London pre-open: Stocks expected to rise as M&A picks up, Shell takes over BG Group
8th Apr 2015 07:44
UK stocks are expected to extend gains on Wednesday morning despite an impressive jump the previous day, as sentiment remains buoyed by a raft of M&A activity. City sources predict the FTSE 100 will open 38 points higher than Tuesday's close of 6,961.77, after having risen 1.9% the previous session.
Read moreEasyjet passenger growth picks up in March
8th Apr 2015 07:25
Budget airline Easyjet has reported a rise in annual passenger numbers and fuller planes for March. Passenger numbers, as measured by the number of earned seats flown, rose at a year-on-year rate of 7.5% last month to 5.49m, compared with the 6.1% growth seen in February. Given that Easyjet is a no
Read moreBroker tips: Vodafone, Antofagasta, Airline stocks
7th Apr 2015 11:35
Shares in telecoms giant Vodafone were on the rise on Tuesday after UBS highlighted the possibility of a bid from US cable operator Liberty Global. The Swiss bank maintained a 'buy' rating and 265p target price on the UK-listed stock, saying that Liberty may be revisiting its strategy. Nevertheless,
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: M&S surges on growth, miners lower
2nd Apr 2015 14:54
Marks & Spencer topped the risers as it delivered its first growth from clothing and general merchandise (GM) for 14 quarters, with like-for-like sales unexpectedly rising 0.7% in both clothing and food. The market had been expecting GM sales to fall and food to be flattish. Imperial Tobacco continu
Read moreLondon close: UK stocks fall for fourth day as mining shares tank
27th Mar 2015 17:04
UK stocks extended their losing streak into the fourth day on Friday as a sell-off in iron ore and a stronger dollar hit share prices in the mining sector. London's resource-heavy FTSE 100 finished the session down 40.31 points (-0.58%) at 6,855.02 as it continued its retreat from the record closing
Read moreFriday broker round-up
27th Mar 2015 16:29
Aviva: Jefferies reiterates buy and ups target to 630p from 608p. RBS: UBS keeps at neutral and trims target to 375p from 386p. ITV: Exane reiterates add and lifts target to 288p from 267p. Wolseley: Exane reiterates underperform and lowers target to 2,660p from 2,730p. Hunting: JP Morgan Cazenov
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Carnival lifted by strong results, airline stocks rebound
27th Mar 2015 13:12
Carnival topped the risers as strong first-quarter results prompted a lift in full year earnings guidance. It boasted that advance bookings for the remainder of 2015 were steaming ahead of the prior year and at higher prices. "We are experiencing an on-going improvement in underlying fundamentals ba
Read moreBroker tips: Shire, Vodafone, Easyjet
27th Mar 2015 11:42
Shire has had its target price lifted by UBS from 5,400p to 6,600p as the Swiss bank highlighted three potential blockbuster products at the pharmaceutical group. A 'buy' rating was maintained. The bank played down recent concerns that Shire overpaid earlier this year when it $5.2bn for US biotech g
Read moreLondon midday: UK stocks continue to retreat as miners fall
27th Mar 2015 11:38
Mining stocks led UK equity markets lower on Friday as the pull-back from recent records continued, with little in the way of corporate or economic news to drive sentiment. After a 1.4% drop on Thursday, the FTSE 100 was down a further 0.3% at 6,873.30 by midday. London's blue chip index has now fa
Read moreRBC upgrades Easyjet on more positive summer outlook
27th Mar 2015 09:37
Easyjet's shares were flying higher on Friday after a sharp descent the previous session, with analysts at RBC Capital Markets providing a lift after upgrading their view on the airline from 'sector perform' to 'outperform'. The broker, which hiked its target price for the shares from 1,800p to 2,00
Read moreLondon open: Mining stocks drag FTSE 100 lower for fourth day
27th Mar 2015 08:30
UK stocks declined for a fourth straight day on Friday morning as the FTSE 100 continued to pull back from recent all-time highs. The Footsie was down 0.1% at 6,888.66 in early deals with mining stocks among the worst performers. London's blue chip index has continued to fall after hitting a new rec
Read moreLondon close: Stocks sink sharply as risk appetite scaled back
26th Mar 2015 16:38
The UK stock market suffered a sharp sell-off on Thursday, dropping to its lowest level in over a week, as geopolitical and macroeconomic fears hammered investor sentiment. The FTSE 100 finished down 1.37% at 6,895.33, as it continues to retreat from a record closing high of 7,037.67 reached on Mond
Read moreBroker tips: Easyjet, Antofagasta, Whitbread
26th Mar 2015 12:27
Shares in Easyjet and a number of other travel stocks took a hammering on Thursday from the spike in oil prices, though the budget airline did manage to impress analysts with its latest trading update. Credit Suisse maintained an 'outperform' rating and 2,050p target price for Easyjet after first-ha
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie drops 1.4% as retreat from record high continues
26th Mar 2015 12:15
London's Footsie was registering steep losses on Thursday as the index continued to retreat from the record highs reached earlier in the week, as financial and airline stocks fell sharply. Airline stocks in particular were feeling the brunt of a spike in the price of oil after Saudi Arabia launched
Read moreEasyjet slides as oil spikes, but Credit Suisse welcomes strong first half
26th Mar 2015 11:49
Shares in Easyjet and a number of other travel stocks took a hammering on Thursday from the spike in oil prices, though the budget airline did manage to impress analysts with its latest trading update. Credit Suisse maintained an 'outperform' rating and 2,050p target price for Easyjet after first-ha
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