Croda International posts rise in pre-tax profit for first half
23rd Jul 2013 07:06
Croda International reported a 6.3 per cent year-on-year rise in pre-tax profit to 133.1m pounds for the first half, driven by sales of industrial chemicals. The chemicals company posted an 8.3% rise in earnings per share to 68.1p for the first six months of the year, despite a challenging tradin
Read moreLondon close: Stocks rally after Bernanke comments on QE
17th Jul 2013 16:58
Markets rallied on Wednesday afternoon following comments from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke who said that quantitative easing (QE) is 'by no means on a pre-set course' and still depends on how the economic recovery plays out. "For markets, that's good news as the US economic recovery, thou
Read moreLondon midday: Unanimous MPC vote on QE takes markets by surprise
17th Jul 2013 11:53
Minutes from this month's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting took markets by surprise on Wednesday morning, with the FTSE 100 slipping into the red after it was revealed that policymakers voted unanimously to leave the Bank of England's (BoE) bond-buying programme unchanged. Investors were lar
Read moreLondon open: Miners, financials gain ahead of BoE minutes
17th Jul 2013 08:30
Markets edged higher on Wednesday morning with strong gains in the mining and financial sectors providing a lift ahead of key announcements from central banks in the UK and US. The minutes of the latest Bank of England policy meeting are due out this morning with investors waiting to hear what Mark
Read moreLondon close: Footsie´s bounce extended for a second day
26th Jun 2013 16:29
Stocks closed higher for a second day as China moved to provide liquidity assistance to its battered interbank lending maket and a member of the US Federal Reserve - Narayana Kocherlakota - described markets´ reaction to the central bank´s last policy stamtement as overdone. Back in the UK all eye
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Financials rise, offset weakness amongst miners
26th Jun 2013 14:18
Gains in the financial sector were offsetting falls in the mining sector on Wednesday as bargain hunters stepped in following recent falls. Aberdeen Asset Management, Schroders, Resolution and Prudential, four stocks that have been hit hard by market volatility over the last month, were among the to
Read moreBroker tips: Diageo, Afren, Chemicals stocks
26th Jun 2013 11:20
Nomura has trimmed its target price for beverages group Diageo from 2,400p to 2,250p ahead of its results next month, but has kept its 'buy' rating for the stock, saying that the Guinness maker has strong defensive attractions in uncertain markets. "With its wide portfolio of emerging markets (none
Read moreBroker snap: UBS upgrades chemicals groups Croda, Elementis and Victrex
26th Jun 2013 09:52
UK-listed chemicals stocks were making decent gains on Wednesday morning after UBS raised its ratings for sector peers Croda International, Elementis and Victrex after meeting up with the firms over recent weeks. The broker said that it caught up with management and all agreed that while European t
Read moreMonday broker round-up UPDATE
24th Jun 2013 07:36
Andor Technology: WH Ireland cuts target price from 500p to 380p, while staying with its buy recommendation. Investec upgrades from hold to buy with a target price of 360p. Ashtead Group: Numis raises target price from 582p to 640p, while downgrading to hold. Bellzone Mining: Investec lowers targe
Read moreLondon pre-open: FTSE to edge higher ahead of BBA data
24th May 2013 07:40
City sources predict the FTSE 100 will open up six points from yesterday's close of 6,697, as markets calm after Thursday's heavy losses and ahead of the Bank Holiday weekend. On the other side of the Atlantic, stocks ended the day modestly lower after a batch of upbeat US data partially offset re
Read moreCroda acquires polymer unit of Arizona Chemical
24th May 2013 06:57
FTSE 100-listed chemicals manufacturer Croda International has completed the acquisition of the Specialty Products business of Arizona Chemical. Under the terms of the transaction, no manufacturing assets will be acquired and Croda said it would immediately commence the relocation of products to i
Read moreLondon close: Stocks pare gains after US data
1st May 2013 16:40
Disappointing economic from the States saw the FTSE 100 halve its earlier gains by the close on Wednesday as markets waited in anticipation of a policy decision from the Federal Reserve later this evening. The US central bank is widely expected to leave its current stimulus measures unchanged follo
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: BT leads the way after o2 deal
1st May 2013 14:52
BT Group shares were leading the risers on Wednesday after signing a 10-year deal with o2 to create a new 4G network worth in the region of 500m pounds. Speciality chemicals group Johnson Matthey has made strong gains after a positive update from Credit Suisse said that weaker platinum prices have
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks extend gains ahead of Fed decision
1st May 2013 11:27
The FTSE 100 was taking advantage of low volumes on Wednesday morning, registering decent gains by lunchtime as other stock markets across Europe remained closed for the May Day public holiday. A slowdown in Chinese manufacturing growth didn't have too much of an effect on markets early on as trade
Read moreLondon open: Miners shrug off disappointing Chinese data
1st May 2013 08:21
A slowdown in Chinese manufacturing growth didn't have too much of an effect on stock markets on Wednesday morning as traders showed optimism in anticipation of a continuation of monetary stimulus from the US and a rate cut in Europe this week. Nevertheless, volumes are expected to be low today giv
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