London pre-open: Yellen comments to drive strong start
14th Nov 2013 07:32
City sources predict the FTSE 100 will open around 50 points higher than yesterday's close of 6,630, with investors expecting welcome dovish comments from the soon-to-be Chair of the Federal Reserve Janet Yellen. Yellen, who is expected to take over from Ben Bernanke as the head of the Fed in Janu
Read moreCentrica warns of continued challenging market conditions
14th Nov 2013 07:01
- Market conditions remain challenging in UK and US - EPS likely to match 2012 levels - Consumption up four per cent British Gas-owner Centrica on Thursday warned market conditions remained challenging, particularly in business energy supply in both the UK and the US, in UK gas-fired power generat
Read moreLondon close: FTSE 100 at four-week low on policy concerns
13th Nov 2013 16:36
- FTSE 100 sinks to lowest level since mid-October - Rate-hike speculation follows BoE Inflation Report - Sainsbury up after strong first half techMARK 2,625.69 -0.83% FTSE 100 6,630.00 -1.44% FTSE 250 15,179.84 -1.23% UK stocks declined sharply on Wednesday as investor risk appetite was scaled ba
Read moreSector movers: Defensive electricity stocks perform well in market sell-off
13th Nov 2013 15:28
Electricity was the only sector in positive territory on Wednesday as the category benefitted from its defensive characteristics amidst a sell-off across equity markets. Markets on the whole were trading firmly lower, with the FTSE 100 registering as much as triple-digit losses in afternoon trade,
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Sainsbury rises on strong first half
13th Nov 2013 15:14
Supermarket giant Sainsbury rose after boasting of its largest market share for a decade in the first half, helped by fast growth from its own-brand food and an even faster growth of non-food. Utility stocks have put in a good performance today after sentiment was dampened by the Bank of England's
Read moreSunday newspaper round-up: Serco, Energy companies, Economic growth
10th Nov 2013 17:04
Serco will warn on November 14th that it will not meet forecasts for annual profits, the Sunday Times reported. The outsourcing company has been hit by Government allegations of fraud in contracts to tag prisoners. Investors had expected Serco to report annual profits of about £326m but analysts now
Read moreCentrica signs multi-billion pound deal with Qatargas
6th Nov 2013 13:44
FTSE 100-listed Centrica has signed a four-year, multi-billion pound gas deal with Qatargas, it announced Wednesday. The agreement, under which it will purchase up to 3m tonnes a year of liquefied natural gas (LNG), builds on an existing agreement that was signed in early 2011. The British Gas-o
Read moreWednesday broker round-up
6th Nov 2013 08:48
Anglo American: Alphavalue moves target price from 1816.9p to 1827.1p upgrading from add to buy. Associated British Foods: Citi raises target price from 1950p to 2350p, while leaving its neutral rating unchanged. Assura Group: Liberum Capital initiates with a target price of 42.9p and a buy recomm
Read moreLondon close: Markets higher on positive economic data
4th Nov 2013 16:28
- Miners gain after China data - HSBC beats forecasts with Q3 results - Weir, Ryanair issue profit warnings - ECB rate-cut speculation does the rounds techMARK 2,651.30 -0.24% FTSE 100 6,763.62 +0.43% FTSE 250 15,503.06 +0.31% Upbeat economic data from across the globe lifted the UK stock market o
Read moreCentrica boss Sam Laidlaw gives up bonus
4th Nov 2013 15:34
Centrica boss Sam Laidlaw has vowed to give up his bonus this year amid anger over rising energy bills, including a 9.2 per cent increase by its subsidiary British Gas. The Chief Executive said consumer confidence in the energy sector had fallen to "all time low" so he would forgo his bonus. "Just
Read moreLondon midday: HSBC, miners lift markets higher
4th Nov 2013 12:00
- HSBC beats forecasts with Q3 results - Weir, Ryanair issue profit warnings - Economic data, ECB rate-cut speculation drive markets techMARK 2,661.91 +0.16% FTSE 100 6,767.20 +0.48% FTSE 250 15,519.66 +0.41% UK markets were performing well on Monday morning, owing to speculation over a possible E
Read moreBroker tips: HSBC, Weir, Ryanair, Utilities
4th Nov 2013 11:47
Nomura has retained its 'buy' rating and 850p target price for global banking group HSBC following Monday's better-than-expected third-quarter figures. 'Clean' underlying revenue came in at $15,571m, ahead of the consensus estimate of $15,335m and Nomura's forecast of $15,145m. Meanwhile, the clean
Read moreBroker snap: SSE and Centrica downgraded due to political risk
4th Nov 2013 09:10
Investec has downgraded its ratings for UK-listed energy providers SSE and Centrica from 'add' to 'reduce' to reflect rising political risk. "The latest round of 'Big 6' bashing in Parliament signals that political headwinds for the UK's main energy suppliers (the so-called 'Big 6') are freshening,
Read moreLondon open: Markets gain after HSBC results, China data
4th Nov 2013 09:05
- HSBC impresses with Q3 profits - China services PMI paints improved outlook - Weir, Ryanair surprise with profit warnings techMARK 2,665.03 +0.28% FTSE 100 6,768.87 +0.51% FTSE 250 15,522.69 +0.43% UK markets started the new week on a positive note, helped by some well-received quarterly results
Read moreMonday broker round-up UPDATE
4th Nov 2013 08:07
Aggreko: Cantor Fitzgerald reduces target price from 2200p to 1700p downgrading to hold. Anglo American: Alphavalue upgrades from add to buy with a target price of 1801.3p. APR Energy: Cantor Fitzgerald raises target price from 670p to 1000p, but still recommends selling. Astra Zeneca: UBS reduce
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