Friday broker round-up -UPDATE
10th Feb 2012 10:27
Ferrexpo: Rennaisance downgrades to hold. ICAP: Goldman Sachs downgrades to neutral from buy. Schroders: Goldman Sachs upgrades to buy from neutral. Next: Deutsche Bank upgrades to buy from hold. National Grid: JP Morgan downgrades to neutral from outperform. Barclays: Nomura maintains buy
Read moreLondon close: Stocks rise on Greek deal and QE
9th Feb 2012 16:37
- Greek deal agreed, says PM's office. - BoE boosts QE by £50bn. - ECB keeps rates on hold. Stocks were given a boost in afternoon trade on news that Greek leaders had come to an agreement over an austerity package. However, gains were trimmed late on as investors began to assess the very limited d
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks hold on to gains as BoE boosts QE
9th Feb 2012 11:45
- BoE boosts QE by £50bn. - Greek leaders clash heads over pensions. - Oil stocks provide a lift to the Footsie. The Footsie held on to moderate gains by lunchtime as the Bank of England announced further stimulus measures to boost the UK economy. Earlier optimism over a draft Greek deal seems to h
Read moreLondon open: Stocks rise after Greek draft deal
9th Feb 2012 08:19
- Stock nudge higher after Greece drafts agreement. - BG leads oil stocks higher. - Hagreaves, Rio, Rolls-Royce, British Land, Diageo, Tate & Lyle fall after updates. It was a cautious start for the Footsie as stocks edged higher in early trading after Greece's political leaders pushed through a dr
Read moreEmerging markets boost first half sales at Diageo
9th Feb 2012 07:38
Drinks giant Diageo saw net sales rise 8% in the first half ended December 31st, as strong growth in emerging markets helped offset a more subdued performance in Europe and North America. The firm, famous for its Johnnie Walker whisky, Smirnoff vodka and Guinness stout, reported net sales of £5,757
Read moreThursday preview: QE decision, Rio, BG, Diageo
8th Feb 2012 17:54
Busy though the company news schedule is on Thursday, it is the outcome of the meeting of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) that is likely to garner most of the attention on Thursday, as the market expects the MPC to announce another round of asset purchases (quantitative easing,
Read moreMonday broker round-up - UPDATE
6th Feb 2012 09:12
Supergroup: Oriel Securities upgrades to buy from hold. Glencore: Jefferies ups target from 525p to 575p, confirms buy rating; Credit Suisse maintains outperform rating and 550p target. Royal Dutch Shell: Credit Suisse downgrades from outperform to neutral, cuts target from 2,750p to 2,600p. Xst
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie unchanged, RBS leads risers
20th Jan 2012 11:57
- Greek talks still in progress. - RBS taps ECB emergency facility. - Vodafone up on Indian tax ruling. The Footsie was rather flat at midday, after swinging between gains and losses in the mid-morning session. Neverthess, the blue chip index was trading within a narrow range with just 26 points se
Read moreBroker tips: Oil stocks, Diageo, AB Foods
20th Jan 2012 11:52
Credit Suisse slashed its fourth quarter earnings per share (EPS) across the global Integrated Oil sector, assessing its coverage on UK stocks Shell, BP and BG. For Royal Dutch Shell, Credit Suisse anticipates a "particularly weak" fourth quarter and cut its EPS forecast by 29%. An outperform ratin
Read moreBroker snap: Investec upgrades Diageo to buy
20th Jan 2012 11:04
Investec has upgraded its rating on drinks giant Diageo from hold to buy ahead of the group's first half results due in a few weeks. "For us, Diageo represents what is an increasingly scarce asset in UK investing - a global leader in branded consumer goods," writes analysts Martin Deboo and Gideon
Read moreFriday broker round-up -UPDATE
20th Jan 2012 09:17
Pearson: Credit Suisse raises target price to 1,210p from 1,175p. Polymetal: Credit Suisse downgrades to neutral from outperform; cuts target to 1,040p from 1,180p. William Hill: Credit Suisse raises target price to 227p from 214p. Man: Deutsche Bank upgrades to hold from sell. Petrofac: JP Mor
Read moreLondon open: Footsie helped higher by miners
10th Jan 2012 08:28
The FTSE 100 had a strong start on Tuesday morning with just two stocks in the red early on. In economic news, UK retail sales values were 2.2% higher on a like-for-like basis in December, helped by an easy comparison when last year was affected by the snow. Total sales rose 4.1%. "On both measures
Read moreDiageo expands in fast-growing African market
10th Jan 2012 07:38
Drinks giant Diageo has stepped up its expansion in a high growth market with the $225m acquisition of African brewery Meta Abo Brewery. Meta is the second-largest beer company in Ethiopia and has a volume share of 15%. It produces and distributes its flagship national lager brands Meta and Meta Pr
Read moreWednesday newspaper round-up: Greece, Iran, HBOS, SNB
4th Jan 2012 06:49
Around one million Britons have taken out a payday loan to pay their mortgage or rent over the last 12 months, a survey reveals. It highlights the financial squeeze facing workers who are being pushed over the edge by soaring household bills, rising taxes and paltry pay rises, or pay freezes. The re
Read moreLondon close: Footsie drops 1.8% on Eurozone worries
12th Dec 2011 16:46
London's Footsie finished at its lowest levels of the day after Wall Street bourses opened sharply in the red. The Eurozone crisis appeared to be weighing heavily on investors' minds (as usual) following some downbeat comments from Moody's. The FTSE 100 finished 1.8% down at 5,428, some 101 points o
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