Monday 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 moreSSE buys Walney wind farm stake from DONG
23rd Dec 2009 14:48
Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) is buying a 25.1% interest in the Walney offshore wind farm in the Irish Sea for up to £39m. The 367MW (megawatt) wind farm, being built 14km west of the Isle of Walney, is owned by Danish state-controlled oil and gas group DONG Energy, which will keep a 74.9% sta
Read moreLondon afternoon: Gains trimmed
23rd Dec 2009 14:16
London saw its gains pared over the lunch time session in predictably quiet trading. Around one-third of Footsie constituents are now in the red, compared to around one-fifth at midday. Included among the laggards is Cairn Energy, which gives back some of the chunky gains racked up over the first t
Read moreLondon midday: M&A activity keeps shares bubbling
23rd Dec 2009 12:14
The FTSE 100 index hit a 52-week high in the morning session as the pre-Christmas advance continued. Bank of England policymakers voted unanimously to keep interest rates at 0.5% and their programme of quantitative easing (QE) at £200bn when they met earlier this month, it emerged today. Mining gi
Read moreCentrica sells 50% wind farm stake for £50m
23rd Dec 2009 11:53
British Gas owner Centrica has agreed to sell a 50% equity stake in its 270 megawatt (MW) Lincs offshore wind farm for £50m in cash. The buyers, Danish state-controlled oil and gas group DONG Energy and Siemens Project Ventures, part of Germany's Siemens Financial Services, are expected to complete
Read moreBroker tips: Centrica, Logica, Aggreko
18th Dec 2009 13:13
Japanese broking house Nomura Securities has published a report on the outlook in 2010 for the European Utilities sector in which it identifies energy provider Centrica as one of its three top buys of the year. Centrica 'has become master of its own destiny through a combination of upstream acquisi
Read moreBroker snap: Nomura lauds Centrica
18th Dec 2009 12:55
Japanese broking house Nomura Securities has published a report on the outlook in 2010 for the European Utilities sector in which it identifies energy provider Centrica as one of its three top buys of the year. Centrica 'has become master of its own destiny through a combination of upstream acquisi
Read moreSunday newspaper round-up: Dubai, Yell, Banks
29th Nov 2009 12:08
Abu Dhabi is this weekend putting together a rescue package for Dubai, its debt-laden Gulf neighbour, in an attempt to restore calm in panicked international markets, according to the Sunday Times. The FT adds that Dubai's government is preparing a campaign to persuade the holders of a bond due for
Read moreLondon close: Footsie at one-week high
25th Nov 2009 16:06
Welcome results from Compass and investors' insatiable appetite for mining stocks helped London's blue chip index finish the session near the top of the day's range. A small improvement to the third quarter gross domestic product figure brought some relief. The Office of National Statistics said th
Read moreLondon afternoon: Compass leads London north
25th Nov 2009 14:01
A marginal improvement to the third quarter gross domestic product figures has lifted spirits in London, overshadowing some mixed corporate updates. The Office of National Statistics (ONS) said the UK economy shrank less than previously estimated in the third quarter, contracting by 0.3% between J
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