Informa Finance Director sells up ahead of departure
25th Oct 2013 16:30
Adam Walker, the outgoing Finance Director at data publishing and events firm Informa, has reduced his stake in the FTSE 250 group by 344,483 shares. Walker, who two weeks ago announced his intention to become Finance Director at GKN, disposed of the shares at 554.26p, earning himself £1.91m. At
Read moreUtility groups banned from price increases on fixed-term tariffs
22nd Oct 2013 09:58
Energy regulator Ofgem on Tuesday unveiled new rules as part of its tougher stance on retail markets. Ofgem's tighter rules mean that energy suppliers are now banned from increasing prices on fixed-term tariffs in a bid to create a "simpler, clearer and fairer" energy market for customers. Build
Read moreEnQuest snaps up North Sea assets from Centrica, increases reserves
22nd Oct 2013 07:47
North Sea-focused oil and gas firm EnQuest is set to increase its reserves by 4.7m barrels of oil equivalents (mmboe) through the acquisition of a series of assets from Centrica. The firm is paying Centrica an initial consideration of $39.9m and assuming net debt of $5.1m for its entire 50% share i
Read moreBroker snap: Market overly cautious on SSE and Shanks, says Credit Suisse
18th Oct 2013 09:25
Credit Suisse has labelled SSE and Shanks as buying opportunities, saying that the market is overly cautious about these utility providers. Proposals by the Labour Party to freeze tariffs may have increased political risk perceptions in the industry, but this could be mitigated by reduced spend, Cr
Read moreFriday newspaper round-up: December taper, Barclays, Energy bills
18th Oct 2013 07:28
The US government shutdown sabotaged a crucial month of data and dealt a blow to the world's largest economy, but the Federal Reserve could still begin reducing its asset purchases as early as December. Analysts have slashed their growth forecasts for the fourth quarter to two per cent or below, wit
Read moreCentrica announces 9.2 per cent jump in household energy prices
17th Oct 2013 10:26
British Gas owner Centrica has unveiled an average 9.2 per cent leap in household energy prices. As of November 23rd, gas bills will jump 8.4%, while electricity will rocket 10.4%. The changes will add about £2 a week to the average dual fuel bill. The group blamed the increasing cost of buying
Read moreMonday broker round-up UPDATE
14th Oct 2013 08:46
Admiral Group: JP Morgan cuts target price from 1122p to 1022p maintaining an underweight rating. Balfour Beatty: Numis increases target price from 285p to 315p and stays with its add rating. Bankers Petroleum: Goldman Sachs takes target price from 365p to 379p and reiterates a buy recommendation.
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Persimmon boosted by 'Help to Buy' confidence
10th Oct 2013 14:35
House builder Persimmon was a high riser this afternoon as optimism over the government's 'Help to Buy' scheme continues to help the stock bounce off recent lows. The share price has now gained over 10 per cent over the last two days. Whitbread shares leapt on market chatter about a potential spin-
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks rebound strongly from three-month low
10th Oct 2013 11:16
UK markets jumped strongly on Thursday morning following three straight days of losses as hopes build over a resolution to the political deadlock in Washington and the continuation of monetary stimulus by the Federal Reserve. After hitting a three-month low yesterday, the FTSE 100 rebounded strong
Read moreLondon open: Stocks rise on hopes over US deal, taper delay
10th Oct 2013 08:22
Stocks gained strongly on Thursday morning as signs of progress in Washington and hopes over a continuation of US monetary stimulus prompted bargain hunters to step in following three straight days of losses. The FTSE 100 set a fresh three-month low of 6,337.91 on Wednesday afternoon, its worst lev
Read moreFriday broker round-up UPDATE
4th Oct 2013 09:32
Aberdeen Asset Management: JP Morgan lowers target price from 523p to 509p maintaining an overweight rating. Admiral Group: Canaccord Genuity cuts target price from 1200p to 1160p retaining its sell recommendation. API Group: Numis downgrades to add with a target price of 85p. Arbuthnot Banking G
Read moreLondon close: Late rally not enough as FTSE 100 falls for fourth straight day
2nd Oct 2013 16:43
A slight bounce in the UK-listed mining sector saw the FTSE 100 rally on Wednesday afternoon but the index still finished firmly in the red, setting a fresh one-month low as political uncertainty in the US and Italy continued to weigh on sentiment. The FTSE 100 finished down 22.51 points at 6,437.5
Read moreLondon midday: ECB, political uncertainty in focus as stocks fall
2nd Oct 2013 11:27
The FTSE 100 suffered steep losses on Wednesday morning as buyers showed caution ahead of a policy decision in Europe, whilst political uncertainty in the US and Italy continues to erode risk appetite. The all-important European Central Bank (ECB) policy decision is due at 12:45 this afternoon, tho
Read moreLondon close: Stocks at one-month low on looming US shutdown
30th Sep 2013 16:36
Stocks were firmly lower on Monday as risk appetite was reduced in the face of a looming partial shutdown of the US government after a weekend of no progress in Washington. Political instability in Italy also dampened the mood today as well as disappointing economic data from China, with falls in t
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Miners weigh heavily after Chinese data disappoints
30th Sep 2013 14:19
Mining stocks declining sharply today on the back of the disappointing data from the world's top metals user, China. Fresnillo, Anglo American, Antofagasta, Glencore Xstrata and Rio Tinto were all falling sharply. China´s manufacturing sector purchasing managers´ index (PMI) for the month of Septe
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