Standard Life boss's wife buys
17th Jun 2011 14:32
Caroline Nish, the wife of Standard Life's chief executive David Nish, has taken more shares in the insurer, spending £100,000. She took 49,335 shares at 201.4p a pop and now has 620,744. In a trading update in April, David Nish said Standard Life had a good start to 2011. "Strong sales across ou
Read moreLondon close: Modest gains for FTSE 100
24th May 2011 16:47
Stocks finished in the blue although off earlier highs and the gains were modest against yesterday's losses. In company news, high street stalwart Marks & Spencer eased even after it said it was winning market share in both clothes and food sales as it posted pre-tax profits in line with expectati
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Victrex jumps on soaring profits
24th May 2011 16:28
Victrex is among the best performers after the plastics group said profit surged 57% and sales volumes rose 22% in the last six months after a strong performance in all of its major markets. Due to MITIE's underperformance against the peer group, Peel Hunt upgraded its rating on the outsourced ser
Read moreLondon midday: FTSE 100 on the ascent
24th May 2011 12:04
Shares are still in positive territory, but the gains are modest compared to yesterday's slide. Higher commodity prices are boosting the likes of South American copper miner Antofagasta and South African platinum miner Lonmin. The banking sector is under pressure though, with Moody's considering d
Read moreLondon open: Shares win back some losses
24th May 2011 08:29
The top share index has made a modest recovery following yesterday's slide, with mining stocks setting the pace. Higher commodity prices are boosting the likes of South American copper miner Antofagasta and South African platinum miner Lonmin. The banking sector is under pressure though, with Mood
Read moreLondon pre-open: Flat start expected
24th May 2011 07:33
After yesterday's shake-out London looks set to steady the boat at the outset, with City traders expecting the blue-chip index to open a dozen or so points higher. High street stalwart Marks & Spencer said it was winning market share in both clothes and food sales as it posted pre-tax profits in li
Read moreBig Yellow store revenue growth slows
24th May 2011 07:04
The UK economy is recovering, albeit slowly, if the experience of self-storage barns owner Big Yellow is anything to go by, but the company is still waiting for the pace of recovery to change gear. Revenue in the 12 months to 31 March rose 7% to £61.9m from £58.0m the prior year. Store revenue for
Read moreLondon close: Footsie scuppered by Tesco
13th Jan 2011 16:51
London struggled all day after a grim performance by supermarket Tesco and disappointing US unemployment data in the afternoon. The Bank of England's decision to leave interest rates at 0.5% and the asset purchase programme unchanged was as expected. US shares fell back, with the Dow down 14 point
Read moreLondon afternoon: Footsie extends losses
13th Jan 2011 15:38
A weak start on Wall Street and grim performance by supermarket Tesco is keeping London firmly in the red Thursday. Disappointing weekly jobs data in the US scuppered any chance UK blue chips had of turning positive, while the Bank of England's decision to leave interest rates at 0.5% and the asset
Read moreBroker tips: Tesco, Provident Financial, Big Yellow
13th Jan 2011 13:15
Even though Tesco reported subdued sales in the UK, Nomura is pleased with the supermarket giant's international performance as it showed impressive growth. Like for like (LFL) sales in the UK for the six weeks to 8 January were up 0.6%, against expectations of flat to +2%. Tesco posted another str
Read moreBroker snap: Rising occupancy looks good at Big Yellow
13th Jan 2011 13:12
Big Yellow's bid to concentrate on filling space and increasing occupancy has attracted brokers Peel Hunt and Matrix, as the self-storage group is expected to vastly expand its income as a result The third quarter statement reported occupancy to have stood relatively still during the period. This i
Read moreLondon midday: Shares little changed
13th Jan 2011 12:01
Today's stream of updates from the retail sector has failed to give the top share index much of a jolt in either direction. The Bank of England left interest rates at 0.5% and the asset purchase programme unchanged, as expected. Tesco falls after the snow and ice meant UK like for like sales were
Read moreLondon open: Retailers move both ways after updates
13th Jan 2011 08:31
The top share index is little changed in early dealings though there are some notable movers in both directions, particularly in the retail sector. Tesco falls after the snow and ice meant UK like for like sales were weaker than expected and lagged rivals. Like for like sales in the UK for the six
Read moreBig Yellow revenue improves
13th Jan 2011 08:10
Self storage firm Big Yellow grew annualised store revenue by 7% during the third quarter and has made a good start to 2011. Revenue rose to £58.9m at its 51 wholly owned stores in the last three months of 2010, up from £55.1m the year before. Total store revenue rose to £15m from £14m, but is down
Read moreBroker tips: British Land, Big Yellow, Winkworth
22nd Nov 2010 14:18
Long-term investment opportunities attract Panmure Gordon to real estate group British Land (BL), as the broker expects a potential acquisition to expand the group's strong portfolio of retail properties. Weekend press reports suggest that BL has agreed heads of terms to acquire the Drake Circus s
Read more