London 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
Read moreFTSE 100 Movers: Miners drag footsie lower
12th Dec 2011 15:07
Kazakhstan-focused miner, Eurasian Natural Resources (ENRC), hit the bottom spot on reports that it is said to be examining allegations of corruption at a Kazakh iron ore subsidiary - although denied on Sunday that it was the subject of a formal investigation by Britain's Serious Fraud Office (SFO),
Read moreSecond day of sales for Reckitt Benckiser director
1st Dec 2011 13:55
Peter Harf, the deputy chairman of the board at Reckitt Benckiser, has once again sold millions of pounds worth of shares in the firm, totalling £23m in just three days. The company insists the director, who has occupied his position since 1999, isn't going anywhere just yet. "He's made the sale
Read morePremier Foods director bites again
18th Nov 2011 16:02
Ian Deste, group sales director at struggling firm Premier Foods, has served himself up a helping of shares. The director purchased 186,746 shares 5.20p just a few weeks after the firm's bankers agreed to defer the company's end-of-year loan covenant tests by three months, in a move which forms pa
Read moreFriday broker round-up - UPDATE
18th Nov 2011 09:42
Pennon: Deutsche Bank upgrades to buy from hold. Capita: Peel Hunt reiterates buy and 850p target. Capita: Investec slashes target to 630p from 725p, hold maintained. Chemring: finnCap downgrades from buy to hold, target slashes from 780p to 480p. ICAP: UBS cuts target from 380p to 328p, sell ra
Read moreTuesday broker round-up - UPDATE
15th Nov 2011 09:55
Lonmin: Goldman Sachs downgrades to sell from neutral. Antofagasta: Evolution Securities upgrades from sell to neutral, target cut from 1,200p to 1,110p. Standard Chartered: Evolution Securities maintains neutral rating and 1,800p target. Burberry: Merchant Securities keeps buy rating. Burberry:
Read moreLondon close: Banks buoyed by bailout beef-up
19th Oct 2011 16:50
Footsie enjoyed a buoyant if unspectacular day, with almost two-thirds of its constituents finishing in the blue. The market shrugged off the news that Spain's credit rating has been cut by two notches by the Moody's rating agency, and preferred to concentrate on a report in The Guardian newspaper
Read moreSector movers: Diageo provides lift to beverage sector
19th Oct 2011 15:06
Guiness and Red Stripe maker Diageo was among the highest risers on the FTSE 100 on Wednesday, providing a lift to the beverages sector. The group said that net sales grew 9% in the first quarter, which was marginally ahead of expectations, with strong growth in Latin America, the Caribbean and Asi
Read moreFTSE 100 Movers: GKN drops after profits rise just 1%
19th Oct 2011 14:18
GKN was the biggest loser on the FTSE after announcing a pre-tax profit rise of just 1% in the third quarter. After accounting for the final charge of £11m relating to its plant closure in the US, the automotive, aerospace and land systems engineer revealed that pre-tax profit was £89m in the three
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks stay buoyant
19th Oct 2011 11:59
Shares are buoyant today, winning back some of the previous day's losses despite ongoing worries over the Eurozone. A 48-hour general strike has been called in Greece ahead of a vote on austerity measures. Spain, meanwhile, had its credit rating cut by two notches last night by the Moody's rating a
Read moreDiageo sees sales growth
19th Oct 2011 10:40
Diageo, the FTSE 100 drinks company behind such brands as Guinness, Red Stripe and Baileys, saw sales growth of 9% in the three months to 30 September. The company admits that some of the performance can be attributed to one off comparisons with the previous year which are unlikely to reoccur incl
Read moreUPDATE: Wednesday broker round-up
19th Oct 2011 09:25
GlaxoSmithKline: Credit Suisse ups target from 1,310p to 1,340p, neutral rating kept. BHP Billiton: Credit Suisse reiterates outperform recommendation and 2,800p target. Standard Chartered: Credit Suisse keeps underperform rating and 1,400p target. Diageo: Nomura maintains neutral stance and 1,32
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