London pre-open: Shares to turn positive again
18th Nov 2009 07:33
London's top stocks are expected to open around 10 points higher following yesterday's drop which brought a 4-day winning streak to an end. Troubled broadcaster ITV has confirmed the appointment of former Tory party MP Archie Norman as its new non-executive Chairman. He will take up the role in Jan
Read moreUpbeat Capita
18th Nov 2009 07:26
Outsourcing specialist Capita Group is in upbeat mode after a strong performance in the first 10 months of 2009. ‘Less than 10% of our group revenues are generated by businesses that are potentially vulnerable to a weaker economy and this risk was factored into our 2009 business planning,’ the comp
Read moreWeek ahead: Property stocks, ICAP, Lonmin, Capita
13th Nov 2009 12:02
Property companies come into focus next week, with British Land and Land Securities releasing interim figures. Broker Charles Stanley expects British Land which recently announced the part disposal of its Broadgate property assets in the City of London, to report a relatively cheery outlook statem
Read moreBritish Airways soars in best ever quarter for Footsie
30th Sep 2009 17:18
Any doubts that this is a bull-market have been quashed by the FTSE 100 putting in its best ever quarterly performance since the index's inception in 1984. After closing at 5133.90 on Wednesday, 30 September 2009, the FTSE 100 was sitting 20.82% higher than at the end of June. In points terms, the
Read moreFriday tips round-up: Kingfisher, Colt Telecom, Capita
24th Jul 2009 06:44
Kingfisher issued its second-quarter trading update yesterday, topping most analysts' expectations. With the Office for National Statistics also saying yesterday that retail sales rose in June, the group should be feeling confident about the rest of the year. Kingfisher probably deserves a small pr
Read moreLondon close: US surge extends Footsie's winning streak
23rd Jul 2009 16:32
Footsie's winning streak extended to nine days as US markets surged ahead on better than expected June home sales and forecast-busting results from a number of US household names. Trading had been quiet up until mid-afternoon, but as soon as the US markets started to pick up buyers returned in earn
Read moreLondon afternoon: Footsie regains 4,500
23rd Jul 2009 13:46
The Footsie's eight day winning streak looks set to become nine days as the blue chip index hit 4,500 again amid more gains for US stocks. On the positive side, miners Fresnillo, Kazakhmys, Vedanta Resources, Rio Tinto, BHP Billiton, ENRC, Xstrata and Lonmin are all among the top ten risers on hope
Read moreLondon midday: OfWat report dilutes equity strength
23rd Jul 2009 11:54
The Footsie's eight day winning streak is in danger of coming to an end today as utility companies weigh down the blue-chip index after water regulator Ofwat outlined proposals for lower water bills. The water regulator's draft proposals would see the average annual water bill fall by £14 to £330 b
Read moreLondon open: Water groups fall
23rd Jul 2009 08:17
London's top stocks have opened slightly lower, with utilities among the main fallers after Ofwat called for lower water bills. The water regulator outlined proposals that would see the average water bill fall by £14 to £330 before inflation between 2010 and 2015. United Utilities is leading the fa
Read moreLondon pre-open: More gains expected
23rd Jul 2009 07:43
Footsie is expected to continue its winning streak to move past 4,500 points as investors digest a stream of company updates. Bus and rail group National Express confirmed that it has received a second approach after rival FirstGroup walked away from a possible deal last night. "The group received
Read moreCapita's underlying pre-tax profit up
23rd Jul 2009 07:03
Outsourcing group Capita saw its bid pipeline ease back a little but said demand for outsourcing remains buoyant, after announcing a 18% increase in interim underlying pre-tax profit. Profit before tax, excluding various charges, rose to £141.7m in the first half of 2009 from £120.2m in the first h
Read moreThursday preview: Kingfisher, Capita, Compass
22nd Jul 2009 16:10
Thursday looks like being the busiest day of the week with three FTSE 100 companies making announcements plus updates from some second liners recently demoted from the blue-chip index. B&Q owner Kingfisher said at the beginning of June that favourable weather had boosted outdoor seasonal product sa
Read moreTuesday preview: Arriva, Carpetright, HMV
29th Jun 2009 15:18
A trading statement from bus and train operator Arriva on Tuesday should prove timely as attention is focused on the sector after National Express confirmed today it had received a preliminary approach from rival bus and train operator FirstGroup. The recession has been slowing passenger revenue gr
Read moreBroker tips: Miners, Carpetright, Imagination Technologies
26th Jun 2009 13:32
Barclays has been giving the miners the once-over and has moved some of its ratings as a result, with bid target Anglo American predictably seeing an upgrade. Barclays sees the share price of Anglo American hitting 2300p as the merger scenario with Xstrata develops. Barclays believes either Xstrata
Read moreLondon close: Rio bombshell pulls back Footsie
4th Jun 2009 17:03
Rio Tinto dominated late trading as its deal with Chinese giant Chinalco looked all but dead in the water as the mining giant confirmed it is considering its options. A rights issue to raise up to $15bn could be announced as soon as tomorrow according to reports in Australia. Rio shares slumped by
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