Sunday newspaper round-up: Royal Mail, Xstrata, Google
11th Nov 2012 13:54
Royal Mail will unveil a sharp jump in profits this week, accelerating plans for a privatisation next year that could raise 2bn pounds. Officials and bankers working on the sale say Tuesday's figures are the crucial test of whether the business will be ready for a float in the third quarter of 2013.
Read moreLondon close: Late rally not enough as stocks finish lower
9th Nov 2012 16:42
- Uni of Michigan confidence index rise beats forecasts - Chinese data offset by Greek concerns - Footsie finishes lower, but well off intraday lows After steep falls for most of the session, UK stocks picked up in afternoon trade to finish only slightly lower by the close after a reading of US con
Read moreLondon midday: Greek concerns hammer stocks again
9th Nov 2012 11:35
- Greek bailout delay worries sink markets - Chinese inflation data leaves door open for more stimulus - Admiral gains after upgrade; IAG rises on Iberia plans Concerns about Greece have offset some better-than-expected economic data from China this morning, with the FTSE 100 trading firmly in the
Read moreDiageo buys big stake in USL
9th Nov 2012 10:31
Drinks behemoth Diageo is to spend over one billion pounds taking a majority stake in Indian spirits firm USL. The firm will initially pay 660 million pounds for a 27.4% stake in USL, the biggest spirits company in India. This deal will trigger an obligation on Diageo to launch a mandatory tender
Read moreMonday newspaper round-up: Greece, ARM Holdings, Chinese banks
29th Oct 2012 06:59
A draft version of the Troika report obtained by Spiegel magazine said EMU governments and the European Central Bank must accept their share of losses in order to bring Greece's public debt back to 120 per cent of GDP by 2020, deemed the sustainable level. Greece must carry out a further 150 reforms
Read moreLondon close:Unemployment data boosts sentiment
17th Oct 2012 16:58
The Footsie finished the day firmly in the blue and just short of the day's high after better-than-expected unemployment figures lifted sentiment. Miners were also playing their part, boosted by investor confidence ahead of the third quarter growth data due out from China, which is expected to incr
Read moreLondon midday: Miners lead steady advance
17th Oct 2012 11:43
Footsie finished the morning close to the day's high after better than expected unemployment figures lifted sentiment. The number of people out of work fell by 50,000 between June and August to 2.53m. This put the unemployment rate at 7.9%, down 0.2% from the March to May figure. Most analysts ha
Read moreEmerging markets drive Diageo's growth
17th Oct 2012 10:07
Drinks brands owner Diageo has made a solid start to its new financial year, with sales growth in line with expectations. In the three months to the end of September the Guinness brewer saw organic net sales growth of 5%, while volume was up 2%. Sales growth was achieved despite Europe's organic n
Read moreLondon open: FTSE gets off to wobbly start ahead of MPC minutes
17th Oct 2012 08:50
After initially edging higher following a strong performance in the US last night, the FTSE 100 has dropped marginally lower as investors await the release of minutes from the October meeting of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) and the unemployment figures, due out at 09:30 this
Read moreLondon pre-open: Spanish long-term debt yields fall sharply
17th Oct 2012 07:29
City sources predict the FTSE 100 will open up four points from yesterday's close of 5,871, edging higher after a strong performance by US stocks on Tuesday, which saw the Dow Jones Industrial Average post its biggest gain in over a month on some robust corporate earnings and improving news flow fro
Read moreDiageo may acquire stake in Indian distiller Vijay Mallya
17th Oct 2012 06:49
Diageo is in talks to buy a stake of about 20 per cent in Vijay Mallya's in a deal that would give it management control of the Indian distiller, two people with knowledge of the matter are reported to have said. According to Bloomberg News, Diageo would buy new shares in United Spirits and also p
Read moreWednesday preview: Diageo, MPC minutes
16th Oct 2012 16:04
Drinks brands leviathan Diageo will be going up against tough comparative figures from a year ago when it unveils fiscal first-quarter figures on Wednesday. Nomura thinks the Guinness brewer will still manage to churn out organic revenue growth of 5%. with strong growth in emerging markets and resi
Read moreLondon pre-open: FTSE to extend Wednesday's losses
11th Oct 2012 07:31
City sources predict the FTSE 100 will open down eight points from yesterday's close of 5,777, after investor sentiment was dampened by a less that dazzling start to earnings season in America. The largest US aluminium producer, Alcoa, cut its forecast for growth in global consumption of the metal
Read moreThursday tips round-up: Avanti, Diageo, Providence Resources
11th Oct 2012 06:43
"Three...two... one... letdown" was probably how some investors in the British satellite group, Avanti Communications, felt yesterday after the company unveiled a far from explosive set of full-year numbers. Avanti's pre-tax losses widened from £12.7m to £16m in the year ending June 30th, with rev
Read moreFriday broker round-up
5th Oct 2012 08:19
Anglo American: AlphaValue upgrades from add to buy. Betfair: Panmure Gordon cuts target from 1,000p to 977p, buy rating kept. BHP Billiton: AlphaValue downgrades from add to reduce. Burberry: Morgan Stanley upgrades to overweight, target kept at 1,190p; UBS keeps neutral rating and 1,170p target
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