London close: Gains pared at the close
17th Mar 2010 16:48
London's gains were trimmed just before the close as traders took a few profits before heading off to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. Nevertheless, it was the highest close for the Footsie since the middle of 2008. Mining stocks led the advance, despite conflicting views in the broking community on th
Read moreLondon afternoon: Brokers in miners disagreement
17th Mar 2010 14:29
A firm opening by Wall Street gave UK shares an additional fillip over the lunchtime trading session. Miners are leading the advance, despite conflicting views in the broking community on their merits. Societe Generale is in the bearish camp, cutting sector giants BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto from 'b
Read moreLondon midday: Arriva bid lifts mood
17th Mar 2010 12:02
London is now handily higher, with the strength of transport groups and miners cancelling out the subdued performance of ex-dividend stocks such as HSBC, Standard Life and Thomas Cook. The main point of interest is confirmation from bus and rail group Arriva that it has had an unsolicited bid appr
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Arriva pulls away
17th Mar 2010 11:39
Arriva has raced into the lead to lead the FTSE 250 after the rail and bus group said it had received an approach about a possible offer. Shares in the company climbed yesterday amid rumours of a possible 700p-a-share bid from German transport operator Deutsche Bahn. Singaporean firm ComfortDelGr
Read moreWednesday newspaper round-up: UK recession, Mitchells & Butlers, Vedanta
27th Jan 2010 06:31
There are growing fears that Britain could tip back into recession after figures showing that the economy staggered to growth at the end of last year. The tiny 0.1% uplift achieved from October to December ? far worse than most City economists expected ? threw Labour and Conservative election tact
Read moreBroker snap: De La Rue outlook 'excellent'
26th Jan 2010 10:24
Banknote printer De La Rue today reported strong trading in its third quarter and analysts at Ambrian feel the dynamics driving the outlook remain 'excellent'. The broker, which rates the shares a 'buy', points to a combination of market position, reputation, customer relationships and intellectual
Read moreTuesday tips round-up: FirstGroup, Templeton Emerging, Hiscox
26th Jan 2010 06:51
Bus and train group FirstGroup has been called "the worst company in Britain" and the Telegraph completely understands this point of view but believes from an investment point of view, there are compelling reasons to buy the shares. In its third-quarter trading update, issued on 14 January, the gro
Read moreBroker tips: Int'l Power, Severn Trent, Stagecoach
20th Jan 2010 13:10
Hopes of a bid for International Power (IPR) were dashed earlier this week when it said talks with GDF Suez were over, but there's more to the energy giant than that, says Credit Suisse. The Swiss bank thinks earnings 'have already troughed' and suggests using any pullback and return to fundamental
Read moreBroker snap: Stagecoach has ticket for rail success
20th Jan 2010 09:02
Stagecoach is most likely to win a new rail contract, says Morgan Stanley (MS), which upgrades the bus and trains firm to 'overweight' from 'equalweight'. 'UK Rail will be front and centre again this year, but this time lower employment declines and a restructuring of the franchising system should
Read moreBroker tips: FirstGroup, BHP Billiton, Asos
18th Jan 2010 11:44
Subdued profit growth in its US school bus operations is likely to hold back earnings at rail and bus group FirstGroup after this year, according to Nomura. The Japanese broker, which has a 'neutral' recommendation and a 375p target price on FirstGroup, has upgraded its earnings per share estimates
Read moreBroker snap: FirstGroup school buses to slow down
18th Jan 2010 09:39
Subdued profit growth in its US school bus operations is likely to hold back earnings at rail and bus group FirstGroup after this year, according to Nomura. The Japanese broker, which has a 'neutral' recommendation and a 375p target price on FirstGroup, has upgraded its earnings per share estimates
Read moreLondon close: Healthy gain for Footsie
14th Jan 2010 16:26
London blue chips rose near the close to finish the day handily ahead, despite a disappointing response to the latest retail updates. Primark and British Sugar owner Associated British Foods was one of the few risers. The group had a better than anticipated end to 2009 and expects a 'significant in
Read moreLondon afternoon: US data hits London
14th Jan 2010 14:28
Disappointing US retail sales for December had repercussions this side of the pond, prompting the morning's gains to be pared. US retail sales fell by 0.3% month-on-month in December, against expectations of a slight rise. Miners remain wanted with Xstrata, Rio Tinto, Kazakhmys and Antofagasta am
Read moreLondon midday: Miners lift Footsie
14th Jan 2010 12:08
Footsie is in the blue as strength in the mining sector offsets weakness among retailers following a stream of updates from the sector. Xstrata, BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto, Kazakhmys, Eurasian Natural Resources and Antofagasta are all among the best performers. Rio Tintohailed another very strong qu
Read moreLondon open: Miners leading the way
14th Jan 2010 08:25
Miners are leading London's top stocks higher in early dealings on a busy day on the company news front. Xstrata, Vedanta Resources, BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto, Kazakhmys, Eurasian Natural Resources and Antofagasta are all among the best performers. Rio Tinto hailed another very strong quarter for ir
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