London open: Stocks rebound on German GDP data
15th May 2012 08:27
- German GDP surprises to the upside - Eurogroup rules out Greek exit - G4S on track to meet full-year guidance Blue-chip stocks opened broadly higher on Tuesday morning following a steep sell-off yesterday which saw the Footsie set a new low for 2012. Helping sentiment this morning was an upwards
Read moreLaird finally lands a Chief Executive
15th May 2012 07:30
Laird, the electrical components manufacturer, has poached David Lockwood from BT Global Services to be its new Chief Executive. This completes a search that has been going on since November, when former CEO Peter Hill stepped down due to illness. The company said that Lockwood brought considerabl
Read moreFriday broker round-up
11th May 2012 09:08
Aquarius Platinum: UBS cuts target from 155p to 110p, neutral rating kept. ARM Holdings: finnCap upgrades from hold to buy, target left at 575p [ARM is a corporate client of finnCap]. BT Group: Nomura reiterates buy recommendation and 295p target. Catlin: Nomura keeps buy rating and 506p target.
Read moreLondon close: US jobless data sparks late rally
10th May 2012 16:59
- US jobless claims boost buying late on - BoE keeps interest rates, QE unchanged - Miners shrug off China data as Greek concerns ease London's blue chips rallied in afternoon trade on Thursday after some better-than-expected US economic data and easing concerns about Greece helped to snap a three-
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Reckitt Benckiser down as major shareholder dumps shares
10th May 2012 15:40
Anglo-Dutch consumer goods firm Reckitt Benckiser was firmly lower after its biggest shareholder (JAB) sold around a third of its holding (4.9 per cent of the issued share capital of Reckitt). The share went at 3,350p a pop, raising a total of £1.2bn for JAB. Experian, the credit check and finan
Read moreDivi disappointment at BT
10th May 2012 12:56
Slightly better than anticipated earnings could not shield BT Group from the bears on Thursday as hopes were dashed of a dividend bonanza in the wake of the telecoms giant sorting out its pension overhang. Underlying profit before tax in the year to March 31st rose 16.2% to £2.42bn from £2.08bn the
Read moreLondon midday: Euro concerns weigh on stock, BoE maintains rates
10th May 2012 11:27
- BoE leaves interest rates, QE unchanged - Greece fails to form a coalition...again - Reckitt drops after shareholder sale Stocks were firmly lower by Thursday lunchtime as markets awaited a policy rate decision from the Bank of England. Concerns over the political uncertainty in Greece eased slig
Read moreBroker tips: BT, Weir, AVEVA
10th May 2012 11:26
Nomura has maintained its buy recommendation and 295p target price for telecoms titan BT, saying that while fourth-quarter revenues were soft, earnings, free cash flow and guidance were strong. The broker did note BT's decision not to rebase its dividend after announcing an 8.3p-a-share payout, up
Read moreBroker snap: BT's fundamentals sound, valuation attractive
10th May 2012 09:33
Nomura has maintained its buy recommendation and 295p target price for telecoms titan BT, saying that while fourth-quarter revenues were soft, earnings, free cash flow and guidance were strong. Fourth-quarter adjusted revenues fell 4%, 0.9% below Nomura's forecast owing to weaker revenues in Openre
Read moreThursday broker round-up
10th May 2012 09:28
Abcam: Canaccord Genuity reiterates hold recommendation and 370p target. Aveva: UBS upgrades from sell to neutral, 1,600p target unchanged. BAE Systems: AlphaValue upgrades from add to buy, target raised from 342.7p to 343.4p. BT: Jefferies keeps buy recommendation and 268p target; Nomura reitera
Read moreLondon open: Stocks rise as euro concerns ease
10th May 2012 08:39
- Greek, Spanish worries ease - Markets await MPC decision, small chance of more QE - ENRC up after Q3 update, Legal & General wanted after CEO shake-up The FTSE 100 rose in early trading on Thursday following a two-day steep drop as concerns over the political situation in Greece eased somewhat.
Read moreLondon pre-open: Small rise expected ahead of BoE interest rate
10th May 2012 07:39
City sources predict the FTSE 100 will open up 15 points from yesterday's close of 5,530 ahead of the Bank of England's interest rate announcement, due out this morning. The figure is widely expected to remain at the same level and no expansion of the quantitative easing programme is predicted. Fu
Read moreBT on the right line
10th May 2012 07:10
Full year underlying profits at telecoms titan BT were slightly ahead of expectations even though revenue was a bit on the light side. Underlying profit before tax in the year to March 31st rose 16% to £2,421m, versus expectations of £2,412m. Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisa
Read moreSunday newspaper round-up: Hollande, BT, Facebook
6th May 2012 12:05
John Lewis Partnership, the employee-owned retailer behind John Lewis and Waitrose, is exploring opening shops in China, a move which would mark its first foray outside the UK. Charlie Mayfield, chairman of the partnership, recently visited the country on a mission focused on sourcing products, visi
Read moreFriday broker round-up - UPDATE
27th Apr 2012 09:21
AstraZeneca: Credit Suisse maintains underperform rating and 2,600p target. ASOS: HSBC upgrades from neutral to overweight, target cut from 1,900p to 1,780p. Barclays: Nomura reiterates neutral recommendation and 268p target. British American Tobacco: Jefferies maintains buy recommendation and 3,
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