London open: Stocks fall as markets await Carney's forward guidance
7th Aug 2013 08:31
Markets opened with moderate losses on Wednesday morning as investors turned nervous ahead of the Bank of England's inflation report, the first under the governorship of Mark Carney. The heavyweight mining sector was again providing a drag on the FTSE 100 as metals prices fell, while a number of b
Read moreThursday newspaper round-up: RBS, Centrica, BP
1st Aug 2013 06:49
Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) is expected to appoint Ross McEwan as its new Chief Executive as soon as Thursday, The Telegraph reported. McEwan, a New Zealander who heads the taxpayer-backed lender's retail operations in the UK, is considered the leading candidate to take over from Stephen Hester, wh
Read moreLondon close: Stocks rally on US data as eyes turn to Fed
31st Jul 2013 16:39
After a cautious start, the FTSE 100 rallied strongly in afternoon trade following some strong economic data from the US, though markets pulled back slightly from their intraday highs by the close as investors awaited a key policy announcement from the Federal Reserve. London's benchmark index fini
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Investors toast solid annual results from Diageo
31st Jul 2013 15:11
Diageo, the beverages company behind the Guinness, Baileys and Smirnoff brands, was a high riser on Wednesday after delivering a solid five per cent increase in full-year net sales, driven by strength in the North American and spirits markets. Drinks company SABMiller was also making gains. Centric
Read moreLondon midday: Markets celebrate fall in Eurozone unemployment
31st Jul 2013 12:03
A fall in unemployment in Europe and some well-received corporate earnings pushed the FTSE 100 into positive territory on Wednesday morning, as traders showed optimism ahead of a policy announcement by the Federal Reserve later this evening. Some 24,000 fewer people were without a job in the Eurozo
Read moreBritish Gas owner Centrica benefits from cold snap this winter
31st Jul 2013 09:22
The unusually cold weather this winter helped drive an increase in revenue at Centrica, the energy company which owns British Gas, which hailed a 'robust' financial performance in the six months to June 30th. Group revenue from continuing operations was up 14% at £13.7bn after customers used more
Read moreLondon open: Markets flat as investors await FOMC, economic data
31st Jul 2013 09:06
Markets in the UK opened broadly flat on Wednesday morning as investors adopted a wait-and-see approach ahead of a policy announcement from the Federal Reserve. All eyes will be on the Federal Open Market Committee as its two-day meeting comes to a close this evening. While few actually think that
Read moreCentrica expands US gas supply through acquisition of Hess unit
30th Jul 2013 11:23
Centrica, the energy company which owns British Gas, is hoping to become the leading business-to-business (B2B) gas supplier in the Eastern US through the purchase of a unit of Hess Corporation. Centrica's North American subsidiary Direct Energy Business is to buy the New Jersey-based Energy Market
Read moreLondon open: Stocks fall after gloomy figures from Microsoft, Google
19th Jul 2013 08:13
The FTSE 100 pulled back from a seven-week high on Friday morning after disappointing results from some Wall Street heavyweights last night. London's benchmark index closed at 6,634 on Thursday; the last time the index finished higher was on May 30th when it closed at 6,657. Both the S&P 500 and
Read moreSunday newspaper round-up: ITEM Club, Morrison, Invensys
14th Jul 2013 14:11
When it issues its summer report, tomorrow, top economic forecaster ITEM Club will argue the economic recovery is real and solid and forecast that exports could jump by almost 5 per cent in 2014. The Club, which is independent, but bases its forecasts on the Treasury's own economic model, will predi
Read moreLondon midday: Markets extend gains despite concerns over China
12th Jul 2013 12:11
Strong gains in the financial sectors were lifting markets higher on Friday despite concerns over a slowdown in China, as investors continued to focus on dovish comments from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke. Stock futures on Wall Street were pointing to a positive start on Friday, extending g
Read moreLondon open: Markets extend gains after record highs on Wall Street
12th Jul 2013 08:51
Markets looked set to end the week on a high note with financial stocks lifting the FTSE 100 higher in early trading on Friday, as sentiment was buoyed by record highs on Wall Street last night. Both the Dow Jones and S&P 500 indices closed at their highest ever levels on Thursday, while the Nasdaq
Read moreLondon pre-open: FTSE 100 to extend recent gains early on
12th Jul 2013 07:45
Markets are expected to open slightly higher on Friday, building on the previous day's gains which sent the FTSE 100 to its highest level in over a month. City sources predict the FTSE 100 will open up 11 points from yesterday's close of 6,543. The last time the index had finished above that level
Read moreCentrica puts some Bounce in US growth strategy
12th Jul 2013 07:04
British Gas owner Centrica has sealed a cash deal to buy Bounce Energy, a Texas-based electricity retailer with an innovative digital strategy. Centrica's North American subsidiary, Direct Energy, will pay $46m (£30m) cash and some extra working capital to acquire the new business. Bounce's innova
Read moreThursday broker round-up UPDATE
27th Jun 2013 07:36
Antofagasta: Investec cuts target price from 892p to 691p downgrading from reduce to sell. Black Mountain Resources: Westhouse Securities shifts target price from 23p to 17p, while its buy recommendation remains unaltered. Bunzl: Numis upgrades to buy with a target price of 1505p. Capita: Jefferi
Read more