London close: No US jobs lift for FTSE 100
4th Feb 2011 16:40
The top share index finished the week just below 6,000 points after a sluggish day's trading. Traders were unsure how to react to US jobs data. Nonfarm payrolls rose just 36,000 last month, the Labor Department said Friday, well below forecasts of at least 140,000. On the bright side, December's nu
Read moreLondon afternoon: Footsie recovers from US jobs jolt
4th Feb 2011 14:40
The Footsie kept its head above 6,000 over the lunchtime period despite a negative reaction to US jobless figures at 1:30. Nonfarm payrolls rose just 36,000 last month, the Labor Department said Friday, well below forecasts of at least 140,000. On the bright side, December's number was revised up t
Read moreLondon midday: FTSE 100 in the blue
4th Feb 2011 12:23
The FTSE 100 is still hovering a few points in positive territory on a fairly quiet day on the company news front. Utilities are one bright spot, with United Utilities, Severn Trent and International Power all higher. Wm Morrison has been upgraded to 'buy' from 'neutral' by UBS, which suggests th
Read moreLondon open: Quiet start for blue chips
4th Feb 2011 08:47
Footsie is subdued with the company results schedule a bit threadbare and January non-farm payrolls data from the US due out this afternoon. Utilities are one bright spot, with United Utilities, Severn Trent and International Power all higher. Wm Morrison has been upgraded to 'buy' from 'neutral
Read moreTraffic jumps 19% at easyJet
4th Feb 2011 07:30
Budget airline easyJet flew 19.1% more passengers on its orange liveried planes this January than a year ago. More than 3.74m people took to the skies with the carrier last month, up from 3.14m in January 2010. The load factor, which measures how well planes are filled, slipped from 79.3% to 78.9%.
Read moreGooch & Housego finance boss sells stake
28th Jan 2011 17:01
Gooch & Housego's finance director Andrew Boteler has sold nearly half of his holding in the optical components and systems supplier. Boteler sold 13,000 shares and his wife another 2,000 shares. They were all sold at 515p each, raising a total of £77,250. Boteler still owns 16,065 shares. Botel
Read moreFriday tips round-up: Invensys, Easyjet, BHP Billiton...
21st Jan 2011 06:45
What has driven the Invensys share price in recent months, though, is bid speculation, especially after some unfortunate remarks in November by the chief executive Ulf Henriksson that its Chinese rail partner might be interested. Though these were swiftly played down, a break-up still looks a possi
Read moreFriday newspaper round-up: Google, Alan Johnson, BSkyB...
21st Jan 2011 06:37
Larry Page sent shockwaves throughout corporate America last night by replacing Eric Schmidt as chief executive of Google and seizing back control of the company he co-founded in 1998. Mr Schmidt, who was hired by Mr Page and Sergey Brin to help to build Google's corporate infrastructure as it grew
Read moreLondon close: China concerns sink Footsie
20th Jan 2011 16:31
Blue chips closed down more than 100 points as hefty losses in the mining sector dragged the whole index down. The index fell below 5,900 points for the first time this year as strong growth in China stoked speculation of an interest rate rise to cool the economy and cap inflation. Miners are heav
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Easyjet shares take a hit
20th Jan 2011 15:54
Shares in Easyjet dived after snow and strike disruption cost the budget airline £31m in the last quarter of 2010 and it predicted that soaring fuel costs would hit its results this year. Total revenue was up by 7.5% from the same period the previous year at £654m but the disruption costs were big
Read moreFuel cost surge adds to Easyjet's problems
20th Jan 2011 07:23
Shares in Easyjet dived after snow and strike disruption cost the budget airline £31m in the last quarter of 2010 and it predicted that soaring fuel costs would hit its results this year. Total revenue was up by 7.5% from the same period the previous year at £654m but the disruption costs were bigg
Read moreLondon close: Lower finish as US jobs disappoint
7th Jan 2011 16:35
Leading shares were in the red heading into the weekend after a weak jobs report in the US. Monthly nonfarm payrolls revealed just 103,000 jobs were added in December. Much less than economists had hoped for. Back over here, miners were mostly lower as commodity prices struggle. Copper specialists
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Hays and easyJet rising higher
7th Jan 2011 15:40
Recruitment giant Hays is the pick of the bunch holding on to gains made after yesterday's positive update. The group grew net fees by more than a fifth during its second quarter as rapid growth at the international business made up for a drab performance in the UK. Budget airline easyJet is flyin
Read moreLondon afternoon: Footsie still in red
7th Jan 2011 14:58
Leading shares remain in negative territory as a weak jobs report in the US prevents Wall Street from heading higher. The Dow Jones is currently down a couple of points after monthly nonfarm payrolls revealed just 103,000 jobs were added in December. Much less than economists had hoped for. Back o
Read moreLondon midday: FTSE 100 stuck below 6,000
7th Jan 2011 12:13
The top share index has been sitting stubbornly below 6,000 points, but could spring into life when US non-farm payroll figures are released this afternoon. Estimates are for about 150,000 new jobs to have been added in December. Elsewhere, it's a quiet morning so far. There has been a further de
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