FTSE 100 movers: Barclays job cuts lift City spirits and blue chips
8th May 2014 14:22
Barclays led London's blue chips higher after it pleased the City with plans to slash 14,000 jobs in 2014 across the group as it aimed to become a 'leaner, stronger' bank. Shares in the company were up 7.2 per cent to 260.75p at 15:05 on Thursday. In what it described as a "bold simplification" of
Read moreLondon midday: Upbeat earnings provide a lift as BoE holds rates
8th May 2014 11:35
- Barclays, Standard Chartered, BT and Morrison rise after results - BoE holds policy, ECB in focus - Yellen signals need for continued support - Ukraine tensions ease slightly after Putin comments techMARK 2,796.26 +0.19% FTSE 100 6,836.23 +0.59% FTSE 250 15,916.36 +0.22% Decent gains from Barcla
Read moreLondon open: Barclays leads FTSE 100 higher ahead of central bank decisions
8th May 2014 08:32
- Barclays gains on job-cut announcement - Busy day for corporate earnings/updates - Yellen, Putin comments in focus - Focus turns to BoE and ECB ahead of policy decisions techMARK 2,799.70 +0.31% FTSE 100 6,827.33 +0.45% FTSE 250 15,963.95 +0.52% UK stocks rose on Thursday morning amid a flurry o
Read moreLondon pre-open: Gains expected after Yellen comments, rate decisions in focus
8th May 2014 07:40
The FTSE is set to move back above the 6,800 mark this morning, lifted by comments made in the US last night by Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen, as well as an easing of tensions in Eastern Europe. That comes ahead of rate decisions in both the UK and Europe, as well as a press conference with t
Read moreBT says TV sport helps it ring up higher FY profits - UPDATE
8th May 2014 07:00
BT's new TV sport channels underpinned record fourth quarter consumer revenues, helping the UK telecoms group to ring up higher annual profits. BT said its BT Sport and ESPN channels, which show 38 Premier League games a season plus other sport, helped the group's consumer division to lift fourth q
Read moreSunday newspaper round-up: AstraZeneca, Barclays, Mothercare
4th May 2014 12:49
Pfizer is preparing to put AstraZeneca in a "bear hug" by stating it will not increase its 63 billion pounds offer without getting a closer look at the UK company's drug prospects, the Sunday Times reported. The US giant will lobby Astra's shareholders to force it to enter talks and will also talk a
Read moreBT rolls free-sport broadband offer into second season
30th Apr 2014 11:17
BT has confirmed it will continue to offer its BT Sport television channels free for customers who subscribe to its broadband service. The FTSE 100 group said around 5m homes have taken up BT Sport in the nine months since the channels went live last August and that its set-top box service BT TV h
Read moreBT and BSkyB agree TV rugby deal
11th Apr 2014 07:15
Arch-rivals BT and BSkyB have set aside their differences over TV sports rights to do a joint deal to show European rugby from next season. The pair, who are locked in a stand-off over broadcasting each other's sports channels on their TV services, have reached a provisional agreement to jointly br
Read moreLondon pre-open: Stocks to track US markets firmly lower early on
11th Apr 2014 07:08
The City is set for a downbeat start to today's session after stocks in the States slumped, particularly on the Nasdaq, which suffered its worst single-day performance since November 2011. City sources predict the FTSE 100 will open around 50 points below yesterday's close of 6,641.97. Gains made
Read moreBroker tips: M&S, BT Group, Mothercare, Oxford Instruments
10th Apr 2014 12:25
In reaction to fourth quarter results from Marks and Spencer, broker N+1 Singer said the lack of visible revenue improvements was continuing to test investor resolve, but that these numbers provided some small encouragement, enough to maintain a 'buy' recommendation. Singer analysts Matthew McEach
Read moreUBS upgrades BT to 'neutral' but remains cautious
10th Apr 2014 09:13
UBS has upgraded its rating for telecoms giant BT from 'sell' to 'neutral', saying that the stock's current valuation is no longer expensive. However, while the shares are down from their record highs reached in February, the bank said it remains "relatively pessimistic" on the investment case. "B
Read moreBroker tips: Kingfisher, Aveva, BT Group
9th Apr 2014 12:46
Analysts at UBS have lifted their price target on do-it-yourself retailer Kingfisher on expectations that the purchase of Mr.Bricolage offers greater scope to contribute to earnings than initially thought. The broker initially thought the transaction might be about 2% earnings accretive at the earn
Read moreBernstein downgrades BT on TV and competition fears
9th Apr 2014 09:55
Broker Bernstein has downgraded UK telecoms group BT, saying it may over-spend on TV sports rights and face more competition from rival Virgin Media. Bernstein, which reduced BT to 'market-perform' with a fair value of 385p, said "much good can be said" about BT and its investment case, although a
Read moreBT poaches Sky boss as new head of TV and sport
7th Apr 2014 09:23
Telecoms group BT has poached a top TV executive from arch-rival Sky to head up its own TV and sport service. Delia Bushell (41), who is Chief Commercial Officer of Sky Italia, is to join BT in July as its new Managing Director of BT TV and Sport, replacing Marc Watson. Bushell has spent the past
Read moreMonday newspaper round-up: IMF, Business investment, Consumer spending
7th Apr 2014 07:14
Almost one year ago the International Monetary Fund (IMF) urged the Chancellor George Osborne to abandon austerity and implement a so-called 'Plan B' to stimulate growth. However, as he prepares to head to the US this week, for the IMF's spring meetings, the Washington-based international lender is
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