London midday: Bargain-hunting supports FTSE as stocks rebound from 18-month low
16th Dec 2014 12:17
Following a cautious start, UK stocks pushed into positive territory as investors went hunting for bargains. Shares had fallen to an 18-month low in the previous session. Markets erased earlier losses after UK inflation data showed the rate of increase in consumer prices hit a 12-year low in Novem
Read moreBroker tips: UK banks, BT, Imagination, Gulf Keystone
16th Dec 2014 11:54
Shore Capital has said that the result of the Bank of England's (BoE) stress tests on UK banks was "a bit of a non-event" with all of the listed lenders passing as expected. "Overall, we do not expect the results of the stress test to have a material impact on the share prices of the large UK quoted
Read moreBT paying "hefty" price for EE takeover, says Deutsche Bank
16th Dec 2014 09:13
BT's £12.5bn offer for UK mobile network operator EE was "more expensive than expected", according to Deutsche Bank which kept its 'hold' rating on the telecoms giant. "After some serious speed dating, BT is now going steady with EE which is 50/50 owned by Orange and Deutsche Telekom (DT)," said ana
Read moreLondon open: UK stocks extend slide as Chinese data disappoints
16th Dec 2014 08:20
Yet more disappointing economic data from China pushed UK stocks lower for the seventh straight session on Tuesday, with markets extending losses despite plunging to an 18-month low the previous session. Not even the news that the Bank of England (BoE) has given a clean bill of health to seven out o
Read moreTuesday newspaper round-up: BT/EE, Russian interest rates, Sydney siege..
16th Dec 2014 06:34
BT has rejected a simpler takeover of O2 in favour of exclusive talks to buy Britain's biggest mobile operator, EE, for £12.5bn. However, according to The Telegraph, the combined entity will control "an unrivalled chunk of Britain's mobile airwaves" and the merger is likely to raise regulatory conce
Read moreBT enters exclusive talks with EE over mobile buy
15th Dec 2014 17:12
Telecoms group BT has entered exclusive talks with Deutsche Telekom (DT) and Orange about buying their mobile operation EE for £12.5bn, the company said on Monday. The period of exclusivity will last several weeks, allowing BT to complete its due diligence and for negotiations on a definitive agreem
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Miners sink while oil companies recover slightly
15th Dec 2014 14:48
Anglo-Australian miner BHP Billiton dipped following a downgrade at RBC Capital Markets to 'underperform' from 'sector-perform'. Other mining companies, including Fresnillo, Randgold Resources and Glencore, were also hit by a forecast of an extended period of low iron ore prices, due to over-supply
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks steady ahead of US data
15th Dec 2014 11:15
UK stocks were holding higher ahead of a week full of potential risk events. Significantly, on Sunday Bloomberg reported that Libya was forced to declare "force majeure" at two of its ports, Es Sider and Ras Lanuf, which have a combined capacity to export 560,000 barrels of oil per day. Somewhat ir
Read moreBT may unveil exclusive mobile talks as soon as Monday - report
15th Dec 2014 10:39
UK telecoms group BT could take a step forward in its bid to buy a mobile phone operator on Monday, according to a report. BT may announce exclusive talks with either EE or Telefonica's O2, news agency Bloomberg cited unidentified sources as saying. BT is believed to favour O2, but has continued to
Read moreSunday newspaper round-up: BT, RBS, Tesco
14th Dec 2014 19:45
BT is expected to announce as soon as December 15th whether it plans to buy EE or O2 to reenter the mobile phone market, The Sunday Times reported. The FTSE 100 telecoms company was working on a deal at the weekend with a statement due early in the coming week. BT is thought to favour O2 but could s
Read moreLondon close: FTSE sinks 2.5%, extends weekly decline to 6.6%
12th Dec 2014 16:38
UK stocks plummeted to levels not seen in nearly two months on Friday as weak global economic data and an ongoing sell-off of crude oil hammered market sentiment. The FTSE 100 settled at just 6,300.63 by the end of trade, down an eye-watering 2.5% on the day, with just four constituents on the index
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks tumble as oil prices extend losses, data disappoints
12th Dec 2014 11:36
Weaker-than-expected data from across the globe and a continued plunge in oil prices meant that there was no let-up in the sell-off for UK equity markets on Friday. Stocks were falling for the fifth day straight, with shares in the oil and gas sector faring the worst. London's FTSE 100 was down a s
Read moreLondon open: Sell-off continues as UK resource stocks tank
12th Dec 2014 08:42
The dramatic sell-off on the FTSE 100 continued into its fifth straight day on Friday as a weak finish on Wall Street and disappointing data from China hammered already-fragile sentiment on the market. London's benchmark index was down a staggering 1.3% at 6,377 early on, dropping below the 6,400 le
Read moreTelefónica may accept BT shares in sale of O2
12th Dec 2014 07:59
Telefónica chairman César Alierta reportedly flew to London on Thursday as BT nears a decision over whether to pick up the Spanish company's mobile firm O2 or instead opt for Orange and Deutsche Telekom's EE. Both O2 and EE's owners were apparently willing to accept BT shares as part of the payment
Read moreVodafone may have to wait before tie-up with Liberty Global, says UBS
2nd Dec 2014 09:36
Following reports the Vodafone (VOD) is exploring a possible combination with Liberty Global (LBTY), UBS has said the UK telecoms group may have to wait until its shares rise before undertaking such a sizeable deal. The bank kept a 'buy' rating and 265p target price for the London-listed stock. Blo
Read more