Centrica's Carr spends £100,000
17th May 2011 16:00
Centrica's chairman Sir Roger Carr has doubled his stake in the energy supplier, spending £100,000. He bought 31,920 shares at 313.3p a time and now has 58,361. Carr has been chairman of Centrica since 2004. He was also chairman of Cadbury until the chocolate manufacturer was taken over by the US
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Aggreko leads the fallers
16th May 2011 15:45
The Footsie has come off its lows but remains in the red, led by temporary power supplier Aggreko, who is trading over 3% lower. Engineers Invensys and Weir are also out of favour. Data software firm Autonomy is wanted after it announced that it is to boost its cloud computing capability with a $38
Read moreCentrica beefs up social housing presence
16th May 2011 08:53
Centrica's British Gas Community Energy division has acquired PH Jones Group, a provider of central heating services to the social housing market, for £30m in cash. The acquisition represents another step in energy supplier Centrica's strategy to beef up its presence in the social housing energy se
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Miners in full retreat
12th May 2011 14:39
The mining sector is out of favour Thursday as worries over global economic growth have caused continuing declines in commodity prices. Fresnillo, Antofagasta, Vedanta Resources, Eurasian Natural Resources Corp and Lonmin are among the worst performers. Meanwhile, the insurers are also on the dec
Read moreThursday newspaper round-up: British Gas v Ofgem, BoE v Starbucks, ECB
12th May 2011 06:06
Britain's top energy suppliers rounded on Ofgem yesterday, claiming that the regulator bore responsibility for eroding consumers' trust in them. The companies are unhappy with the populist tone adopted in the media by Ofgem's chief executive Alistair Buchanan. Phil Bentley, the managing director of
Read moreTuesday tips round-up: Serco, Lonmin, Eros
10th May 2011 06:30
That Serco's shares managed to remain strong throughout the session after the outsourcer issued an update yesterday is creditable. The update was reassuring, with the group saying that it remained on track to deliver on expectations for 2011. We do think that Serco is fairly valued at current levels
Read moreTuesday newspaper round-up: Microsoft/Skype, Greece, renewables
10th May 2011 06:09
Microsoft is in advanced discussions about purchasing Skype, the internet telephone company, a person close to the company said, in what would be one of the US technology company's largest deals as it seeks to revitalise its business. A deal between the two companies could be announced as early as T
Read moreLondon close: Lower finish for FTSE 100
9th May 2011 16:44
The top share index closed in the red despite a bright start to the day, continuing the volatile performance seen last week. Energy supplier Centrica is a struggler after saying it expects profits growth in 2011 to be more subdued than previously anticipated due to the new tax regime on UK oil pro
Read moreSector movers: Centrica dampens utility stocks
9th May 2011 14:07
Centrica is providing a drag in the gas, water and multiutilities sector, the worst performing sector of the day. The energy group is currently the heaviest faller on the FTSE 100 after it said it expects profits growth in 2011 to be more subdued than previously anticipated due to the new tax regim
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Inmarsat rises, banks fall
9th May 2011 13:32
Satellite communications giant Inmarsat is topping the risers after first quarter revenue rose by 15% boosted by payments from its agreement with US telecom group LightSquared. The banking sector is under the weather: Barclays' shares fell after it reported that it is setting aside £1bn to cover t
Read moreLondon midday: FTSE 100 lower on volatile day
9th May 2011 12:07
The FTSE 100 is in the red after giving up an early recovery on what is turning out to be another choppy day for the top share index. Energy supplier Centrica is a struggler after saying it expects profits growth in 2011 to be more subdued than previously anticipated due to the new tax regime on UK
Read moreLondon open: Stocks give up gains
9th May 2011 08:28
Stocks have fallen back after Friday's surge, with company updates sending shares in both directions. Energy supplier Centrica is an early struggler after saying it expects profits growth in 2011 to be more subdued than previously anticipated due to the new tax regime on UK oil production. The incr
Read moreLondon pre-open: Profit takers hold sway
9th May 2011 07:39
After Friday afternoon's surge on the back of better than expected US jobless data investors looks set to be quick to bank profits at the start of the new week. City traders expect London's blue-chip index to open almost 30 points lower at around 5,947. Energy supplier Centrica expects profits grow
Read moreNew North Sea oil taxes to hit Centrica
9th May 2011 07:06
Energy supplier Centrica expects profits growth in 2011 to be more subdued than previously anticipated due to the new tax regime on UK oil production. Centrica, which operates British Gas and also has oil and gas production operations, says the increase in the Supplementary Charge (SCT) rate from 2
Read moreLondon close: FTSE 100 soars past 6,000
1st Apr 2011 16:38
Shares have moved back above the 6,000 point mark as economic data from the US stoked optimism. Private non-farm payrolls rose by 216,000 in March, versus consensus expectations for a 190,000 person increase. Also, the unemployment rate fell unexpectedly, to 8.8% (Consensus: 8.9%). Average hourly e
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