HSBC as a 'near-term sell' given the money-laundering issues that have weighed on the stock recently. "HSBC has been forced to swallow a vey large slice of humble pie following the rather damning issues with money laundering," said Andrew
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