London afternoon: Footsie regains 4,500
23rd Jul 2009 13:46
The Footsie's eight day winning streak looks set to become nine days as the blue chip index hit 4,500 again amid more gains for US stocks. On the positive side, miners Fresnillo, Kazakhmys, Vedanta Resources, Rio Tinto, BHP Billiton, ENRC, Xstrata and Lonmin are all among the top ten risers on hope
Read moreLondon midday: OfWat report dilutes equity strength
23rd Jul 2009 11:54
The Footsie's eight day winning streak is in danger of coming to an end today as utility companies weigh down the blue-chip index after water regulator Ofwat outlined proposals for lower water bills. The water regulator's draft proposals would see the average annual water bill fall by £14 to £330 b
Read moreLondon open: Water groups fall
23rd Jul 2009 08:17
London's top stocks have opened slightly lower, with utilities among the main fallers after Ofwat called for lower water bills. The water regulator outlined proposals that would see the average water bill fall by £14 to £330 before inflation between 2010 and 2015. United Utilities is leading the fa
Read moreWinterflood peps Close Brothers
23rd Jul 2009 07:43
Merchant bank Close Brothers has seen a strong performance from its Winterflood market making division while other parts of the business have performed broadly as expected. Total funds under management (FUM) by the Asset Management division eased a little to £6.8bn at the end of June from £6.9bn at
Read moreDomino's vice chairman sells £1m slice
1st Jun 2009 14:50
Colin Halpern, vice chairman of the pizza delivery firm Domino's, has pocketed more than £1m after offloading some of his shares in the group. H S Real, a company owned by a discretionary trust, the beneficiaries of which are his children, sold 500,000 shares at 205p a share. The sale leaves Halpe
Read moreVodafone's Sir John Bond spends £116,000
26th May 2009 15:34
Vodafone's chairman Sir John Bond has upped his stake in the mobile phone company substantially, spending £116,000 on shares. He paid 116p a time for 100,000 shares in the firm and now has 337,345. Bond became chairman of Vodafone in 2006 after stepping down as chairman of HSBC, having worked at t
Read moreLondon close: Downgrade threat sinks Footsie
21st May 2009 16:35
Footsie closed with triple-digit fall as investors got spooked by fears that the UK may lose its triple-A credit rating. Credit-rating agency Standard & Poor's said: 'We have revised the outlook on the UK to negative due to our view that, even assuming additional fiscal tightening, the net general
Read moreLondon afternoon: Decline picks up pace
21st May 2009 14:36
The Footsie is nursing a triple-digit fall as investors bail out of equities, spooked by fears that the UK may lose its triple-A credit rating. Credit-rating agency Standard & Poor's said: 'We have revised the outlook on the UK to negative due to our view that, even assuming additional fiscal tigh
Read moreLondon midday: UK credit rating fear sparks sell-off
21st May 2009 12:00
Fears that the UK may lose its triple-A credit rating has given equities the jitters. Credit-rating agency Standard & Poor's said: 'We have revised the outlook on the UK to negative due to our view that, even assuming additional fiscal tightening, the net general government debt burden could approac
Read moreLondon open: Shares start lower
21st May 2009 08:17
London's top stocks opened lower on Thursday, with Cable & Wireless and British Land leading the fallers after reporting full-year figures. Full-year profit from Cable & Wireless was roughly in line with expectations, but the telecom group forecasts EBITDA of more than £1bn for the current year.
Read moreClose Brothers says difficult conditions remain
21st May 2009 07:49
Merchant bank Close Brothers said it continues to face difficult conditions in its asset management and banking divisions but is confident that it will continue to deliver a 'satisfactory' performance in the current markets. Total funds under management (FuM) were marginally lower at £6.8bn as at 3
Read moreTuesday tips round-up: Mitie, Cranswick, Big Yellow
19th May 2009 06:41
Mitie, the group which has, among others, the contract to clean the Tower of London reported stellar preliminary results yesterday, with revenues, profits and, most importantly, the dividend all up. Mitie is quite a bit smaller than Serco or Capita and the Independent urges urge investors to back a
Read moreLondon close: Footsie climbs higher
18th May 2009 16:50
Footsie closed with strong gains after steady advances throughout the afternoon, supported by a good showing on Wall Street. It was India that stole the show among world markets though in the wake of the Congress party's election victory. Vedanta, which mines for copper in the country, shrugged off
Read moreLondon afternoon: Momentum gathers pace
18th May 2009 14:33
A strong start on Wall Street has given renewed impetus to London's advance, with a strong showing by the Indian stock exchange also benefiting some India-focused stocks. Vedanta is a rare bright spot among miners, benefiting from the bounce Indian stocks received in the wake of the country's elect
Read moreLondon midday: Lloyds lifts market
18th May 2009 11:57
Leading shares are off the top but Footsie remains in positive territory despite the mining sector moving down virtually en masse. Vedanta is a rare bright spot among miners, benefiting from the bounce Indian stocks received in the wake of the country's election result. India's Sensex index surged
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