London 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
Read moreLondon pre-open: Strong performance in store
14th Jan 2010 07:50
It's been a hectic start to the day with mostly favourable trading updates from the big hitters. Share prices look set to follow Wall Street's lead and open higher, with the FTSE 100 index expected to open up 47 points higher at 5,520. Mining giant Rio Tinto hailed 'another very strong quarter for
Read moreFresnillo reports 10% rise in production
14th Jan 2010 07:15
Fresnillo saw quarterly silver production increase by 10% year on year and said it expects production to remain steady in 2010. The miner produced 9.36 million ounces of silver in the three month ended 31 December, though that is down 4% on the previous quarter. In total, attributable silver produ
Read moreLondon close: Commodity slide hits Footsie
13th Jan 2010 16:32
Footsie ended the day firmly in the red with low commodity prices helping to offset positive broker coverage. With the oil price below $80, oil titans Royal Dutch Shell and BP found themselves on traders' sell lists. BG Group also slipped even after HSBC upped its price target for the stock from 13
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Commodities weigh on Footsie
13th Jan 2010 14:56
Lower precious metals prices have hit shares in gold miner Randgold, silver group Fresnillo and platinum specialist Lonmin, while the weak oil price has Shell in the bottom 10. Telecoms group BT climbs after being upgraded by RBS to buy from hold with its target price upped to 200p from 107p. Else
Read moreLondon close: Footsie finishes below 5,500
12th Jan 2010 17:17
Equities staged a rally in the afternoon session but it was not enough to push the Footsie back into the black, largely because of weak miners, which took fright at moves by the Chinese central bank to cool down the economy by increasing the reserves ratio for Chinese commercial banks. Fresnillo, L
Read moreLondon afternoon: Chinese banking move sparks selling
12th Jan 2010 14:47
News that China has raised the reserve requirements for its banks in an attempt to choke growth in the economy has spooked global markets, including London. The prospect of China slowing down economic expansion does not sit well with miners such as Fresnillo, Lonmin, Kazakhmys, Vedanta and Xstrata,
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Miners head lower
12th Jan 2010 12:18
Footsie is well down on the day as world economic concerns take the spotlight. The fallers are dominated by mining companies. News that China is trying to dampen down the growth in its economy hit commodities. Disappointing results from aluminium producer Alcoa didn't help, either. Fresnillo, Lo
Read moreLondon midday: Retreat picks up pace
12th Jan 2010 12:11
The market's retreat is picking up pace, as the losses suffered by miners lengthen in the wake of disappointing results from Alcoa, the US aluminium producer. Alcoa, which kicked off the fourth quarter earnings reporting season in the US, declared a slightly worse than expected loss from continuing
Read moreLondon close: Footsie gives up gains
11th Jan 2010 16:41
The leading share index gave up early gains to finish only slightly higher as euphoria over strong trade figures from China in December gave way to renewed fears over recovery prospects. China's December imports jumped by 55.9% from the same month the previous year, while exports were 17.7% higher
Read moreLondon afternoon: Stocks back on the climb
11th Jan 2010 14:16
Leading shares, which had been surrendering early gains at the end of the morning, picked up again over the lunch time session, helped by expectations of a firm start by Wall Street. In the absence of much in the way of corporate events to attract attention, traders have been focused on broker note
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie loses some sparkle
11th Jan 2010 11:38
Footsie has lost some sheen as miners and property groups have given back some of their early gains. Brokers have been busy with a Citigroup review of the oil sector boosting Cairn Energy. The broker says that fast-tracking the multiwell exploration drilling programme in Greenland has made the grou
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