London open: Markets await news from Greece
8th Mar 2012 08:34
- Greek debt-swap participation rate estimated at 60 percent. - Markets await policy decisions from BoE, ECB. - ARM rises after iPad launch, Morrison jumps on strong 2011. London's blue chip index continued its strong performance ahead of policy decisions from the Bank of England (BoE) and the Euro
Read moreLondon open: Stocks fall ahead of Greek debt-swap
6th Mar 2012 08:33
- IIF warns of 1trn euro damage to Eurozone. - Fresnillo bucks sector trend to rise after results. - Defensives in demand. With just a couple days to go before the Greek debt-swap deadline, investors were in a cautious mood as the Footsie slipped lower in early trading on Tuesday. Europe is awaiti
Read moreLondon close: Footsie falls, banks rise but miners provide a drag
2nd Mar 2012 16:33
- Kazakhmys drops after broker downgrades. - Banks jumps after Goldman comments. - Eurogroup releases 58bn euros but delays full Greek bailout. - 25 EU members sign fiscal pact. The FTSE 100 fell close to its lowest levels of the day on Friday as Eurozone concerns continued to dampen the mood. A
Read moreLondon open: Footsie flat after Eurogroup delays full Greek bailout
2nd Mar 2012 08:33
- Eurogroup releases 58bn euros but delays full Greek bailout. - ECB 'reasonably satisfied' with LTRO - International Power rises on Indonesian deal. The Footsie opened flat in early trading on Friday on news that European leaders have delayed the decision to fully bail out Greece for another 10 da
Read moreLondon close: US data provides a lift
23rd Feb 2012 16:28
- US data comes in better-than-expected. - EC cuts GDP estimates across the board. - RBS, Capita lead risers after full-year results. London's blue chip index finished strongly on Thursday, gaining nearly 40 points in the final two hours, after some better-than-expected economic data Stateside bo
Read moreLondon midday: Gains trimmed after gloomy EU growth forecasts
23rd Feb 2012 11:56
- EC cuts GDP estimates across the board. - RBS, Capita lead risers after full-year results. - German IFO survey comes in at six-month high. After a strong start, gains for the Footsie were pared by lunchtime after the European Commission cut its forecasts for economic growth. The market reaction t
Read moreUpstream top ranking at Centrica
23rd Feb 2012 11:03
Centrica is best known as a household energy provider operating under the British Gas and Scottish Gas brands, but it is the firm's gas and power producing assets that are driving profits growth. The firm announced an underlying operating profit of £2,415m for 2011, up a smidgen from 2010's £2,390m
Read moreLondon open: RBS provides a boost early on
23rd Feb 2012 08:25
- RBS leads banks higher after results. - Capita rises strongly after bullish outlook. - EU expected to cut Eurozone GDP forecasts. The Footsie opened slightly higher on Thursday as the markets digested a host of results, with heavyweights such as Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), Capita, Centrica, RSA
Read moreLondon pre-open: Markets set for a flat start
23rd Feb 2012 07:32
City sources predict the FTSE 100 will open flat following yesterday's close of 5,917, with investor focus likely to be on RBS results and somewhat dampened by a fall seen across the major US indices last night. Provisions for mis-selling of payment protection insurance schemes and Greek debt ens
Read moreExceptional items dent Centrica's profits
23rd Feb 2012 07:03
Gas and electricity provider Centrica said it put in a resilient performance in challenging conditions in 2011. Revenue edged up to £22.8bn from £22.4bn in 2010, ahead of market expectations of £21.9bn. The British Gas owner, which has been buying up its own energy producing assets of late to ensur
Read moreThursday preview: RBS, RSA, BATs, Capita, Centrica
22nd Feb 2012 18:43
The long awaited results from Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) are due out on Thursday, but the editorialising over bankers' bonuses has already started, with reports emerging on Wednesday that the part-nationalised lender is planning on giving out massive pay-outs to members of its investment banking d
Read moreOfgem proposes utilities competition regulation
22nd Feb 2012 15:00
Ofgem has put forward proposals for mandatory sales of 25% of the annual electicity generated by the six largest utility firms in a bid to improve competition. The UK power market watchdog has suggested that the 'big six' be obligated to sell key products for delivery ranging from three months to
Read moreLondon pre-open: Stocks set to edge higher
22nd Feb 2012 07:33
City sources predict the FTSE 100 will open slightly higher, up 6 points from yesterday's close of 5,928 as investors balance relief over this week's Greek bailout deal with concerns over its ability to effectively deal with the economic situation. Anglo-Dutch integrated oil company Royal Dutch S
Read moreCentrica buys North Sea assets from Total
22nd Feb 2012 07:04
British Gas owner Centrica is to acquire the Total E&P UK's non-operated portfolio of producing oil and gas assets (and associated infrastructure) in the Central North Sea (CNS). The acquisition, worth $388m (£246m), is expected to add around 5% to Centrica's existing 2P (proven plus probable) rese
Read moreCiti may be exposed to painful losses on Centrica stake
16th Feb 2012 10:00
Morgan Stanley and Citi may have been left with potentially risky exposures to Danish telecoms company TDC and UK gas supplier Centrica, respectively. That after undertaking 'block trades' in shares of those two companies, the Financial Times (FT) reports, which may expose both banks to "painful lo
Read more