London close: Late rally not enough
15th Feb 2011 16:44
Weakness in the US sent shares into the red and a slight rally in late trading failed to lift the FTSE 100 into positive territory. US retail sales were up 0.3% in January, according to the Commerce Department, though they'd risen 0.5% the month before and were expected to do the same this time. Ex
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Micro Focus shares fall 28%
15th Feb 2011 16:09
Shares in Micro Focus took a major tumble, losing almost a third, after the business software specialist reported third quarter revenues that came in well short of expectations. The group will take a restructuring hit of between $14m and $18m in the final quarter of this year after the "disappointi
Read moreLondon afternoon: US retail sales setback
15th Feb 2011 14:30
Footsie moved into the red over the lunch time session after the release of disappointing US retail sales figures. US retail sales were up 0.3% in January, according to the Commerce Department, though they'd risen 0.5% the month before and were expected to do the same this time. Excluding autos,
Read moreComputacenter makes French purchase
15th Feb 2011 11:18
Computacenter has bought Paris-based IT reseller Top Info SAS for £17.6m (€21m). There is cash in the balance sheet and Computacenter will pay around £12.6m (€15m) to acquire that. A further £800,000 (€1m) could become payable depending on Top's performance in 2011. The business made a profit of €
Read moreWednesday tips round-up: Arm, Computacenter, RSA...
12th Jan 2011 06:59
The roster of ARM-based devices is, quite simply, astonishing. Name a fancy gizmo and chances are that it draws upon ARM's know-how in one way or another. iPads, iPhones, the Blackberry Bold - all feature ARM technology. The other day, Microsoft said it was going to launch a new version of Windows
Read moreLondon close: Strong gains for FTSE 100
11th Jan 2011 16:51
Share prices edged back from earlier highs ahead of the close, but still finished with good gains as fears over European sovereign debt contagion recede in the wake of a show of support for eurozone bond issues from Japan. It has been a good day for banks, with Societe Generale issuing a bullish no
Read moreTechMARK movers: CSR boosted by legal deal
11th Jan 2011 16:16
Bluetooth chip developer CSR is heading the TechMARK risers after it settled a patent infringement case with rival Broadcom. The shares rose strongly even though CSR has to pay $67.5m. CSR will pay an initial sum of $5m plus $12.5m for the next five years. Legal costs of $10m a year will be saved
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: CSR tops the list
11th Jan 2011 15:52
Bluetooth chip specialist CSR has agreed to pay $67.5m to settle with US firm Broadcom in the patent infringement case brought against its subsidiary SiRF. Terms of the settlement will see CSR pay an initial sum of $5m plus $12.5m for the next five years. CSR expects ongoing legal fees will be red
Read moreLondon afternoon: Good day for bankers
11th Jan 2011 14:11
Share prices levelled out over the lunch time session, but investors remain in good heart as fears over European sovereign debt contagion recede in the wake of a show of support for eurozone bond issues from Japan. It has been a good day for banks, with Societe Generale issuing a bullish note on th
Read moreLondon midday: FTSE 100 adds more gains
11th Jan 2011 12:07
The top share index is now well clear of the 6,000 point mark after building on earlier gains. Banks move higher after the government back-tracked on the question of bonuses. As a trade-off for no additional taxes on the expected £7bn of UK bonuses this year, the banks are in talks to raise their b
Read moreLondon open: Footsie back above 6,000
11th Jan 2011 08:50
UK blue chips have raced away this morning led by the banks as the government caved in on the issue of bonuses. As a trade-off for no additional taxes on the expected £7bn of UK bonuses this year, the banks are in talks to raise their business lending by 10%, or £20bn, to £200bn. Shares in Barclays
Read moreComputacenter sees FY at top end of forecasts
11th Jan 2011 07:12
IT services provider Computacenter said pre-tax profit for 2010 is expected to be towards the top end of the range of market expectations as demand continues to pick up. The group, whose clients include WM Morrison, BT and Marks & Spencer, said it has made 'clear progress in 2010' with the recovery
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Debenhams and Ocado among the fallers
10th Jan 2011 16:04
Snow-related updates are still coming in with December's bad weather clipping department store Debenhams' sales growth by 2.5%-3%, though underlying sales still picked up slightly thanks to strong online growth and market share gains. Group gross transaction value for the 19 weeks to 8 January inc
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Stocks hold off bad weather
21st Dec 2010 15:15
The market has held on to early gains led by paper and packaging group Mondi and information technology services firm Computacenter. Centamin Egypt continues to rise after the results of the Sukari project scoping study showed that the gold miner can more than double the capacity of its process pla
Read moreLondon close: Lower finish for FTSE 100
15th Oct 2010 16:38
London finished in the red heading into the weekend after Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke's comments saying he sees the case for 'further action' to stimulate the US economy failed to stir up much excitement. 'There would appear - all else being equal - to be a case for further action,' Berna
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