London close: UK stocks at best levels this year as Tesco jumps 15%
8th Jan 2015 16:42
London's FTSE 100 surged by 2.3% on Thursday to close at its best level this year as a massive gain in the share price of heavyweight supermarket group Tesco gave fellow retailers a lift. Increased hopes for central-bank stimulus in Europe, a stabilisation of oil prices and improving economic data f
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Tesco surges on turnaround plans, M&S hit by weak sales
8th Jan 2015 14:12
Tesco's shares surged nearly 14% after it said it would cut costs substantially next year, close 43 unprofitable stores and lower prices, as chief executive Dave Lewis attempts to turn around the struggling supermarket chain. The news came as the company unveiled a "broad-based improvement" in UK tr
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Aggreko appreciates on deal, Sainsbury's outlook weak
7th Jan 2015 14:00
Shares in temporary power provider Aggreko rocketed after it signed a two-year contract with Energia Argentina and extended another deal in Africa. Aggreko will deliver an extra 150MW of diesel-fuelled power in Argentina and has additionally agreed to extend its existing 300MW of capacity with the s
Read moreLondon pre-open: Traders waiting on Eurozone CPI data while oil slides
7th Jan 2015 07:56
UK stocks were expected to open slightly lower on Wednesday ahead of the release of Eurozone consumer price data which was expected to show the single currency area on the brink of deflation. City sources predict the FTSE 100 will open between 12 to 15 points higher than Tuesday's close of 6,366.51.
Read moreLondon close: UK stocks sink 2% on Greek exit fears, oil-price plunge
5th Jan 2015 16:45
Concerns about the Greek crisis and continuing downwards pressure on oil prices drove London's stock market 2% lower on Monday, with investors scaling back their appetite for risk ahead of a busy week. The FTSE 100 finished the session down 130.64 points at 6,417.16, its lowest close since 17 Decemb
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Travel stocks gain, resource shares drop
5th Jan 2015 15:03
The travel sector was booming on Monday as oil prices continued to fall. Carnival, International Consolidated Airlines Group and EasyJet were among the best performing members of the FTSE 100. Randgold Resources and Fresnillo were on the rise as gold and silver prices increased. Gold was up for the
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Energy stocks hit by drop in crude, Lloyds boosted by upgrade
2nd Jan 2015 14:22
Sainsbury was trading lower as hedge funds forecast that the supermarket group would be damaged by the grocery industry's escalating price war. Lansdowne Partners, Odey Asset Management and Marshall Wace all blamed the growing popularity of discounters Aldi and Lidl, who would hit profitability by f
Read moreLondon close: Falling oil prices drag down shares
30th Dec 2014 16:06
Oil stocks dragged London shares deep into the red on Tuesday after crude prices hit a five-and-a-half year low. The FTSE 100 Index closed 86.51 points adrift at 6,547 as the price of a barrel of Brent crude dropped below $57, although it later recovered slightly. The price of a barrel of US light
Read moreLondon midday: UK stocks slip as Greek uncertainty hits sentiment
30th Dec 2014 11:19
Uncertainty in Athens and falling oil prices were weighing heavily on UK stocks on Tuesday, with London's FTSE 100 snapping an eight-day winning streak. The FTSE 100 was down 0.9% at 6,576.11 after hitting a three-week high the previous session. Greek politics were in focus for those traders return
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Travel companies soar as miners sink
11th Dec 2014 16:21
Travel companies Easyjet and International Consolidated Airlines Group were boosted by the fall in oil prices, on hopes that lower fuel costs will boost profitability. Dixons Carphone was also among the risers after it emerged earlier this week that it surpassed its Christmas store opening targets.
Read moreLondon close: UK stocks drop to five-week low as oil sinks further
10th Dec 2014 16:40
UK stocks dropped to their lowest levels in five weeks on Wednesday as turmoil in the oil prices intensified with crude prices sinking to a fresh five-year low. The FTSE 100 erased earlier gains to finish down 0.45% at 6,500. It has not closed below this level since 4 November when it settled at 6,4
Read moreLondon open: Stocks bounce off one-month low on Chinese stimulus hopes
10th Dec 2014 08:54
UK stocks edged higher on Wednesday after a steep sell-off sent the FTSE 100 to its lowest levels in more than a month. London's benchmark index was up 0.3% at 6,549 early on, after settling at 6,529.47 the previous day. Political uncertainty in Greece and concerns about lending in China hammered m
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Travel companies fly higher as miners sink
4th Dec 2014 14:45
Travel tour operator TUI Travel saw its shares rise, as the company met expectations with a 4% rise in annual profits as the company painted a positive outlook for the winter and upcoming summer season ahead of its planned merger with parent group TUI AG. Budget airline Easyjet also flew high aft
Read moreLondon midday: UK stocks rangebound ahead of ECB policy decision
4th Dec 2014 11:40
UK stocks were trading within a narrow range on Thursday as investors refrained from taking on too much risk ahead of the European Central Bank (ECB) policy meeting, which has the potential to spark volatility across financial markets worldwide. The FTSE 100 was trading just 0.03% higher at 6,719 by
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
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