London open: Quiet start to New Year's Eve
31st Dec 2010 09:13
Shares are little changed in early dealings on what looks set to be an uneventful day's trading ahead of the New Year break. Miners are on the back foot again, with Rio Tinto and its fellow Australian iron ore specialist BHP Billiton among the fallers. However Mexican silver miner Fresnillo is hig
Read moreLondon close: Footsie winds down as 2011 nears
30th Dec 2010 16:55
London closed shy of the 6,000 mark after a late dip in very light volumes with little for either buyers or sellers to get their teeth into. Fresnillo was an exception thanks to another strong day on the metals exchanges as silver hit a new 30-year high. Copper traded above $9,500 per tonne on the
Read moreLondon midday: Traders go 'cold turkey' on shares
30th Dec 2010 12:23
Traders are regarding UK shares with all the enthusiasm of someone being offered another round of cold turkey sandwiches, as the lull between Christmas and New Year continues. Fallers outnumber risers by around two to one among Footsie constituents, with miners reflecting the mixed picture. Silver
Read moreLondon open: Blue chips very flat
30th Dec 2010 09:10
Trading so far seems even quieter than yesterday, with very little news to get the attention of either buyers or sellers. BP is off the pace after it faced more US litigation with an investor lawsuit claiming the oil giant repeatedly lied about its safety record over the past five years. Miners ar
Read moreLondon open: Mild gains for blue chips
29th Dec 2010 09:17
It's a quiet start to the shortened trading week with investors seeming content to wait until the real action picks up again next week. Weather continues to make headlines with this time the blizzards in the US driving up oil prices to a 26-month high above $91 a barrel. Heating oil prices in parti
Read moreLondon close: FTSE 100 hits new highs
21st Dec 2010 16:36
The leading share index closed just off its highest levels since the first half of 2008, before the global economic crash, after banks and miners led another day of gains. With copper prices at a record in London on hopes that strength in the US will help sustain global economic growth, miners such
Read moreLondon afternoon: Footsie still going strong
21st Dec 2010 15:12
Footsie is still going strong after a decent start on Wall Street. The 6,000 point mark - not seen since the first half of 2008 - is in sight. With copper prices at a record in London on hopes that strength in the US will help sustain global economic growth, miners such as India's Vedanta and Mexic
Read moreLondon midday: Banks and miners buoy Footsie
21st Dec 2010 12:08
The FTSE 100 remains well above the 5,900 mark, with miners and banks moving higher in tandem once again. With copper prices at a record in London on hopes that strength in the US will help sustain global economic growth, miners such as India's Vedanta and Mexican silver specialist Fresnillo are go
Read moreLondon close: Flat finish
16th Dec 2010 16:33
It was hard going for the leading index Thursday, with gains among some of the more unfashionable blue chip names just about cancelling losses at BP and heavyweight miners. The FTSE 100 struck a new 2½-year intraday high early in the session, but that was as good as it got, and only a sudden improv
Read moreLondon close: Footsie stumbles as recovery falters
15th Dec 2010 16:42
Footsie closed lower after a recovery following a decent performance on Wall Street fell just short. Shares were under the weather earlier on, with the eurozone debt situation helping to darken the mood, but later moved back towards the blue as strong economic data in the US buoyed sentiment. Fig
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks stuck lower
15th Dec 2010 12:12
Shares are under the weather today as eurozone debt worries resurface, adding to the gloom after last night's comments from the US Federal Reserve about "disappointingly slow" growth. Two ratings agencies have issued separate warnings on the debt worries plaguing Spain and Belgium. Moody's says it
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Miners head higher
10th Dec 2010 14:20
Strong Chinese export figures are pushing miners higher. Vedanta and Fresnillo are leading the way as investors expect Chinese demand for metals to rise. Peter Lynas will take over as BAE Systems finance director from George Rose when he retires at the end of March after 13 years in the role. Ly
Read moreLondon close: US tax cut extension boosts shares
7th Dec 2010 16:52
Shares closed with decent gains Tuesday, though off earlier highs that came after an extension of George W Bush's tax cuts in the US lifted sentiment. US president Barack Obama has said that he will agree to a two-year extension on tax-cuts from the Bush era in a compromise arrangement that bodes w
Read moreLondon afternoon: Shares extend gains
7th Dec 2010 14:23
With US stocks set to open high on the back of the tax-cuts deal between president Obama and the Republican party, London's blue-chips added to the morning's gains over the lunch time session. US president Barack Obama has said that he will agree to a two-year extension on tax-cuts from the Bush er
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie keeps climbing
7th Dec 2010 12:18
Footsie has been moving steadily upward as higher commodity prices boost resource stocks after a US tax cut extension improved optimism on global economic growth. US president Barack Obama has said that he will agree to a two-year extension on tax-cuts from the Bush era, while on this side of the A
Read more