London afternoon: Hard going for Footsie
1st Mar 2011 14:53
It's proving a struggle in London with not long to go until the close, as Wall Street fails to inject much excitement and miners either see gains trimmed or disappear completely. Aerospace and vehicles engineer GKN has few friends. It bounced back into the black last year as all divisions bar aeros
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Capita rises on Zurich talks
1st Mar 2011 13:39
Capita is the best performer in the footsie after the outsourcer revealed that it is in talks with insurer Zurich about performing some administrative tasks. The talks cover the UK and as well as some of Zurich's European administrative operations. Mexican miner Fresnillo is investing $800m in it
Read moreLondon midday: FTSE 100 gives up gains
1st Mar 2011 12:07
The top share index is flat after giving up early gains, while company updates in the FTSE 250 have sparked big moves in both directions. Capita is the best performer in the FTSE 100 after the outsourcing group said it was in talks with Zurich about performing some administrative tasks for the ins
Read moreLondon open: Miners lift Footsie
1st Mar 2011 08:50
Overnight gains on Wall Street and an improvement in Asia this morning have propelled London higher first thing Tuesday. Copper miners Antofagasta and Kazakhmys are the best performers so far. CD and computer games retailer HMV has issued another profits warning and begun talks with its banks abou
Read moreLondon pre-open: Footsie to retake 6,000
1st Mar 2011 07:36
Overnight gains on Wall Street and an improvement in Asia this morning look set to propel London higher first thing Tuesday. News that billionaire investor Warren Buffett is on the lookout for major acquisitions helped push the Dow Jones up 95 points yesterday. The FTSE 100 is expected to react
Read moreFresnillo profits double to $1bn
1st Mar 2011 07:10
Record gold and silver production coupled with soaring metal prices more than doubled Mexican miner Fresnillo's profits last year to over $1bn. "Record levels of silver and gold production, the start-up of a new mine, and substantial progress at development and exploration sites attest to the group
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Miners lead the fall
23rd Feb 2011 14:20
Declining metals prices have pushed Antofagasta, Xstrata and Fresnillo lower. Consumer packaging giant Rexam has been hit by profit-taking even though it grew underlying profit by a bigger than expected 45% in 2010 and expects further progress this year. Profit before tax and exceptional items jum
Read moreLondon midday: FTSE plunges below 6,000 on Libya worries
22nd Feb 2011 12:10
Shares are under pressure today as the Libya crisis pushes up oil prices, though precious metal miners are benefitting from defensive buying. Oil prices are higher again, with Brent crude for April settlement rising past $108 a barrel, not good news for British Airways owner IAG, which is one of to
Read moreLondon open: FTSE 100 below 6,000 as Libya casts shadow
22nd Feb 2011 08:24
The FTSE 100 is back below 6,000 points as the ongoing turmoil in Lybia continues to jangle traders' nerves. Oil prices are higher again, not good news for British Airways owner IAG, which is one of today's notable fallers. The high gold price as investors seek a safe haven has lifted African Barri
Read moreLondon close: Shares fall as Libya crisis intensifies
21st Feb 2011 16:53
The top share index was nursing big losses at trading's close as worries over the turmoil in Libya sent the oil price soaring and continued high usage of the European Central Bank's marginal lending facility stoked nervousness over banks. Banks are granted the right to seek overnight loans from th
Read moreLondon afternoon: ECB emergency loans give banks jitters
21st Feb 2011 14:26
Concerns about rising oil prices should Libya descend into civil war are nagging away at investors, while continued high usage of the European Central Bank's marginal lending facility is making traders nervous about banks. Banks are granted the right to seek overnight loans from the European Centr
Read moreLondon close: Late rally not enough
15th Feb 2011 16:44
Weakness in the US sent shares into the red and a slight rally in late trading failed to lift the FTSE 100 into positive territory. US retail sales were up 0.3% in January, according to the Commerce Department, though they'd risen 0.5% the month before and were expected to do the same this time. Ex
Read moreSector movers: Miners down on inflation concerns
15th Feb 2011 16:24
The mining sector has taken a hit as an increase in the Chinese inflation rate raised the prospect of further increases in Chinese interest rates in the near future. Consumer prices rose at an annual rate 4.9% in China in January. The rise compares with a 4.6% increase in December, which was still
Read moreLondon afternoon: US retail sales setback
15th Feb 2011 14:30
Footsie moved into the red over the lunch time session after the release of disappointing US retail sales figures. US retail sales were up 0.3% in January, according to the Commerce Department, though they'd risen 0.5% the month before and were expected to do the same this time. Excluding autos,
Read moreLondon midday: China rate rise hits miners
8th Feb 2011 12:10
Shares are slightly under pressure after China's interest rate rise, but stocks move in both directions after updates. China has raised interest rates for the second time in just over a month as the fast-growing east Asian economy continues battling inflation. Mining giant Xstrata is in the red no
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