London open: Markets tentative ahead of economic data
26th Sep 2013 08:19
Markets opened tentatively on Thursday morning as investors awaited economic growth figures from both sides of the Atlantic due out later on. Wall Street benchmarks ended Wednesday's session slightly lower with the S&P 500 finishing in the red for the fifth straight day - its longest losing streak
Read moreThursday tips round-up: Punch Taverns, DMGT, Energy utilities
26th Sep 2013 07:16
Equity investors in Punch Taverns now have their backs against the wall. The company´s current quandary is such that it must either restructure its debt or face the risk of default. "These circumstances represent a material uncertainty that casts significant doubt on the ability of a significant par
Read moreThursday newspaper round-up: Property developers, ICAP, Centrica
26th Sep 2013 07:09
Three former interdealer brokers including one dubbed "Lord Libor" were charged with wire fraud and conspiracy on Wednesday as their former employer ICAP was revealed by US and UK authorities as a linchpin in the global rate-rigging scandal. The London-based interdealer broker paid 55m pounds to set
Read moreLondon close: FTSE 100 falls to two-week low
25th Sep 2013 16:41
Heavy falls from Carnival, Tesco and utility stocks weighed on the FTSE 100 on Wednesday while uncertainty over the US budget and Federal Reserve monetary policy continued to dampen sentiment. London's benchmark index finished 19.93 points lower at 6,551.53, a fall of 0.3% on the day. This was the
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Carnival continues to fall on poor Q3 results
25th Sep 2013 15:23
Cruise operator Carnival was a heavy faller for the second day in a row after the company disappointed with its third-quarter results and guidance for the full year. Morgan Stanley downgraded its rating on the stock this morning from 'equalweight' to 'underweight' and cut its full-year earnings pe
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks lower on Fed uncertainty
25th Sep 2013 11:26
Markets were choppy on Wednesday but trading firmly in the red by midday as investors awaited economic data from the US amid the ongoing uncertainty surrounding Federal Reserve monetary policy. Recent mixed economic data and conflicting comments by Fed officials over recent days continue to muddy t
Read moreLondon open: US budget, Fed policy in focus as stocks fall
25th Sep 2013 08:43
Ongoing budget talks in the States and uncertainty surrounding Federal Reserve monetary policy continues to weigh on market sentiment, with stocks falling into the red on Wednesday morning. Markets across Europe were trading lower early on, following on from a weak session in Asia overnight and the
Read moreCentrica criticises Labour plans to freeze energy bills - UPDATE
25th Sep 2013 08:37
Utility group Centrica has criticised the Labour party for its plans to halt rising energy prices. On Tuesday, Ed Miliband pledged to freeze gas and electricity bills from May 2015 to January 2017 if his party were to return to power in 2015. That would equal average savings of £120 for househol
Read moreWednesday newspaper round-up: Iran, Eurozone, bond market
25th Sep 2013 07:00
President Barack Obama and his Iranian counterpart, Hassan Rouhani, backed a new drive for diplomacy over Iran's nuclear programme on Tuesday. The US president told the UN that there was "the basis for a meaningful agreement".Mr Obama said he was directing John Kerry, US Secretary of State, to "purs
Read moreLondon close: Fed uncertainty, US debt ceiling weigh on stocks
23rd Sep 2013 16:27
Concerns about the US economy weighed heavily on global stock markets on Monday as investors focused on comments from Federal Reserve officials and the ongoing debt-ceiling debate. The FTSE 100 finished down 39.06 points on the day at 6,557.37. "Those of the opinion that stock markets have oversho
Read moreSector movers: Centrica drag utilities lower after shelving gas storage plans
23rd Sep 2013 15:04
Centrica was weighing on the utilities sector on Monday after the British Gas owner announced plans to shelve two gas storage projects. The group said it has decided not to proceed with its new-build gas storage project at Baird in the UK Southern North Sea and to put its project at Caythorpe in Ea
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Croda jumps on upgrade from Credit Suisse
23rd Sep 2013 14:22
Chemicals firm Croda was in the top spot after Credit Suisse upgraded its recommendation from 'neutral' to 'outperform' and hiked its target price from 2,600p to 3,000p. Telecoms giant Vodafone also gained after UBS raised its target price for the shares from 230p to 245p after including Kabel Deut
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks lower on German elections, US debt ceiling
23rd Sep 2013 11:18
Elections in Germany, an uncertain outlook for Federal Reserve monetary policy and a debate over the US debt ceiling weighed on markets on Monday morning, as traders shrugged off upbeat data from China and the Eurozone. The HSBC/Markit flash purchasing managers' index (PMI) for China's manufacturin
Read moreLondon open: Stocks slip despite Merkel victory in German elections
23rd Sep 2013 08:04
Stocks slipped into the red on Monday morning as investors digested this weekend's elections in Germany along with the uncertain outlook for monetary policy in the US. German Chancellor Angela Merkel's CDU/CSU party won 41.5% of the vote in the federal elections this weekend after winning 311 seats
Read moreLondon pre-open: Markets seen lower after German elections
23rd Sep 2013 07:35
Markets are expected to open slightly lower on Monday morning as investors digest this weekend's elections in Germany along with the uncertain outlook for monetary policy in the US. City sources predict the FTSE 100 will open down around eight points from Friday's close of 6,596.43. German Chance
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