Broker tips: RSA, Centrica, Hays
25th Feb 2010 13:40
RSA beat Panmure Gordon's forecast for profit at both the operating and pre-tax level and impressed the broker with a 7% hike in the final dividend. The insurer said operating profit fell 10% to £777m and pre-tax income dived 27% to £554m, but Panmure expected worse and likes 5% growth in UK motor
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie flatlines
25th Feb 2010 11:45
London's top stocks have retreated from the gains sparked by Royal Bank of Scotland's numbers. RBS shares are up by more than 6% after the part-nationalised bank saw its net attributable loss narrow markedly in 2009 with fourth quarter impairments 5% lower than the third quarter. Net attributabl
Read moreBroker snap: Centrica among Ambrian's favourites
25th Feb 2010 11:33
Investors have warmed to British Gas-owner Centrica following a good set of full-year results and indications that 2010 has started well. An 18% fall in pre-tax profits to £1.64bn reflected a change in the operating profit mix, with a shift from upstream to downstream, while the lower tax rate on d
Read moreLondon open: Miners offset RBS rally
25th Feb 2010 08:12
London's top stocks opened lower despite a set of despite figures from RBS suggesting there is light at the end of the tunnel for the bank. The drop comes even though Royal Bank of Scotland's shares jumped by more than 6% after the open. The part-nationalised bank saw its net attributable loss na
Read moreLondon pre-open: Stocks set to slide
25th Feb 2010 07:43
London is set to open lower despite a set of figures from RBS which suggested there is light at the end of the tunnel for the bank. City traders expect the blue-chip index to open around 26 points lower at 5,316. Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) saw its net attributable loss narrow markedly in 2009 to
Read moreCentrica breaks through billion pound profit barrier
25th Feb 2010 07:01
British Gas owner Centrica bounced back through the billion pound profit barrier and announced a 5% dividend rise. Profit on a continuing basis was up 15% to £1.104bn in the year ended 31 December (2008: £964m). The increase resulted primarily from a lower tax charge of £531m (2008: £1.026bn). Reve
Read moreThursday preview: RBS, BATS, Capita
24th Feb 2010 16:23
It seems like the London stock market has been treading water all week waiting for results from the part-nationalised banks Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and Lloyds Banking. RBS is first out of the traps on Thursday and although investment analysts' opinions vary wildly on the likely scale of the c
Read moreBroker tips: Income stocks, AB Foods, Reed Elsevier
22nd Feb 2010 13:11
Barclays Capital is advising its clients to buy 'high quality dividend stocks' as dividend yields trade close to historical highs relative to bond yields. Barclays Capital (BarCap) has identified 20 European high quality dividend stocks, a list that includes UK stocks Cable & Wireless, RSA, BP, Ast
Read moreBroker snap: Divi stocks back in vogue
22nd Feb 2010 13:06
Barclays Capital is advising its clients to buy 'high quality dividend stocks' as dividend yields trade close to historical highs relative to bond yields. 'After the 60% rally since March 2009 led by financials and cyclicals, we have seen a reversal in style in the market over the last four weeks.
Read moreMonday newspaper round-up: Centrica, Recession, Royal Dutch Shell
25th Jan 2010 06:35
The cold winter weather this year will deliver a £100m boost to the profits of Britain's Big Six energy companies, according to forecasts by City analysts. Centrica, the owner of British Gas and Britain's largest gas and electricity supplier, with 16m customers, is likely to be the biggest single
Read moreBroker tips: Centrica, SABMiller, Davis Service
12th Jan 2010 12:53
Having selected Centrica as its top UK pick for 2010, Nomura Securities has decided to 'put a little more meat on the bones' and explain why. For a stock that 'delivers sector beating EPS [earnings per share] growth' Centrica's valuation of 11.4 times forecast 2010 earnings lags undeservedly behin
Read moreBroker snap: Centrica is Nomura's top UK pick
12th Jan 2010 09:06
Having selected Centrica as its top UK pick for 2010, Nomura Securities has decided to 'put a little more meat on the bones' and explain why. For a stock that 'delivers sector beating EPS [earnings per share] growth' Centrica's valuation of 11.4 times forecast 2010 earnings lags undeservedly behin
Read moreSunday newspaper round-up: British Gas, British Airways, Bonuses
10th Jan 2010 11:21
Energy companies have been accused of profiteering by failing to pass on steep falls in world gas prices to consumers at a time when bitterly cold weather means soaring bills for tens of millions of customers. Consumer watchdog Consumer Focus is calling for a Competition Commission investigation to
Read moreWednesday paper round-up: Snow, Bonus tax, Cadbury
6th Jan 2010 06:25
The heaviest snowfall in almost 50 years is hitting parts of Britain as Arctic weather brought nationwide chaos, the Telegraph reports. As the country was plunged into one of its worst winters for decades, the Met Office issued an emergency weather warning for all counties of the UK. The South, inc
Read moreLondon close: Footsie hits one-month high
23rd Dec 2009 16:23
The UK's leading index lost a chunk of its gains late on as weak housing data hurt Wall Street, although London still registered its best close in over a month. Despite predictably quiet trade, the FTSE 100 ended ahead for the third session in a row and as high as it's been since 16 November. It w
Read more