11th Nov 2010 12:14
Big gains from mining companies have failed to haul Footsie into positive territory. The metals groups have marched higher from the off. Antofagasta, Kazakhmys, Xstrata, Fresnillo and Rio Tinto are in demand, as is oil major BP. Iron specialist Ferrexpo is the best performer. Cash is pouring in, o
Read more11th Nov 2010 08:16
Blue chips started pretty much as expected, posting reasonable gains in response to yesterday's steady recovery on Wall Street, with commodity plays leading the pack. The Dow Jones was trading deep in the red when London shut up shop Wednesday, but shed nerves ahead of today's G20 meeting in Seoul
Read more10th Nov 2010 16:34
Footsie was posting substantial losses by trading's close as losses in the mining sector cancelled out any optimism engendered by company updates. As usual, it was global economic concerns that weighed on the mining sector. US stocks are under pressure amid worries over China's efforts to curb infl
Read more10th Nov 2010 15:10
Mining stocks are dragging London lower as copper and precious metal prices come off the boil. Kazakhmys, Lonmin and ENRC are the worst performers while precious metals miners Randgold and Fresnillo fare little better. BAE Systems is the best performing blue-chip after holding an investor day ye
Read more5th Nov 2010 16:52
Footsie rallied in the afternoon session on the back of better than expected US monthly jobs numbers to register its highest close since June 2008. Non-farm payrolls climbed by 151,000 in October, in spite of an 8,000 reduction in government payrolls, as private employers embarked on a recruiting s
Read more5th Nov 2010 15:00
Footsie has rallied as the afternoon session has progressed with miners making good gains on the back of better than expected US monthly jobs numbers. Vedanta is now the best performer, with silver miner Fresnillo, ENRC and Antofagasta all making good gains. Part-nationalised bank Royal Bank of S
Read more1st Nov 2010 12:02
Footsie has failed to rediscover its early-morning buoyancy and sits in the blue by a few points. Among the laggards is Serco. The company, which carries out work for the government such as operating prisons and London's Docklands Light Railway, has taken a knock after it was forced to make a grove
Read more1st Nov 2010 08:32
High demand for banks and miners got the week off to a good start, offsetting weakness in the outsourcing sector. Banks are going well as trading updates loom. Lloyds Banking Group is getting ready for tomorrow's statement with a 2% jump, while Royal Bank of Scotland and HSBC are also making up gr
Read more18th Oct 2010 16:48
After a sluggish start to the day, shares closed with good gains following a lively start on Wall Street. Better than expected profits on the back of a decline in provisions for bad loans at Citigroup sparked buying interest. Mining giants BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto have confirmed that their propo
Read more18th Oct 2010 15:40
Miners remain under a cloud as metal prices retreat. Mining giants BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto have confirmed that their proposed $116bn Pilbara iron ore joint venture is dead in the water. The companies had agreed in December of last year to establish a production joint venture covering the entire
Read more18th Oct 2010 14:54
Leading shares added to the morning's gains over the lunch time session though miners remain under a cloud as metal prices retreat. Mining giants BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto have confirmed that their proposed $116bn Pilbara iron ore joint venture is dead in the water. The companies had agreed in D
Read more14th Oct 2010 16:35
Leading shares closed lower on a poor day for the banks and a tumble for African Barrick. Fears that Standard Chartered's rights issue yesterday could be the start of a flood of cash calls unsettled Lloyds, Royal Bank of Scotland and Barclays. Metal prices are back on the rise as the dollar heads
Read more14th Oct 2010 14:17
Leading shares trod water over the lunchtime session, leaving Footsie still stranded in the red. Banks remain in the doldrums. Fears that Standard Chartered's rights issue yesterday could be the start of a flood of cash calls has unsettled Lloyds, Royal Bank of Scotland and Barclays. Metal prices
Read more14th Oct 2010 11:56
US markets may be expected to open firmer but London is determined to go its own way today, heading lower, despite a buoyant mining sector. Metal prices are back on the rise as the dollar heads in the opposite direction. That is not enough to prevent gold miner African Barrick Gold taking a tumble,
Read more14th Oct 2010 06:29
Fresnillo, the Mexican company that is the world's biggest producer of silver, expects to top earlier forecasts of gold and silver production this year after a strong third quarter in which production of both metals was running at record levels. A note from Liberum yesterday points out that Fresnil
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