PM halts De La Rue's Libya deal
1st Mar 2011 11:21
The coalition government has stopped De La Rue from exporting £900m of dinars to Colonel Gaddafi's regime in Libya. An export control order slapped on the shipment by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills makes it a criminal offence to go ahead with the deal. De La Rue, the only bankn
Read moreWeekend tips round-up: 3i Infra, De La Rue
30th Jan 2011 11:40
3i Infrastructure shares are trading at 114.5p and the company is expected to pay a dividend of 5.9p for the year to March 2011, up from 5.5p last year. The firm owns assets such as Anglian Water, the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and a string of schools in the Highlands and a 20% stake
Read moreLondon close: Stocks fall as nervousness sets in
28th Jan 2011 16:51
Shares were nursing big losses by the end of the day as more gloomy economic figures stoked nervousness. Consumer stocks were under the cosh after UK consumer confidence in January slumped in January, as the VAT rise kicked in. Insipid weekly trading figures from department store group John Lewis h
Read moreLondon afternoon: Confidence blow for equities
28th Jan 2011 14:50
Leading shares are lower, with consumer stocks under the cosh after UK consumer confidence in January slumped in January, as the VAT rise kicked in. Insipid weekly trading figures from department store group John Lewis have not helped sentiment. The GfK NOP Consumer Confidence Index dropped eight p
Read moreBroker tips: Tesco, De La Rue, KCOM
28th Jan 2011 14:20
Nomura says that while Tesco's international operations are widely acknowledged as under-appreciated, the same can be said of its position in the domestic market as the retailing giant has the headroom to double the number of its UK compact hypermarkets. Analyst Nick Coulter says that Tesco has sco
Read moreBroker snap: De La Rue over-valued
28th Jan 2011 13:13
Panmure Gordon says that De La Rue's interim management statement suggested no further deterioration in trading since the last update, but as a result, the broker makes no further changes to its expectations, as 'no news' isn't necessarily 'good news'. The banknotes and passports printer said that
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie stabilises at lower level
28th Jan 2011 12:19
London fell sharply in early dealings on the back of weak overseas markets but it has spent most of the day around the 5,920 mark. S&P's decision to cut its credit rating for Japan and some poor company results hurt the Nikkei in Tokyo on Friday and this has spilled over into London. The market i
Read moreLondon open: Poor start as miners slip
28th Jan 2011 08:54
London has slipped back in early dealings after a dull day on Wall Street and weak showing in Asia overnight. S&P's decision to cut its credit rating for Japan and some poor company results hurt the Nikkei in Tokyo on Friday and this has spilled over into London. Miners are dragging Footsie lower.
Read moreLondon pre-open: Another step back for Footsie
28th Jan 2011 07:40
Weakness in the Far East and a close below 12,000 in the US last night are set to point London lower in early action. S&P's decision to cut its credit rating for Japan and some poor company results hurt the Nikkei Friday, while mixed results and disappointing data capped gains on Wall Street. It co
Read moreDe La Rue outlook meets forecasts
28th Jan 2011 07:05
With French bidder Oberthur now firmly dispatched, banknotes and passports printer De La Rue can concentrate on the serious job of running a business, and it remains optimistic after trading in line with expectations since September. The company, which has been fighting off its rival for the past f
Read moreWednesday tips round-up: Babcock, Hornby, Playtech...
26th Jan 2011 06:48
Babcock bought rival VT last year and said investors would be looking at how well it performed. So far, it seems the integration is on track, with management confident of hitting a run-rate of £11m by the end of March. Babcock also exceeded expectations on paying down debt following the VT acquisi
Read moreLondon close: Shares jump after sluggish start
24th Jan 2011 16:46
Shares put their early indecisiveness behind them to close with good gains after a decent start on Wall Street. Banks were weak after comments by the head of the Independent Banking Commission over stricter capital rules and possible separation of the retail and investment bank arms. The political
Read moreDe La Rue dives as Oberthur walks away
24th Jan 2011 16:24
Shares in banknote printer De La Rue dived ahead of the close Monday after rival Oberthur said it will not make an offer for the company following De La Rue's rejection of a 935p-a-share bid. Oberthur increased its offer for De La Rue to 935p from 905p previously, but De La Rue said the proposal "c
Read moreLondon afternoon: Stocks edge higher
24th Jan 2011 14:49
After a morning of indecision, leading shares pushed on over the lunch time session, despite the weakness of the banking sector. Banks are weak after comments by the head of the Independent Banking Commission over stricter capital rules and possible separation of the retail and investment bank arms
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Ocado continues to rise
24th Jan 2011 14:10
Online grocer Ocado is continuing its recent surge to head the risers of the FTSE 250. The share price has risen 40 points over the last month and has jumped around 80 points since the start of December. The group, whose main customer is Waitrose, reported a fourth quarter sales increase of 27.4% ea
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