London open: Modest gains
15th Apr 2010 08:43
London's benchmark index has kicked off with modest gains with banks proving popular early on. Investors are keen on the likes of Barclays, Royal Bank of Scotland and HSBC Holdings But they seem unsure about Rio Tinto, which released a first quarter update. The group said its operation continued
Read moreLondon pre-open: Shares to rise
15th Apr 2010 07:33
London's leading shares are poised to begin with good gains, with traders eyeing a 22 point rise in opening deals. McBride, which makes personal care products for supermarkets to sell under their own label, has appointed an executive from the food and household goods giant Unilever as its new chief
Read moreExperian revenues rise, UK weak
15th Apr 2010 07:14
Credit checking firm Experian saw revenues from continuing operations rise for the six months to March but revenues at its UK operations fell in the period. At constant exchange rates, total revenue in UK and Ireland declined 2%. Organic revenue also declined 2%, though total growth at actual excha
Read moreThursday preview: Experian, Uniq
14th Apr 2010 15:02
Credit checking firm Experian is expected to provide sales figures on Thursday relating to the second half of its fiscal year or, if you prefer, the six months to the end of March. UBS is forecasting organic sales growth of 2% for the period, which suggests a pick-up in the fourth quarter after the
Read moreWeek Ahead: Experian, Debenhams, UK trade
9th Apr 2010 11:40
Another relatively quiet week is in prospect on the company results front. In the retail sector Debenhams, JD Sports Fashion and Halfords are due to give trading updates, while elsewhere Experian, the credit checking firm, and Rio Tinto, the mining giant, are the other high profile firms due to make
Read moreGoogle overtaken in US by Facebook
17th Mar 2010 13:57
The home page of social networking site Facebook is now a more popular destination for US web surfers than Google, according to Hitwise, which tracks Internet usage. The US research firm, owned by the UK's Experian Group, said that that 7.07% of all Internet requests in the US during the week endin
Read moreExperian non-exec improves his finances
10th Mar 2010 16:52
Experian non-executive director Roger Davis has raised just over £700,000 from the sale of shares in the credit checking firm. Davis sold 110,199 shares at 638.5p each. This leaves him with 110,000 shares in Experian. Davis joined the Experian board at the beginning of 2007. He has an army backg
Read moreWincanton director makes first purchase
20th Jan 2010 17:07
Non-executive director Paul Venables has bought shares in logistics and warehousing business Wincanton. The purchase of 25,000 shares was made at 224.77p a share. The total cost was £56,192. This is the first purchase of shares by Venables since he joined the Wincanton board in September 2009. He
Read moreLondon close: Footsie follows US lower
15th Jan 2010 16:39
Footsie finished the week on a low as a poor performance in the US dragged the leading share index down in afternoon trading. US shares fell after consumer confidence rose less than expected in January. Here, Man Group was the heaviest faller after the hedge fund manager suffered a 4% drop in fund
Read moreLondon afternoon: Flat Footsie
15th Jan 2010 14:27
The blue-chip index is treading water, though there has been some keen interest in the day's big results announcements. Man Group is sharply lower after the hedge fund manager suffered a 4% drop in funds under management during the third quarter, mainly due to the $1.2bn pulled out of its flagship
Read moreLondon midday: Leading shares ease back
15th Jan 2010 12:28
Leading shares are mixed, with the FTSE 100 dipping into negative territory after JP Morgan issued a mixed set of figures. The US banking titan's bottom line was healthier than expected, with fourth quarter earnings per share of 74 cents versus expectations of 60 cents, but net revenues of $25.2bn w
Read moreLondon open: Blue chips flat
15th Jan 2010 08:44
London is going nowhere this morning despite more gains in the US overnight and better than expected fourth quarter results from chip giant Intel, announced after hours. On home soil, Man Group suffered a 4% drop in funds under management during the third quarter, mainly due to the $1.2bn pulled ou
Read moreLondon pre-open: Footsie set to reclaim 5,500
15th Jan 2010 07:35
A modest gain in the US overnight should be enough to get London back above 5,500, futures prices reveal. The FTSE 100 is expected to add about 11 points after American investors shrugged off a surprise drop in retail sales, rise in unemployment and President Obama's new multi-billion dollar bank t
Read moreExperian hits its growth targets
15th Jan 2010 07:04
Latin America was once again a bright spot for credit checking firm Experian, which saw underlying organic revenue growth of 1% in the last three months of 2009, but the group remains cautious on the outlook for the UK. The UK & Ireland saw revenue dip 3% on a constant currency basis in the third q
Read moreFriday preview: Man Group, Experian, Bovis Homes
14th Jan 2010 15:13
Trading statements are expected on Friday from Experian, Bovis Homes and Man Group. The share price of hedge fund manager Man Group has retreated this week after Morgan Stanley cut its rating on the stock from 'overweight' to 'equal weight'. The US broker likes Man's exposure to a number of growt
Read more