London open: Wall St pulls London lower
8th Apr 2010 08:40
London is in a downbeat mood in early dealing following the drop on Wall Street overnight despite better than expected sales figures from the bellwether of the High Street, Marks & Spencer. M&S enjoyed a strong start to the year with food and non-food like-for-like sales beating expectations in the
Read moreLondon pre-open: US casts shadow on London
8th Apr 2010 07:32
London looks set to take its lead from Wall Street, which saw a shake out yesterday, and open lower, though there is some cheer in the form of better than expected sales figures from the bellwether of the High Street, Marks & Spencer. Traders expect the FTSE 100 will open around 30 points easier.
Read moreEasyjet passengers rise 13.5%
8th Apr 2010 07:14
No-frills airline Easyjet carried 13.5% more passengers in March compared with the same month in 2009. The load factor on its planes also rose as it benefited from the strikes at British Airways and other European rivals. Passengers carried in March totalled 3.96m up from 3.49m, with loads up by 2.
Read moreSunday paper round-up: RBS/Lloyds, Prudential, Desire Petroleum
28th Mar 2010 08:25
Advisers to the government are working on a secret plan that could allow the state to start cutting its shareholdings in British banks just weeks after the general election. The plot would see the Treasury create "convertible gilts" ? government bonds that could be exchanged for shares in the banks
Read moreBroker tips: Next, easyJet, Man Group
25th Mar 2010 13:33
Preliminary results from fashion chain Next were slightly better than Panmure Gordon had been anticipating, with profit before tax coming in at £504.6m versus Panmure's prediction of £497.1m. The final dividend, at 47p, was also a lot more generous than Panmure Gordon's forecast of 41p, and 'shows
Read moreBroker snap: Currency tailwinds to lift easyJet
25th Mar 2010 08:23
The absence of a chief financial officer and the impending departure of its chief executive officer does not seem to be holding back no-frills airline easyJet much, according to Nomura Securities, which rates the shares as a 'buy'. The Japanese broker has adjusted its forecasts for easyJet to facto
Read moreLondon close: Market unmoved by Budget
24th Mar 2010 16:49
The blue-chip index finished marginally higher after a Budget that was light on bells and whistles While there was little in the Budget to excite anyone other than first-time buyers, cider drinkers and British occupants of Dominica, Grenada and Belize, the corporate news scene was busy, with half
Read moreLondon afternoon: Banks bounce after Budget
24th Mar 2010 14:42
The Chancellor of the Exchequer has delivered his Budget speech and the net effect has been to leave the Footsie barely changed on the day. Banks seem to have been the major beneficiaries of the Chancellor's speech, with the absence of any bank bashing leading to firmer prices for part-nationalised
Read moreEasyjet confirms McCall is new chief
24th Mar 2010 07:54
No-frills airline easyJet has confirmed Carolyn McCall will join the board as its new chief executive. McCall has been at Guardian Media Group since 2006, where she has carried out a number of roles including most recently as group chief executive. Her joining date will be confirmed in due course,
Read moreWednesday newspaper round-up: FSA, Budget, BG
24th Mar 2010 06:38
Staff at some of the City's biggest names, including an executive at Deutsche Bank and a trader at Moore Capital, one of the world's biggest hedge funds, were questioned yesterday in the biggest operation against insider dealing launched in Britain. Six men were questioned after dawn raids on 16 h
Read morePassenger numbers up at easyJet
4th Mar 2010 08:56
The number of passengers carried by no-frills airline easyJet in February was 12.3% higher than a year earlier, though the load factor was lower. easyJet carried 3.39m passengers in February 2009, 12.3% more than the 3.02m carried in February 2008. However the load factor, defined as the number of
Read moreWhitbread boss makes way for easyJet chief
3rd Mar 2010 14:07
"Will you still need me when I'm 64?" sang the Beatles in 1967. The answer from Premier Inn and Costa Coffee owner Whitbread to chief executive Alan Parker is "no". Parker will retire from the UK's largest hotel and restaurant group on 25 November, his 64th birthday, after six years at the helm. H
Read moreLondon close: Water groups lift Footsie
1st Feb 2010 16:43
Bid speculation helped Footsie to a good start to the week, with water groups in focus. Northumbrian Water spurted higher on reports a Canadian pension fund is poised to bid. Sector peers United Utilities, Pennon Water and Severn Trent rise in sympathy. JP Morgan, which was named two weeks ago as
Read moreLondon afternoon: Blue chips boosted by bid chatter
1st Feb 2010 14:19
US futures point to a good start on Wall Street, with the Dow tipped to add over 60 points in early trading. It's helped London's blue chips move ahead further with water companies the stand-out sector. Northumbrian Water has spurted higher on reports a Canadian pension fund is poised to bid. Secto
Read moreLondon midday: Water companies float higher
1st Feb 2010 11:57
The FTSE 100 ended a quiet morning session marginally in positive territory, helped by some speculative attention focused on utility companies. Northumbrian Water has spurted higher on reports a Canadian pension fund is poised to bid. Sector peers United Utilities, Pennon Water and Severn Trent ris
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