London afternoon: Shares mark time
28th Mar 2011 14:57
Footsie finished the morning clinging on to positive territory and not much changed over the lunch time trading session, with a mildly firmer start on Wall Street providing little additional impetus. Worries that Japanese carmakers may have to suspend production at their plants in China following t
Read moreLondon midday: Metal price fall hits miners
28th Mar 2011 12:08
Miners are holding back the FTSE 100, which is up by just a few points despite some well-received company updates. Worries that Japanese carmakers may have to suspend production at their plants in China following the earthquake disruption have sent copper prices lower. Kazakh copper group Kazakhmys
Read moreLondon close: FTSE 100 rally falls short
28th Feb 2011 16:51
The top share index failed to sustain a rally that came on the back of strength in the US and closed a few points lower. A slight easing in the oil price lightened the mood. Crude had edged up in the morning session amid continuing turmoil in Libya and the spread of protests to the Gulf state of Om
Read moreLondon afternoon: Footsie waxes as oil price wanes
28th Feb 2011 14:29
Shares staged a recovery over lunch, boosted by indications of a firmer start on Wall Street and a weakening of the oil price. Oil prices had edged up in the morning session amid continuing turmoil in Libya and the spread of protests to the Gulf state of Oman. Brent crude for April delivery was abo
Read moreLondon midday: Shares stuck lower
28th Feb 2011 12:05
Shares remain under pressure as the turmoil continues in the Arab world. Company updates have also been given a slightly frosty reception. Oil prices have edged up again amid continuing turmoil in Libya and the spread of protests to the Gulf state of Oman. Brent crude for April delivery was above $
Read moreChemring confident for 2011
28th Feb 2011 07:16
Military decoy flares and mine detection firm Chemring said it remains confident for 2011 as its order book surges. Trading during the first three months to the end of January 2011 rose 38% from the same period in 2010 on a constant currency basis. Its order book has increased 64% to a new record
Read moreLondon close: Stocks fall as nervousness sets in
28th Jan 2011 16:51
Shares were nursing big losses by the end of the day as more gloomy economic figures stoked nervousness. Consumer stocks were under the cosh after UK consumer confidence in January slumped in January, as the VAT rise kicked in. Insipid weekly trading figures from department store group John Lewis h
Read moreLondon afternoon: Confidence blow for equities
28th Jan 2011 14:50
Leading shares are lower, with consumer stocks under the cosh after UK consumer confidence in January slumped in January, as the VAT rise kicked in. Insipid weekly trading figures from department store group John Lewis have not helped sentiment. The GfK NOP Consumer Confidence Index dropped eight p
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie stabilises at lower level
28th Jan 2011 12:19
London fell sharply in early dealings on the back of weak overseas markets but it has spent most of the day around the 5,920 mark. S&P's decision to cut its credit rating for Japan and some poor company results hurt the Nikkei in Tokyo on Friday and this has spilled over into London. The market i
Read moreChemring in $145m ordnance win
28th Jan 2011 07:14
Chemring's Belgian subsidiary, Mecar, has picked up a $145m multi-year contract for the supply of medium and large calibre ammunition to an unnamed Middle East customer. Mecar, which was acquired by Chemring in September 2010, makes ammunition, particularly for modern, light armoured vehicles, inc
Read moreBahamas Petroleum director buys
25th Jan 2011 16:45
AIM-quoted Bahamas Petroleum Company's non-executive director Dursley Stott has invested nearly £16,000 in the oil and gas explorer's shares. Stott bought 100,000 shares at 15.825p each. This takes his stake to 315,000 shares. Stott is based in the Isle of Man, where BPC is domiciled, having switc
Read moreWednesday tips round-up: Burberry, Pearson, Chemring...
19th Jan 2011 06:40
The extraordinary rise of Burberry, since the brand was reinvented and rescued from chavdom, appears to be accelerating. Like-for-like sales in the first half of the financial year were 9% ahead; in the third quarter, including Christmas, they were up 14%. The shares, below six quid at the start of
Read moreBroker tips: SABMiller, Glaxo, Chemring
18th Jan 2011 12:45
Nomura expects to see a short-term bounce in SABMiller's share price following the volume improvement in the third quarter, but the broker remains cautious about the brewer's ability to achieve a return to historical growth rates. The owner of Peroni and Grolsch said that its third quarter volumes
Read moreBroker snap: Keep the faith in Chemring
18th Jan 2011 10:39
While Chemring's full-year results came in at the low end of finnCap's expectations, the broker still thinks the shares remain attractively rated in the sector and retains its positive stance on the stock. The military decoy flares and mine detection firm reported an 18% increase in turnover to £59
Read moreChemring growth 'encouraging'
18th Jan 2011 08:07
A stronger second half at Chemring was behind a 14% increase in underlying profits at the military decoy flares and mine detection firm. Profit before tax, acquisition related costs, intangible amortisation and the impact of derivatives rose to £116.8m from £102.6m. It had risen 7% to £42.3m in the
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