London midday: Footsie loses some sparkle
11th Jan 2010 11:38
Footsie has lost some sheen as miners and property groups have given back some of their early gains. Brokers have been busy with a Citigroup review of the oil sector boosting Cairn Energy. The broker says that fast-tracking the multiwell exploration drilling programme in Greenland has made the grou
Read moreLondon open: Another bright start
11th Jan 2010 08:49
London's top stocks have opened strongly with good gains for resource stocks sending the index sharply higher. Cairn Energy leads the oil sector, while demand is strong for Rio Tinto, Kazakhmys and Fresnillo among the miners. Silver miner Fresnillo has also dropped out of the race for Canadian mini
Read moreLondon close: RBS leads the charge
4th Jan 2010 17:12
A strong start to the year on Wall Street gave London a boost, prompting the blue-chip index to finish at its highest point for the day. Part-nationalised lender Royal Bank of Scotland's led the advance after Exane BNP Paribas suggested that 'fundamental (rather than purely speculative) investor in
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Resource stocks on top
4th Jan 2010 12:11
Resource stocks are lifting Footsie higher with Cairn Energy on top of the pile after saying it has secured a second drilling rig to assist its exploration programme in the Disko West area offshore Greenland in the second half of 2010. Royal Bank of Scotland is not far behind, despite confirming th
Read moreLondon open: Positive start to new decade
4th Jan 2010 08:11
Footsie has started the new decade on a positive note, with Cairn Energy and Royal Bank of Scotland leading the way. Cairn Energy is this morning's best performer on news that the oil explorer has secured a second drilling rig to assist its exploration programme in the Disko West area offshore Gree
Read moreLondon pre-open: Footsie seen starting weaker
4th Jan 2010 07:35
Footsie is expected to start the new decade on a slightly weaker note, with company news thin on the ground. The sale of Royal Bank of Scotland's Pakistan unit has fallen through after the deal failed to get the necessary regulatory approvals and complete before the 31 December deadline. Government
Read moreCairn Energy secures second Greenland rig
4th Jan 2010 07:06
Oil explorer Cairn Energy has secured a second drilling rig to assist its exploration programme in the Disko West area offshore Greenland in the second half of 2010. The rig, the Stena Don, will work alongside the Stena Forth, and help increase Cairn's operational flexibility and capability in its
Read moreLondon close: Dull day for blue chips
30th Dec 2009 16:44
Footsie closed near its low for the day after banks and miners turned down on very low volumes ahead of a short day's trading tomorrow. A flat start on Wall Street didn't help, but it was Royal Bank of Scotland, Barclays and Standard Chartered that led the the banks down while miners Fresnillo, Rio
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks slip lower
30th Dec 2009 11:43
Tops stocks are lower with two of the bigger sectors of the market weighing. Royal Bank of Scotland, Barclays and Standard Chartered are down amongst the banks while miners Fresnillo, Rio Tinto, Lonmin and Anglo American also fall. Petrofac, the oil services firm, is outperforming after news of
Read moreLondon open: Very quiet start
30th Dec 2009 09:03
There is very little movement so far this morning among London's blue chips despite a dip overnight in Asia as investors fretted about metal prices. Oil shares in contrast are strong this morning as the price of crude rose to $79 on the prospect of a very cold US winter and rising longer term deman
Read moreLondon close: Footsie at 15-month high
24th Dec 2009 12:28
Miners pushed London sharply higher in a shortened trading session Thursday, getting the leading index up to 5,400 briefly and to its highest close since September 2008. Silver producer Fresnillo is top of the table on stronger metal prices, with BHP Billiton, Vedanta Resources and Rio Tinto also h
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 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 close: Oils and pharmas shine
22nd Dec 2009 17:09
London equities added to the previous day's gains although a late pull-back ensured that rises were not as extensive as yesterday. Oil stocks and pharmaceuticals led the way higher. Cairn Energy enjoyed another strong day after it announced yesterday that it would start its drilling programme in G
Read moreLondon afternoon: Shares off the top
22nd Dec 2009 14:28
Leading shares came off the top over the lunch time period but most are still sporting reasonable gains, leaving the Footsie still within striking distance of its high for the year. Oil stocks are driving the index higher, particularly Cairn Energy and Royal Dutch Shell. Cairn Energy is enjoying
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