FTSE 250 Movers: Retailers boosted by Credit Suisse forecast
22nd Dec 2011 14:08
Ocado and Carpetright were in the top spots after Credit Suisse reassessed its forecasts across the European General Retail sector ahead of the January 2012 trading statement season. "Demand conditions for 2012 remain uncertain, although we are cautiously optimistic on the UK environment versus the
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: SVG Capital rockets 20%
20th Dec 2011 16:13
The big mover of the day was private equity firm SVG Capital, which jumped over 20% after revealing that it return up to £170m to shareholders via share buy-backs and tender offers as part of a new investment strategy. SVG reported that it had strengthened its balance sheet with cash balances stan
Read moreLondon midday: Banks and pharmas drag Footsie lower
20th Dec 2011 11:54
London's blue chip index was slightly down at midday, despite a temporary stint in the blue, with heavyweight banking and pharmaceuticals stocks providing a drag. The Footsie nevertheless has been trading within a narrow range, with just 33 points separating the intraday low and high. The European
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Sports Direct jumps, Shanks down after downgrade
16th Dec 2011 14:57
Sports clothing firm Sports Direct was the high riser of the day after announcing that it has withdrawn its offer for Blacks Leisure after the outdoor leisurewear and equipment chain put itself up for sale earlier this month. Sports Direct's decision to pull out of the transaction has, however, been
Read moreFTSE 250 Movers: International Personal Finance in last place
15th Dec 2011 15:07
Doorstep lending firm International Personal Finance (IPF) was in the bottom spot of the FTSE 250 index after it revealed that global economic volatility has taken its toll on the firm's profit and loss account in 2011. The group highlights the significant unpredictability in foreign exchange (FX)
Read moreOh lord! Carpetright chief buys up shares
14th Dec 2011 16:45
Lord Philip Harris of Peckham, also known as the chief executive of Carpetright, has bought himself an early Christmas present in the form of £214,750-worth of shares. Harris purchased 50,000 shares at 429.50p each, on the same day the flooring specialist firm announced a 3.9% drop in revenue in
Read moreFTSE 250 Movers: Supergroup flies into first place
14th Dec 2011 14:44
Shares in clothing firm Supergroup raced ahead on Wednesday morning after group revenue shot up 51% in the 26 weeks to 30 October. Sales rose from £90.3m to £136.1m, but the group reported a small decline in underlying profits. Set-top box maker Pace also bounced after the firm announced a new chie
Read moreLondon close: Merkel comments weigh, Footsie pares gains
13th Dec 2011 16:21
London's blue chip index experienced a boost on Tuesday afternoon, helped by a strong Spanish bond auction and a better-than-expected German confidence survey. However, stocks began to retreat late on after some worrying comments from Angela Merkel and rumours of disruption to oil exports in the Per
Read moreFTSE 250 Movers: Domino Printing storms ahead
13th Dec 2011 15:12
Printing technologies firm Domino Printing Sciences soared 17% after reporting its best ever full year results following a strong global performance and the introduction of new products. Pre-tax profit rose 10% to £57.4m for the year ended 31 October 2011 while revenue increased 5% to £314.1m as cu
Read moreBroker tips: Petrofac, Carpetright, UK house-builders
13th Dec 2011 12:34
Investec has reiterated its buy rating on oilfield services giant Petrofac, following the group's pre-close trading update in which it said it expects to deliver like-for-like (LFL) profit growth in 2011 of at least 20%. "Petrofac continues to make good progress on all fronts and we maintain our po
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie jumps after Spanish auction, ZEW survey
13th Dec 2011 11:46
The Footsie has bounced back into positive territory after a strong Spanish bond auction and a better-than-expected German confidence survey lifted sentiment across the continent. London's blue chip index was up some 39 points at 5,467 by midday, a big swing from the intraday low of 5,416 it sank to
Read moreBroker snap: Panmure upgrades Carpetright to hold
13th Dec 2011 10:42
Panmure Gordon has upgraded its rating on flooring specialist Carpetright from sell to hold following the recent slump in the stock which has seen its share price more than halve over the last 12 months. The firm reported on Tuesday that pre-tax profits swung into the red after accounting for restr
Read moreTuesday broker round-up - UPDATE
13th Dec 2011 09:54
Amec: Citi upgrades to buy from sell. Royal Dutch Shell: Citi downgrades to neutral from buy. Petrofac: Investec reiterates buy, 1,705p target under review. Petrofac: Evolution Securities reiterates add and 1,700p target. Whitbread: Evolution Securities keeps buy rating and 1,800p target. Whitb
Read moreLondon open: Whitbread loses its froth
13th Dec 2011 08:47
London has opened on the front foot, which comes as a relief after yesterday's bashing, but the top-share index's modest advance is largely due to the strength of miners, which more than outweighs the weakness of banks. Results from Costa Coffee show owner Whitbread have left a sour taste, with evi
Read moreProfits thicker than expected at Carpetright
13th Dec 2011 07:42
Flooring specialist Carpetright saw a 3.9% drop in revenue in the half year to 29 October, contributing to a significant fall in underlying profit before tax. Hit by a challenging trading environment, revenues dropped from £248m to £238.4m, with underlying pre-tax profit down from £10m to £1.4m, e
Read more