FTSE 250 movers: Oil, gold and metal mining firms on the decline while retail sees an upswing
11th Dec 2014 14:17
Telecom firm Spirent Communications was rising on Thursday after being given a hold consensus recommendation by the 12 ratings firms currently covering the company. Liberum Capital upgraded the group to a 'buy' rating. The broker claimed: "Spirent is cheaper than its peers on all EV metrics and is a
Read moreSector movers: Energy stocks tank as oil-price plunge intensifies
10th Dec 2014 15:43
Stocks in the oil producing and oil services sectors were hit by renewed selling pressure on Wednesday as crude prices dropped to fresh five-year lows. A weaker demand forecast from OPEC and a surprise increase in US crude inventories were weighing heavily on oil prices in afternoon trade, with Bren
Read moreSector movers: Oil stocks under pressure as crude continues to slide
8th Dec 2014 15:27
An on-going slide in the price of oil was weighing on the oil and gas sector again on Monday with crude prices falling to their lowest level in five years. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures for January delivery were down 2.4% at $64.27 a barrel by the afternoon in London, while Brent for January
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Mining stocks fall as gold and oil prices drop
5th Dec 2014 15:37
Energy and mining stocks were in decline on Friday after a drop in oil prices for January delivery from Saudi Arabia and a fall in gold futures. Enquest was once again among the fallers on Friday amid low oil prices. Acacia Mining, Kaz Minerals, Lonmin Vedanta Resources and Blackrock World Mining Tr
Read moreSector movers: Mining and oil stocks drop as ECB holds off on stimulus
4th Dec 2014 15:09
Cyclical sectors such as mining and oil were the worst performers of the day on Thursday as the wider stock market weakened in the absence of stimulus measures from the European Central Bank (ECB). The ECB held off from making a move at its meeting, saying instead that it would look at injecting sti
Read moreLondon open: UK stocks tread water ahead of BoE, ECB policy meetings
4th Dec 2014 08:38
The UK stock market opened more or less unchanged on Thursday as investors scaled back their risk appetite ahead of a busy day, with central bank meetings lying ahead in the UK and Europe. While both the Bank of England and European Central Bank are expected to leave monetary policy unchanged, all e
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Energy stocks rebound after OPEC decision fall-out
2nd Dec 2014 14:30
Energy companies rebounded on to the risers list on Tuesday after dropping substantially in the fallout from OPEC's decision to maintain the rate of oil production last week, which caused the price of crude to drop to its lowest in more than four and a half years. Afren rose after declining on Monda
Read moreLondon close: Shares drop amid falling oil prices and economic woe
1st Dec 2014 17:11
Falling oil prices and downbeat manufacturing data in continental Europe sent London shares into reverse on Monday. The price of a barrel of Brent crude leaked more than 10% and US light crude was off 11% just after the close in London as Middle East and US oil chiefs continued their stand-off over
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Oil stocks continue to slide post OPEC
1st Dec 2014 14:51
Oil and gas related stocks continued to slide on Monday after OPEC decided not to lower the rate of oil production on Thursday, causing crude prices to tumble below $70 a barrel, their lowest in over four and a half years. Afren suffered the biggest hit Monday afternoon, declining 9%, while Enquest,
Read moreBroker tips: Oil stocks, IHG, Vodafone, Balfour Beatty
1st Dec 2014 12:30
A continued drop in oil prices was weighing heavily on the exploration and production sector again on Monday, with stocks dampened further after a number of ratings downgrades by US broker JPMorgan Cazenove. The bank has cut its recommendations for UK-listed Afren (from 'overweight' to 'underweight'
Read moreOil stocks continue to slide as JPMorgan downgrades ratings
1st Dec 2014 11:26
A continued drop in oil prices was weighing heavily on the exploration and production (E&P) sector again on Monday, with stocks dampened further after a number of ratings downgrades by US broker JPMorgan Cazenove. The bank has cut its recommendations for UK-listed Afren (from 'overweight' to 'underw
Read moreLondon open: Resource stocks drag FTSE 100 to lowest in over two weeks
1st Dec 2014 08:33
The UK stock market started the new week on the back foot after yet more disappointing economic data from China dampened sentiment, with shares in the mining and oil sectors falling sharply. The official purchasing managers index (PMI) for China came in below expectations at an eight-month low, addi
Read moreSunday newspaper round-up: Balfour Beatty, Canary Wharf, Vodafone
30th Nov 2014 15:25
Balfour Beatty could be broken up as John Laing Infrastructure Fund considers a billion-pound bid for the company's investment arm, the Sunday Times reported. John Laing is interested in bidding for Balfour's 60 private finance initiative (PFI) contracts. It would leave Balfour with a business worth
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Oil stocks slide after OPEC decision
28th Nov 2014 15:25
Oil stocks and those related to the sector tumbled following the decision by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to maintain a steady rate of oil output, which sent the price of Brent tumbling on Thursday. Premier Oil, Enquest, Afren, Hunting, Ophir Energy and Wood Group all took a
Read moreLondon open: FTSE 100 falls as energy stocks extend losses after OPEC meeting
28th Nov 2014 08:41
Despite already having plunged the previous session, stocks in the energy sector were under further selling pressure on Friday in the aftermath of the OPEC meeting, pushing the FTSE 100 firmly into the red. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries decided on Thursday not to scale back their
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