London open: BP leads stocks higher on Greek optimism, stronger commodities
3rd Feb 2015 09:11
UK stocks surged on Tuesday on the back of optimism surrounding Greece's proposed debt plan, while rising commodity prices gave resource shares a boost. Within the first hour of trade, the FTSE 100 was up 1.1% at 6,857, led by gains in the oil and mining sectors, with BP among the best performers af
Read moreLondon pre-open: Greek debt plan to lift stocks early on
3rd Feb 2015 07:50
Optimism surrounding Greece's proposed debt plan is expected to lead to a higher open on UK stock markets on Tuesday. City sources predict the FTSE 100 will open 23 points higher than Monday's close of 6,782.55. The new government in Greece has proposed using debt swaps for new growth-linked bonds,
Read moreCapita agrees £157m acquisition of Germany's Avocis
3rd Feb 2015 07:12
Outsourcing group Capita has agreed the acquisition of German customer services firm Avocis for £157m. The acquisition of Avocis, which offers call centre services in Germany, Switzerland and Austria but with Germany accounting for 53% of its revenue, is still subject to approval from German competi
Read moreCapita renews contract with Sheffield City Council
20th Jan 2015 10:02
Professional services company Capita won on Tuesday an extension of its seven-year contract with Sheffield City Council. The contract was extended for an extra six years and is expected to generate revenues of between £140m and £170m. Capita will continue to deliver services to the council such as
Read moreLondon open: UK stocks rise ahead of data, but Thorntons plummets
23rd Dec 2014 08:58
UK stocks jumped again on Tuesday as the pre-Christmas rally continued, with markets extending a two-week high ahead of a barrage of economic data. London's FTSE 100 was up 0.6% at 6,618 early on, rising for the sixth straight session. The index closed at 6,576.74 on Monday, its highest finish since
Read moreLondon pre-open: Winning streak to continue ahead of economic data
23rd Dec 2014 07:31
The winning streak is expected to continue into its sixth day on Tuesday as traders continue to build positions ahead of the Christmas break. City sources predict the FTSE 100 will open around 33 points higher than Monday's close of 6,576.74. Five straight days of gains sent the index to its highes
Read moreHalma boss appointed to Capita board
23rd Dec 2014 07:26
Outsourcing company Capita has appointed Halma's boss Andrew Williams to its board as an independent non-executive director. Williams, who has been the chief executive of safety, health and environmental technologies group Halma since February 2005, will join the FTSE 100 company on 1 January 2015.
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Sainsbury hit by Kantar Worldpanel report
16th Dec 2014 14:36
Supermarket J Sainsbury fell on Tuesday after Kantar Worldpanel released a report revealing the group's sales fell 1.8% in the 12 weeks to 7 December while its market share fell. The Big Four grocers continue to be overshadowed by exceptionally strong growth from the discount end of the market, name
Read moreThursday tips round-up: Capita, Tullow Oil
13th Nov 2014 20:01
The fall in shares of outsourcer Capita is an opportunity. While the company did report that its bid pipeline had fallen to £4.1bn from £5.7bn in July, that should already have been known by markets - although the retirement of its finance director is arguably a negative. The likely reason for the d
Read moreThursday broker round-up.-Update
13th Nov 2014 10:21
AstraZeneca: JP Morgan raises target price from 3700p to 4100p, keeping its underweight rating. AVEVA Group: Barclays upgrades to overweight. Bellway: Credit Suisse raises target price from 1876p to 1905p and keeps a neutral rating. Bow Leven: Barclays shifts target price from 45p to 50p and retai
Read moreLondon close: UK stocks snap winning streak on banking fine, BoE outlook
12th Nov 2014 16:20
News of a big fine in the banking sector and gloomy comments from the Bank of England (BoE) weighed on UK equities on Wednesday, with London's stock market finishing lower for the first time in six sessions. A weak start on Wall Street was also pressuring stocks as the benchmark S&P 500 and Dow Jone
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Tullow climbs on cost review
12th Nov 2014 15:20
Tullow Oil rose after saying it was reviewing its costs in light of low international oil prices. The group said its financial performance in the year-to-date, before exploration write-offs and impairment charges, was in line with expectations. G4S said its trading in the third quarter was in line w
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks retreat from six-week high on earnings, BoE outlook
12th Nov 2014 12:05
UK equities pulled back from a six-week high on Wednesday as a string of disappointing corporate earnings and a gloomier outlook by the Bank of England dampened sentiment. News of a massive fine in the banking sector also caused blue-chip lenders to fall sharply on London's stock market. The FTSE 1
Read moreLondon open: FTSE snaps five-day winning streak ahead of Inflation Report, banks fall
12th Nov 2014 08:33
UK stocks declined on Wednesday, snapping a five-day winning streak that sent the FTSE 100 to a six-week high, as investors digested a wave of corporate earnings and awaited the Bank of England's (BoE) Inflation Report. News of a massive fine across the UK banking sector was also dragging high stree
Read moreCapita's shares fall as analysts react to drop in third quarter bid pipeline - UPDATE
12th Nov 2014 07:02
Capita's shares plunged on Wednesday after reporting a drop in its bid pipeline in its third quarter results. The bid pipeline stands at £4.1bn, compared to £5.7bn in July 2014, comprising 26 bids with 87% new business and 13% renewals. "Following the recent lost probation market opportunity, C
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