London close: Footsie pares gains after gloomy GDP data

25th Apr 2012 16:36

- UK back in recession, GDP figures show - Markets await FOMC statement - Miners gain after China says growth will be 'robust' Despite a strong start, the FTSE 100 finished only mildly higher on Wednesday afternoon as investors digested some worse-than-expected UK economic data. The Office for Nat

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FTSE 100 movers: Miners leap on Chinese PM's comments

25th Apr 2012 15:21

Miners were in demand following comments from Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao that the government is committed to reforms in the country that are expected to ensure growth in the second-largest economy in the world remains robust. Vedanta was the biggest riser, up over four per cent, with Xstrat

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London midday: Stocks pare gains after GDP data

25th Apr 2012 11:54

- Footsie gains despite GDP data - Draghi continues to see downside risks - ARM rises on Apple earnings, broker upgrades After a strong start, the FTSE 100 index pared gains in mid-morning trade following some gloomy economic data that showed that the UK fell back into a 'technical' recession in th

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London open: Stocks rise ahead of GDP data

25th Apr 2012 08:16

- Q1 GDP expected to be flat - ARM up on upgrades, Apple earnings - Ex-div stocks lead the downside Stocks rose moderately in early trade on Wednesday as the Footsie still attempts to recover from Monday's steep sell-off. The release of first-quarter gross domestic product (GDP) figures for the UK

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Energy companies to tell you their lowest tariffs

11th Apr 2012 08:15

The UK's biggest energy providers have done a deal with the government that will see them write to customers every year to tell them what their best tariff is and how to get it. The six firms, EDF, E.On, British Gas, Southern, Scottish Power and NPower, supply 99% of British homes with energy. The

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Capital Shopping Deputy Chairman fills his basket

10th Apr 2012 15:54

John Whittaker, Deputy Chairman of Capital Shopping Centres, the FTSE 100 shopping centre operator, has taken 28,250 shares to the till. His purchases, 324.80p each, cost him a total of £124,236. Whittaker may have been making the most of the firm's share price, which is down 68p or 17.5% over th

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Monday broker round-up

2nd Apr 2012 09:26

Ashtead: Jefferies reiterates buy rating and 300p target. Bodycote: Jefferies maintains buy recommendation and 475p target; Investec raises target from 400p to 410p, buy rating kept. BT Group: Jefferies raises target from 237p to 268p, buy rating maintained. Centrica: Investec ups target from 423

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Carillion bags contracts with Centrica and Gatwick

28th Mar 2012 07:02

Support services firm Carillion has won two support services and construction contracts worth a total of 95m pounds. The first is with FTSE 100 utilities giant Centrica, which owns British Gas, to provide it with facilities and energy efficiency services for 92 properties with a total area of 8.6m

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London midday: Macro data weighs on stocks

22nd Mar 2012 11:43

- PMIs disappoint from China and Eurozone - Miners down on demand concerns, Randgold plummets on Malian military coup - Broker downgrades weigh on stocks The Footsie was firmly lower by lunchtime as a result of heavy losses in the mining sector on the back of some gloomy economic data from China.

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Broker tips: Utilities, Laird, Bookmakers

22nd Mar 2012 11:41

While Nomura has maintained a bearish view on the UK utilities sector, yesterday's Budget did include a cut in corporation tax leading the broker to upgrade its target prices for utilities under its coverage. Nomura made the following changes to its ratings/reiterations in the utilities sector toda

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Broker snap: Nomura lifts targets for utilities after Budget

22nd Mar 2012 10:26

While Nomura has maintained a bearish view on the UK utilities sector, yesterday's Budget did include a cut in corporation tax leading the broker to upgrade its target prices for utilities under its coverage. Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne announced yesterday that the planned sequence o

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Thursday broker round-up

22nd Mar 2012 09:58

AMEC: JP Morgan Cazenove downgrades from overweight to neutral, target lifted from 1,252p to 1,344p. AstraZeneca: Liberium Capital upgrades from sell to buy, target lifted from 2,700p to 3,100p. British Land: Espirto Santo downgrades from buy to neutral. Capital Shopping Centres Group: Societe Ge

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Broker tips: Unilever, Regus, Energy stocks

20th Mar 2012 11:19

Investec has cut its recommendation for food and cosmetic goods giant Unilever from buy to hold and cut its target price from 2,170p to 2,100p - the first time it has downgraded the stock in 17 years. While the broker says it is still an admirer of the company, two things are a cause for concern: a

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Broker snap: Uncertainty persists in the energy sector, says Nomura

20th Mar 2012 10:17

Nomura has highlighted National Grid and United Utilities as its key picks in the UK utilities sector, but has warned that uncertainties still remain given the current climate and regulatory intervention. "Energy continues to be a contentious issue in UK politics - the economic downturn, combined w

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Tuesday broker round-up

20th Mar 2012 10:04

Aggreko: Credit Suisse raises target from 2,140p to 2,350p, neutral rating kept. ARM Holdings: BarCap upgrades from equal weight to overweight, target lifted from 700p to 725p; Investec upgrades from hold to buy, target lifted from 640p to 800p. Centrica: Nomura raises target from 340p to 350p, n

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