London midday: All eyes on Bernanke and G7
10th May 2013 11:32
UK equities are now registering moderate gains and near their best levels of the day, buoyed by another rise in risk appetite which seemed to take its cue from the sharp move lower in the Japanese Yen overnight. Some investors attributed that move in foreign exchange markets to cautious comments ou
Read moreBroker snap: Bank of America upgrades BT on cash-flow guidance
10th May 2013 09:37
BT reported very strong results on Friday morning with free-cash-flow (FCF) now expected to increase to £2.6bn by fiscal year 2015 (circa +7.5 per cent ahead of consensus estimates) despite BT's heavy investment in BT Sport, analysts at Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BAML) highlighted. With fibre
Read moreLondon open: Now it´s Japan´s turn
10th May 2013 08:27
The UK market opened with moderate gains on Friday morning, after a breakout - overnight - by the Japanese Yen, in its cross against the US dollar, apparently stoked risk appetite in capital markets globally. More important perhaps, that move in FX markets is a reflection of the relative fundamental
Read moreLondon pre-open: Stocks to edge higher ahead of balance of trade report
10th May 2013 07:22
City sources predict the FTSE 100 will open up seven points from yesterday's close of 6,593, and as such largely ignoring declines seen in the US last night ahead of today's balance of trade reading. Thursday saw the dollar surpass the 100 Japanese yen mark - something that has not happened in four
Read moreFriday broker round-up UPDATE
10th May 2013 07:14
Afren: Westhouse Securities initiates with a target price of 160p and a buy recommendation. Ashmore Group: Credit Suisse raises target price from 375p to 440p upgrading from underperform to neutral. Barratt Developments: Citigroup increases target price from 245p to 315p leaving its neutral rating
Read moreBT Group unveils rise in annual and fourth quarter profits
10th May 2013 07:03
BT Group's annual pre-tax profit was up 11 per cent on the previous year as the telecoms company kept a tight rein on costs. The company, which Thursday revealed it would offer free sports channels to broadband customers, saw profit for the 12 months to end of March come to £2.6bn despite a 5.0% y
Read moreLondon close: Stocks settle higher after mixed batch of data
9th May 2013 16:42
Market Movers techMARK 2,448.55 +0.44% FTSE 100 6,592.74 +0.14% FTSE 250 14,281.62 +0.62% The FTSE settled in positive territory after a day of mixed data both at home and abroad. Earlier on in the day stocks had slipped after traders were caught somewhat off-guard by the higher-than-expected con
Read moreFriday preview: BT Group unveils sports package ahead of results
9th May 2013 15:14
BT Group said Thursday it would offer its sports channels free to any BT broadband customer. The announcement, which came a day ahead of its full-year and fourth quarter results, revealed that BT Sport 1, BT Sport 2 and ESPN would be available. The channels will broadcast live and exclusive footb
Read moreSector movers: Engineers galvanised by industrial data
9th May 2013 15:12
Engineers Weir and IMI led a charge by the industrial engineering sector, heartened by positive news of UK industrial production. Beating expectations of a modest 0.2% gain, UK industrial production output rose by 0.7% month-on-month in March, according to the latest data out from the Office for
Read moreBT free live football offer to increase subscriptions
9th May 2013 12:17
BT has revealed its broadband customers will be able to watch live Premier League football games for free next season in a move that is expected to boost subscriptions and revenues for 2014 results. The telecoms giant, which is due to report its annual results on Friday, said its three new BT Spor
Read moreBritish Land signs Wi-fi deal with BT
9th May 2013 07:02
British Land has signed a deal with BT to enable its customers to access free Wi-fi at its shopping centres. It has also agreed to work with BT to find a solution to deliver a robust wi-fi offering at a number of its open air shopping parks. The group said the decision follows the successful trials
Read moreLondon close: Stocks end higher after Australian rate cut
7th May 2013 16:31
Market Movers techMARK 2,417.98 +0.11% FTSE 100 6,557.30 +0.55% FTSE 250 14,101.42 -0.03% UK stocks charged higher on Tuesday, buoyed by the unexpected cut to Australia's policy cash rate, which prompted a strong start in the US. Stocks also rose on the back of Japanese markets rising to their hi
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: ENRC up after shareholder significantly ups stake
7th May 2013 15:57
Shares in natural resources giant ENRC moved higher after Russian billionaire Suleiman Kerimov bought a 2.86 per cent stake in the group. Kerimov's purchase, which is estimated to have cost in the region of $176m, takes his share in the company to 3.05%. HSBC was also on the rise after posting a
Read moreTuesday broker round-up UPDATE
7th May 2013 07:18
Admiral Group: JP Morgan reduces target price from 1246p to 1108p downgrading to underweight. Afren: Deutsche Bank lowers target price from 165p to 150p, while leaving its buy recommendation unchanged. Investec ups target price from 138p to 160p and upgrades from hold to buy. Betfair Group: Numis
Read moreTuesday newspaper roundup: Greece, UK infrastructure, China
7th May 2013 06:59
Greece is making progress in repairing its economy but it needs to do more to stop tax evaders, the International Monetary Fund said yesterday. Delivering its much-anticipated health check on the Greek economy, the IMF praised "far-reaching labour market reforms", which have boosted competitiveness,
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