Friday tips round-up: Capita, AstraZeneca, Colt
22nd Jul 2011 06:52
The market has well and truly fallen out of love with the support services sector, and with the sector leader Capita Group. Some acceptable interim figures from the company were greeted with a sharp price fall yesterday. The rate of dividend growth is a little lower than it has been historically bec
Read moreLondon close: European hopes boost Footsie back to 5,900
21st Jul 2011 16:34
London equities rallied to a strong finish - recouping the losses experienced over the last week - on hopes of a solution to the sovereign debt crisis in Europe. At midday, shares offset early losses as reports surfaced that Europe's leaders have agreed on a new aid package for Greece and an overh
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Financials soar on Eurozone hopes
21st Jul 2011 15:02
Financials were leading the recovery on Thursday afternoon following a fall earlier in the day, on hopes of a solution to the sovereign debt crisis in Europe. European leaders agreed a new aid package for Greece and an overhaul of the Eurozone sovereign rescue fund. Among the proposals are a reduct
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks give up gains ahead of summit
21st Jul 2011 12:03
This morning's bright start seems a distance memory, with stocks are deep in the red ahead of the EU summit on the sovereign debt crisis. Latest reports say Germany and France intend to let Greece default temporarily as part of a programme of buying back bonds. They have also ruled out bank levies.
Read moreLondon open: Stocks give up gains
21st Jul 2011 08:39
Stocks are moving in both directions today, but bears have the edge now with the top share index a few points lower, giving up earlier gains. In the FTSE 100, Kingfisher, the FTSE 100 DIY retailer, is flying high even after it saw sales down 0.5% in the second quarter of 2011 compared to the same p
Read moreLondon pre-open: Steady start in store
21st Jul 2011 07:42
The top-share index is expected to nudge up a couple of points or so at the outset after yesterday's mixed performance on Wall Street. With a busy day in store for company announcements, however, there are likely to be lots of special situations for investors to mull over. Half-year turnover and p
Read moreOutsourcing lull is over, says Capita
21st Jul 2011 07:02
Half-year turnover and profit before tax came in a shade below market expectations at outsourcing behemoth Capita Group. Turnover for the first half of 2011 rose 3% to £1,400m from £1,361m the year before, below market expectations of £1,443m. Acquisitions contributed £134m to the turnover figure,
Read moreThursday preview: Kingfisher, Capita, Astra, retail sales
20th Jul 2011 15:18
Do-it-yourself retailer Kingfisher has become something of a two-speed company, with the UK operations holding back the French business; Thursday's trading update may reveal whether that is still the case. "We expect UK LFL [like-for-like] sales at B&Q to be down strongly in the second quarter, gi
Read moreWeek Ahead: BoE notes, Kingfisher, Capita
15th Jul 2011 12:22
Wednesday sees the release of the minutes of the most recent minutes of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) and though it is assumed that voting on interest rate policy has become a bit of a non-event, Dr. Howard Archer, the seemingly omnipresent economist of forecasting agency IHS
Read moreThursday tips round-up: Icap, ITE, Morgan Crucible
14th Jul 2011 06:48
Another year or more of dithering in Brussels and then a catastrophic implosion that saw Greece, Ireland and Portugal expelled to set up their own volatile currencies is probably the ideal scenario for Icap, the world's biggest inter-dealer broker. The shares now sell on below 12 times this year's p
Read moreNext sells customer services unit to Capita
1st Jul 2011 14:38
Fashion retailer Next has sold its customer services operation Ventura to The Capita Group for £65m in cash and expects to use the majority of proceeds to repurchase its shares. Next, now expects to buy back shares worth £225m, up from its previous target of £160m. Ventura, the trading name of C
Read moreWednesday tips round-up: Capita, Halma, Northumbrian Water...
29th Jun 2011 06:36
Capita bosses were doing the Lambeth walk yesterday as they picked up a £60m, 10-year contract with the London borough to deliver a range of services. The scope of the deal could be widened to make it worth up to £300m over time. While others reliant on Government work for revenues have been feeling
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks gain on euro hopes
28th Jun 2011 12:16
Stocks are still going well on hopes that the Greek crisis will soon be acted on. However, Cable & Wireless Worldwide is lower after saying chief executive Jim Marsh is to step down after the telecommunications group concluded profits are likely to fall short of previous expectations due to slower
Read moreLondon open: FTSE 100 moves higher, C&W Worldwide and Carpetright slump
28th Jun 2011 08:29
The FTSE 100 has climbed as investors await progress in troubled Eurozone member Greece, but gloomy updates C&W and Carpetright are reminding investors of the fragile state of our own economy. Cable & Wireless Worldwide's chief executive Jim Marsh is to step down after the telecommunications group
Read moreCapita preferred bidder for Lambeth council
28th Jun 2011 07:43
Capita, the FTSE-100 outsourcing giant, has been given 'preferred bidder' status on a contract to provide call centre and council tax collection services for Lambeth council in South London. Capita originally won the contract in 1997 but it had come up for renewal this year. Councillor Paul McGlo
Read more