London close: US tax cut extension boosts shares
7th Dec 2010 16:52
Shares closed with decent gains Tuesday, though off earlier highs that came after an extension of George W Bush's tax cuts in the US lifted sentiment. US president Barack Obama has said that he will agree to a two-year extension on tax-cuts from the Bush era in a compromise arrangement that bodes w
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Bellway surges ahead
7th Dec 2010 14:52
Housebuilder Bellway is among the risers after announcing it expects net interim profits to be 20% higher than last year as buyer interest has picked up a little since the government's comperehensive spending review. Completions in the six months to 31 January 2011 will be similar to last year, al
Read moreLondon afternoon: Shares extend gains
7th Dec 2010 14:23
With US stocks set to open high on the back of the tax-cuts deal between president Obama and the Republican party, London's blue-chips added to the morning's gains over the lunch time session. US president Barack Obama has said that he will agree to a two-year extension on tax-cuts from the Bush er
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie keeps climbing
7th Dec 2010 12:18
Footsie has been moving steadily upward as higher commodity prices boost resource stocks after a US tax cut extension improved optimism on global economic growth. US president Barack Obama has said that he will agree to a two-year extension on tax-cuts from the Bush era, while on this side of the A
Read moreLondon open: Blue chips firmer
7th Dec 2010 08:47
London's blue-chips have opened firmer with resources stocks in demand and a solid update from Tesco providing some encouragement for buyers. Miners and oil stocks lead the risers with the price of crude edging up towards the $90 per barrel mark. Essar, Fresnillo and Antofagasta are the best of the
Read moreBellway sees confidence stabilising
7th Dec 2010 07:50
Housebuilder Bellway expects net interim profits this year will be up by 20% on last year as buyer interest has picked up a little since the government's comperehensive spending review. Reservations are now ahead of the board's expectations, although still slightly down compared with the same perio
Read moreLondon close: Footsie closes lower after China rate hike
19th Oct 2010 16:39
Shares fell in the afternoon after a surprise hike in rates in China took investors by surprise and the leading share index finished firmly in the red. The People's Bank of China upped its one-year deposit rate to 2.5% from 2.25%, while the lending rate has been hiked to 5.56% from 5.31%, with effe
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Jupiter takes off
19th Oct 2010 15:45
Shares in Jupiter have rocketed after the asset manager unveiled a sharp rise in the value of its assets. 'Whilst markets rose across the quarter, fears of a double dip recession in developed world economies depressed sentiment before a rally in September,' chief executive Edward Bonham Carter (bro
Read moreLondon afternoon: Chinese rate rises prompt sell-off
19th Oct 2010 14:24
Having drifted aimlessly during the morning session shares turned briskly south over lunch after China made surprise changes to some of its interest rates. The People's Bank of China upped its one-year deposit rate to 2.5% from 2.25%, while the lending rate has been hiked to 5.56% from 5.31%, with e
Read moreLondon midday: Tech titans' fortunes differ
19th Oct 2010 12:03
London had a subdued morning with investors reluctant to jump too far in one direction ahead of tomorrow's release of the meeting notes from the most recent Monetary Policy Committee chin-wag. There has been some excitement in the tech sector, however, after yesterday's blockbusting results from Ap
Read moreLondon open: Flat start ahead of review
19th Oct 2010 08:50
London has recovered from an early blip as investors get ready for tomorrow's comprehensive spending review. Banks are largely responsible for the revival with Barclays, Standard Chartered and RBS all ahead. Autonomy is flat even though chief Mike Lynch said growth prospects for the data search so
Read moreBellway sees buyer confidence 'ebb away'
19th Oct 2010 07:51
Housebuilder Bellway bounced back into profit and upped its final dividend as the housing market stabilised though it says "buyer confidence slowly ebbed away during the summer" and sales have picked up only slightly recently. Profits in the year to July came in at £44.4m against a loss of £36.6m a
Read moreTuesday preview: Whitbread, Bellway, CBI survey
18th Oct 2010 16:38
Hotels to coffee shops operator Whitbread announces its second quarter results on Tuesday. At the beginning of September the group said like for like sales growth at the company had accelerated in the 24 weeks to 19 August compared to the second quarter performance, so the market will be looking to
Read moreLondon close: Lower finish for FTSE 100
10th Aug 2010 16:42
A poor reception for updates from the holiday-related stocks TUI Travel and InterContinental Hotels helped ensure Footsie closed in the red, while economic worries also weighed on sentiment. China's trade surplus hit an 18-month high as exports surged and imports slowed. Imports increased 22.7% i
Read moreLondon afternoon: Buyers take a holiday
10th Aug 2010 14:14
Leading equities moved further into the red over the lunch time session as investors remained concerned about slowing growth in the Chinese economy and signs closer to home that the Budget spending cuts are starting to have an effect on the mood of UK consumers. China's trade surplus hit an 18-mon
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