London pre-open: Asian fears to prompt early sell-off
21st Nov 2011 07:20
City sources are expecting the FTSE 100 to open down 42 points this morning from Friday's close of 5,363, as fears over the global economy are fueled by worrying news from Singapore and Japan. Japan's Ministry of Finance revealed that exports fell by an annual rate of 3.7% last month, the first de
Read moreCentrica in £13bn tie up with Statoil
21st Nov 2011 07:02
Centrica, the company which owns British Gas, has signed a deal with the Norwegian company Statoil to buy £13bn worth of gas over ten years. The deal, which will run from 2015 will provide the UK with 50bn cubic metres of gas or the equivalent of 5% of total UK demand. In a separate transaction, C
Read moreSector movers: Falling copper price hits industrial metals stocks
17th Nov 2011 16:15
With metals prices taking a hit on euro fears, the industrial metals and mining sector was the worst performer of the day. Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange fell to $7,584 a tonne in the afternoon, down from $7,730 at yesterday's close, as investors showed concerns that the escalating
Read moreLondon open: Retailers dip as consumer confidence dives
17th Nov 2011 09:07
After yesterday's shake-out on Wall Street, London's blue-chips are mostly lower, though trading updates have generated some bright spots. Centrica, which trades under the British Gas brand, is not one of the those bright spots, after it warned that full-year earnings will be a bit lower than the m
Read moreCentrica issues profit warning as it feels the heat
17th Nov 2011 07:34
The latest update from energy provider Centrica suggests that every silver lining has a cloud, as the company warned that the recent warm spell in the UK will hit full-year earnings. The company, which operates under the British Gas and Scottish Gas brands, said full-year earnings may be marginally
Read moreLondon pre-open: Centrica not enjoying warm spell
17th Nov 2011 07:29
Stocks are set to drift lower at the outset as the market absorbs yesterday's gloomy report from the Bank of England. City sources predict the FTSE 100 will open down 24 points from yesterday's close of 5,509. Centrica, which trades under the British Gas brand, warned that full-year earnings will
Read moreThursday newspaper round-up: City jobs, Retail sales, British Gas
17th Nov 2011 06:59
BNP Paribas, Merrill Lynch and Nomura became the latest major banks to announce job cuts on Wednesday as falling revenues forced them to follow several rivals and shed staff.(...) BNP Paribas said it would cut about 1,400 jobs in its investment banking division, which employs several thousand staff
Read moreLondon open: Footsie up as Eurozone fears ease
11th Nov 2011 08:21
London's blue chips were on the rise in the opening minutes following on from moderate gains seen on Wall Street last night and in Asian markets this morning. News of a new national unity government in Italy and the revealing of a new Greek prime minister has calmed fears slightly elsewhere in the E
Read moreLondon pre-open: Moderate gains expected
11th Nov 2011 07:17
The Footsie is expected to open up moderately higher following on from moderate gains seen on Wall Street last night and in Asian markets this morning. City sources predict that the FTSE 100 will open up around 38 points from yesterday's close of 5,445. The blue chip index is looking for a quick c
Read moreCentrica subsidiary makes £30m acquisition
11th Nov 2011 07:09
Centrica's North American subsidiary, Direct Energy, has acquired the home protection plan business Home Warranty of America (HWA) for $48m (£30m) in cash. The acquisition was made to enable Direct Energy to use it as a national platform to build and grow an extensive protection plan business in th
Read moreUPDATE: Monday broker round-up
31st Oct 2011 10:17
Homeserve: Citi retains sell, cuts target to 400p from 430p. Virgin Media: Citi stays at buy, lowers target to $32 from $35.7. Homeserve: Credit Suisse downgrades from outperform to neutral, target cut from 570p to 485p. Removes from small and medium cap Focus list. JJB Sports: Panmure Gordon d
Read moreLondon close: Buoyant RBS, Barclays and Lloyds boost FTSE 100
23rd Sep 2011 16:38
Stocks rediscovered their earlier strength, but only after tumbling below the 5,000 point mark on another volatile day for the leading share index. Banks were prominent among the risers, with Barclays, Lloyds and RBS posting decent gains, after talk of a 50 basis point cut in European Central Bank
Read moreLondon midday: FTSE 100 below 5,000 points
23rd Sep 2011 12:04
This morning's rally is a distant memory now with stocks tumbling below the 5,000 point mark as nerves set in again. Miners are prominent in the firing line as metals prices slide, with Xstrata and Kazakhmys sharply lower. Gold miner Centamin Egypt is also suffering big losses. Copper fell by 7%.
Read moreLondon open: Lloyds, RBS and Barclays lead rally
23rd Sep 2011 08:14
Shares have staged an impressive rally after yesterday's slide, with banking trip Lloyds, RBS and Barclays setting the pace in the FTSE 100. They are joined higher by private equity investor 3i, which warned that falling stock markets will lead to an inevitable fall in the value of its portfolio at
Read moreCentrica corrals Texan energy retailer
23rd Sep 2011 07:47
Centrica, which trades as British Gas and Scottish Gas in Britain, is expanding its retail energy business in the deep south of the USA, with the acquisition of a Texas firm. Centrica North American subsidiary, Direct Energy, is paying $270m (£175m) for energy retailer First Choice Power. First Ch
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