London close: Shell continues to provide a drag
3rd Feb 2011 17:05
Footsie failed to hang on to yesterday's 6,000 level and finished 0.28% lower despite Wall Street beginning to recover from its early morning lows towards the end of the London trading session. Royal Dutch Shell stayed the heaviest faller in London despite more than quadrupling fourth quarter profi
Read moreSector movers: BT lifts telecoms sector
3rd Feb 2011 15:57
Fixed line telecommunications is on the rise boosted by sector titan BT after its third quarter results cheered investors. Strong growth in broadband subscribers and a pick-up by its global services operation helped BT lift profits by almost a third over the past three months. Pre-tax profits in
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Royal Dutch Shell fails to impress
3rd Feb 2011 13:54
Royal Dutch Shell did not impress the market with more than quadrupled fourth quarter profits. Higher energy prices, an increase in production and cost-cutting provided the positive momentum. Earnings for the last three months of 2010 on a current cost of supplies (CCS) basis surged to $5.7bn from
Read moreLondon open: Mixed reception for company updates
3rd Feb 2011 08:27
Stocks are moving in both directions after updating the market and the top share index is currently in the red by about a dozen points. Royal Dutch Shell is a faller even though the oil titan more than quadrupled fourth quarter profits thanks to higher energy prices, an increase in production and c
Read moreLondon pre-open: Stocks to pull back
3rd Feb 2011 07:37
A flat finish in the US last night and losses in Asia this morning look like knocking a dozen or so points off London's leading index early Thursday. Ongoing turmoil in Egypt overshadowed some positive earnings news and upbeat data it eh US Wednesday, leaving the Dow Jones up just 1 point by the cl
Read moreBroadband subscribers boost BT
3rd Feb 2011 06:55
Strong growth in broadband subscribers and a pick-up by its global services operation helped telecoms titan BT lift profits by almost a third over the past three months. Pre-tax profits in the quarter to December jumped by 30% to £531m from £408m, even though sales fell slightly to £5.04bn from £5.
Read moreSector movers: Premier Foods lower after yesterday's sale
25th Jan 2011 12:50
The food producing and processing sector is lower Tuesday after a busy day yesterday. Premier Foods, whose most famous brands include Hovis bread and Sharwood's cooking sauces, announced Monday that it has sold its vegetarian foods business to a private equity consortium for £205m as it seeks to re
Read moreBT told to cut rural prices
20th Jan 2011 16:01
Communications industry watchdog Ofcom has outlined proposals aimed at reducing the price BT's wholesale business can charge internet service providers (ISPs) in rural areas. The regulator is proposing price reductions of between 10.75% and 14.75% below the inflation rate in a discussion document r
Read moreFriday tips round-up: BT, Balfour Beatty, Booker...
14th Jan 2011 06:44
BT bulls have had little to complain about recently as the stock has climbed 20% in two months and broken through the 190p barrier for the first time in two and a half years. The company is due a re-rating this year if the management team keeps ticking all the right boxes. A return to growth is sti
Read moreTechMARK movers: Cost-cutting key for Promethean World
12th Jan 2011 12:55
Shares in Promethean World reacted positively after it revealed that it is cutting more costs. The e-learning group says that 2010 revenues will be near to the top of downgraded expectations. Management expects trading to continue to be tough. There will be higher than expected one-off costs at the
Read moreBT seeks to allay "two-tier internet" fears
4th Jan 2011 16:23
Telecoms giant BT is trialling a new service that will allow internet service providers (ISPs) who use its network to deliver video content more rapidly. The new service, known as Content Connect, will enable ISPs to charge content providers more for delivering bandwidth-clogging video content. Cr
Read moreLondon close: Footsie back below 6,000
29th Dec 2010 17:01
Footsie did not stay above 6,000 for long and it ended the day down 13 at 5,996. A strong performance from mining companies, particularly those involved in gold, was not enough to offset a decline in banks, which are weak on worries over the debt issues facing the eurozone. Royal Bank of Scotland
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie falls below 6,000
29th Dec 2010 12:18
Footsie has failed to stay above 6,000 today and it has been heading downwards since just after 9am. Blizzards in the US are driving oil prices to a 26-month high above $91 a barrel. Heating oil prices in particular are rising. Royal Dutch Shell was one of the best performers this morning but it
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Miners follow copper price higher
21st Dec 2010 12:31
Banks and financials are pushing Footsie to levels not experienced since before the banking crisis. Copper prices are at a record level on hopes that economic strength in the US will help sustain global economic growth, with miners such as ENRC and Vedanta leading miners into positive territory.
Read moreSector movers: Telecoms stocks surge ahead
20th Dec 2010 14:42
The fixed line telecommunications sector is performing well with BT leading the charge, seeing shares rise 2.69% Monday afternoon. KCOM Group, Cable & Wireless Worldwide and TalkTalk are also among the top performers in the sector. Alternative energy is lower with solar wafers supplier PV Crystalo
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