FTSE 100 movers: CRH lower on Holcim rejection, miners and energy stocks higher
17th Mar 2015 12:39
Building materials group CRH was extending losses after Holcim on Monday rejected the terms of its proposed tie-up with Lafarge. CRH is set to snap up €6.5bn of assets from the two European cements companies when they merge. Tesco shares were in the red, reversing from Monday, alongside Morrison, as
Read moreLondon midday: Energy stocks rise but FTSE pares gains ahead of Fed meeting
17th Mar 2015 11:39
Stocks in the oil and mining sectors were performing well on Tuesday morning, though gains for the wider market were erased by lunchtime as investors awaited the start of a Federal Reserve policy meeting. Weaker-than-expected economic data from Germany was also dampening sentiment, as European marke
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Retailers dominate risers, CRH lower on rejected merger
16th Mar 2015 14:08
Tesco led the FTSE 100 risers on reports that advertising and marketing giant WPP Group could potentially buy a majority stake in the supermarket's consumer behaviour tracker Dunnhumby. The business is valued at around £2bn and would offer WPP with an insight into UK shopping habits, the Sunday Tele
Read moreLondon midday: China stimulus hopes help markets rebound
16th Mar 2015 11:43
Bargain hunting and hopes for stimulus measures in China gave UK stocks a lift on Monday, as investors readied for a busy week for financial markets worldwide. The FTSE 100 was up 0.5% at 6,776.87 by midday. The Footsie had lost 2.5% over the past five sessions on the back of a strengthening US dol
Read moreLondon open: Stocks rebound after sell-off as markets eye Fed meeting
16th Mar 2015 08:30
UK stocks gained on Monday as investors hunted for bargains following a sharp slide in the value of the FTSE 100 over the last week. Ahead of a busy week for financial markets worldwide, the Footsie was up 0.4% at 6,767.46 early on. The index had lost 2.5% over the past five sessions on the back of
Read moreLondon pre-open: Gains expected ahead of busy week
16th Mar 2015 07:53
UK stocks were expected to rise on Monday morning following a poor showing by the FTSE 100 last week. City sources predict the Footsie will open 28 points higher than Friday's close of 6,740.58. A strengthening US dollar, concerns about Greece and slowdown worries in China dampened stocks last week
Read moreHolcim rejects Lafarge merger offer, demands better terms
16th Mar 2015 07:38
The board of Swiss aggregates giant Holcim has rejected the terms of a €42bn merger with French cement group Lafarge. Holcim has said to Lafarge that it no longer likes the terms of the deal approved last July and is "challenging the financial terms and governance structure of the proposed merger of
Read moreCRH boosted by continuation of Holcim-Lafarge merger talks
12th Mar 2015 15:25
Shares in CRH were higher on Thursday after European cement giants Holcim and Lafarge confirmed merger talks were continuing. The Swiss and French groups, which have agreed to sell FTSE 100-listed CRH €6.5bn of assets the pair need to offload in order to please competition authorities, confirmed the
Read moreLondon close: Greek concerns send UK stocks to three-week low
9th Mar 2015 17:01
UK stocks fell on Monday, dropping to their lowest in three weeks, as renewed concerns about Greece weighed on sentiment. London's FTSE 100 finished down 0.51% at 6,876.47 by the end of trading on the back of losses in the real estate and construction sectors. The index has not closed below this lev
Read moreSector movers: CRH and Balfour Beatty drag construction/materials stocks lower
9th Mar 2015 14:31
Construction and material stocks were under the weather on Monday, with the sector being dragged lower by heavyweights CRH and Balfour Beatty. CRH, which is set to pick up assets worth €6.5bn from Holcim and Lafarge as part of the cement companies' planned merger, was trading 3.5% lower after weeken
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Exane boosts StanChart, sees buy-backs at Glencore
9th Mar 2015 14:04
Analysts at Exane BNP Paribas have hiked their price target on shares of Standard Chartered to 940p from 875p but write that that the chances of a dividend cut are now greater than 50%. On the plus side of things, the broker adds that the lender can now probably avoid a capital increase. On the subj
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks holding steady on a busy day
26th Feb 2015 12:20
UK stock markets were rangebound on Thursday morning on a busy day for corporate earnings and economic data, as investors maintained a cautious approach following the record peaks reached earlier in the week. London's FTSE 100 was up just 0.04% at 6,938.10 by midday, trading within a narrow range of
Read moreLondon open: Influx of earnings and economic data keeps stocks flat
26th Feb 2015 08:24
UK stocks were more or less flat on Thursday morning with markets fluctuating at record highs amid a barrage of corporate earnings and economic data. The FTSE 100 was up just 0.03% at 6,937.80 early on. The index set a closing all-time high of 6,949.63 on Tuesday, having reached an intraday record o
Read moreCRH confident for 2015 after full year earnings top targets
26th Feb 2015 07:24
As it delivered full year earnings above recent guidance, building materials group CRH was confident of making continued growth in 2015 as construction conditions improve, commodity prices wallow and it completes the Lafarge-Holcim acquisition. For 2014 the Dublin-headquartered company made sales of
Read moreTuesday tips round-up: CRH, RPS Group
3rd Feb 2015 09:00
London-listed building materials group CRH has stepped in to scoop up the assets which rivals Holcim and Lafarge were forced to discard in order to obtain the green light from Brussels for their own merger. The company believes it is purchasing those assets at the bottom of the cycle for its sector
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