London midday: FTSE fluctuates around 7,000 as Greek concerns weigh
23rd Mar 2015 11:42
UK stocks retreated slightly from a record high on Monday morning on the back of uncertainty in Greece, though decent gains from banking, oil and mining stocks were providing some support. The FTSE 100 was down 0.09% at 7,016 by midday, pulling back after setting a new all-time closing high of 7,022
Read moreLondon pre-open: Small gains expected as FTSE extends record
23rd Mar 2015 07:40
UK stocks are set to extend a record high on Monday morning following positive newsflow from Greece and continued bullishness following the Federal Reserve meeting. City sources predict the FTSE 100 will open 13 points higher than Friday's close of 7,022.51. US markets finished strongly on Friday,
Read moreFirstgroup signs contract with DfT to upgrade First Great Western rail
23rd Mar 2015 07:27
Firstgroup has reached an agreement with the Department for Transport (DfT) to operate the First Great Western rail franchise until 1 April, 2019. The deal could be extended by an extra year if the department sees fit and will involve the largest fleet upgrade seen on the route in a generation. The
Read moreFirstGroup extends Transpennine Express franchise agreement
20th Mar 2015 08:47
Transport company FirstGroup has reached an agreement with the UK Department for Transport to extend its contract to operate the First Transpennine Express rail franchise by a year. The deal means that the FTSE 250 group will operate the franchise until 1 April 2016, in line with the expected start
Read moreWednesday broker round-up
11th Mar 2015 11:50
Ashtead: Credit Suisse lifts target to 1,300p from 1,220p and reiterates outperform. Cairn Energy: Jefferies lowers target to 172p from 220p and downgrades to hold. RBC downgrades to neutral. Inchcape: Exane BNP reiterates outperform, raises target to 920p from 850p. BG Group: Credit Suisse lowers
Read moreFirstGroup appoints Intertek CEO as new chairman
11th Mar 2015 08:53
Transport operator FirstGroup has confirmed Wolfhart Hauser, chief executive of Intertek Group, will succeed John McFarlane as chairman. The group said that Hauser, who has been chief executive of the FTSE100 group for the last decade and is also a non-executive director of Associated British Foods
Read moreFirstGroup reassures with UK bus and US student turnaround
21st Jan 2015 11:46
Although its US Greyhound bus services suffered from increased competition, FirstGroup revealed a largely reassuring third-quarter update with full-year performance likely to be in line with expectations. Strength from the UK rail and US First Transit businesses more than offset issues at Greyhound,
Read moreGovernment to reprivatise East Coast trains with winning bid
24th Nov 2014 17:29
The Department for Transport will announce the official privatisation of the East Coast Mainline later this week by unveiling the winning bid. Eurostar and Keolis put forth a joint bid that has largely been pinned as the front-runner but other companies have also placed bids including FirstGroup, Vi
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: FirstGroup leads fallers as TalkTalk jumps
24th Nov 2014 16:25
FirstGroup took a hit amid claims it has missed out on the opportunity to acquire the East Coast mainline. It seems the company's bid will be overlooked in favour of Eurostar and Keolis when the government releases a statement on the final decision this week. FirstGroup has failed to win several pre
Read moreLondon close: UK stocks retreat from two-month high as Petrofac, miners fall
24th Nov 2014 16:23
A wave of M&A news failed to give UK markets a boost on Monday as investors took profits after stocks hit their highest in two months the previous session. The FTSE 100 finished 0.3% lower at 6,730 with a massive drop in the share price of oilfield services firm Petrofac and weakness in the mining s
Read moreMonday newspaper round-up: Aviva, Iran, AIM
24th Nov 2014 06:33
An estimated 2,000 insurance jobs are likely to be axed as Aviva tries to placate scepticism about its bid for Friends Life. While some analysts hailed the £5.6bn deal announced on Friday evening as giving Aviva scope to push up its dividend, others were unimpressed, with one questioning whether it
Read moreFirstgroup bus passengers still not benefiting from upturn
5th Nov 2014 07:48
Bus and train operator Firstgroup said Britain's much-vaunted economic upturn was still not filtering through to local bus travellers as it reported a hit to first half revenue from currency headwinds. Firstgroup said some local UK bus markets and its core US Greyhound long distance bus customers we
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Telecom Plus climbs as oil stocks slide
10th Oct 2014 15:13
Utility services group Telecom Plus said it is happy with market expectations for the full year after strong organic growth in the first half, causing shares to surge on Friday. The company said that the strong growth in both customers and service numbers seen at the start of the year accelerated in
Read moreFirstgroup set to bag extension to Great Western deal
10th Oct 2014 12:48
Train and bus operator Firstgroup is poised to win an uncontested three-and-a-half year extension of its First Great Western franchise, it said on Friday. The Department for Transport (DfT) plans to negotiate a "direct award" for the franchise, which runs trains between London Paddington, the Thames
Read moreLondon midday: Ebola fears, macro concerns hit UK stocks
8th Oct 2014 11:34
Fears about a possible Ebola outbreak in Europe and continued concerns about the global economy were weighing on UK stocks on Wednesday. The FTSE 100 was down 0.3% at 6,475 by around midday with cyclical stocks and airlines providing a drag. Risk appetite was also being held back by nervousness ahe
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