London close: Footsie at 15-month high
24th Dec 2009 12:28
Miners pushed London sharply higher in a shortened trading session Thursday, getting the leading index up to 5,400 briefly and to its highest close since September 2008. Silver producer Fresnillo is top of the table on stronger metal prices, with BHP Billiton, Vedanta Resources and Rio Tinto also h
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Miners buoyed by China talk
24th Dec 2009 11:13
Miners continue to drive Footsie higher, with silver miner Fresnillo leading the sector higher today. Reports yesterday quoted Chinese sources as saying that it could start to increase its imports of commodities for its strategic reserves at an "appropriate" time. This was taken as a signal China
Read moreLondon close: Footsie hits one-month high
23rd Dec 2009 16:23
The UK's leading index lost a chunk of its gains late on as weak housing data hurt Wall Street, although London still registered its best close in over a month. Despite predictably quiet trade, the FTSE 100 ended ahead for the third session in a row and as high as it's been since 16 November. It w
Read moreLondon afternoon: Gains trimmed
23rd Dec 2009 14:16
London saw its gains pared over the lunch time session in predictably quiet trading. Around one-third of Footsie constituents are now in the red, compared to around one-fifth at midday. Included among the laggards is Cairn Energy, which gives back some of the chunky gains racked up over the first t
Read moreLondon midday: M&A activity keeps shares bubbling
23rd Dec 2009 12:14
The FTSE 100 index hit a 52-week high in the morning session as the pre-Christmas advance continued. Bank of England policymakers voted unanimously to keep interest rates at 0.5% and their programme of quantitative easing (QE) at £200bn when they met earlier this month, it emerged today. Mining gi
Read moreLondon open: Good run continues
23rd Dec 2009 08:49
Footsie has continued its strong run ahead of the Christmas break, though trading is light with news slowing to a trickle. The release of the minutes from the most recent meeting of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee will have the usual suspects poring over the statement searching for
Read moreSector movers: Balfour Beatty builds gains
23rd Dec 2009 08:39
Balfour Beatty helps lift the construction and materials sector higher after the support services contracting firm said it has won a facilities management contract from defence technology outfit QinetiQ. The seven year contract has a base-line value of £15m per annum, and will be supplemented with
Read moreFresnillo tops Goldcorp bid for Canplats
23rd Dec 2009 08:20
Minera Penmont, the joint venture 56% owned by silver miner Fresnillo, has made a bid to snatch Canadian mining company Canplats Resources from bullion producer Goldcorp. Minera is offering C$4.20 in cash plus one share, with a notional value of C$0.20, in a new exploration company for every Canpla
Read moreLondon close: Oils and pharmas shine
22nd Dec 2009 17:09
London equities added to the previous day's gains although a late pull-back ensured that rises were not as extensive as yesterday. Oil stocks and pharmaceuticals led the way higher. Cairn Energy enjoyed another strong day after it announced yesterday that it would start its drilling programme in G
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Financials push market higher
16th Dec 2009 15:54
Financials and miners have been pushing the FTSE 100 index higher, while investors appear to be deserting the good old solid companies and looking for riskier investments with more potential upside. Rentokil Initial led the way as Deutsche Bank increased its price target for the support services
Read moreLondon close: Losses narrow
15th Dec 2009 16:33
Top shares fought back late afternoon to halve losses, but most financial issues stayed lower, while oil plays also ended friendless. Turmoil in the Greek banking sector since credit ratings agency Fitch downgraded the country's sovereign debt last week continued to hurt. Barclays and HSBC were am
Read moreLondon afternoon: Banks continue to weigh
15th Dec 2009 14:51
London is off its worst levels of the day, but remains deep in the red as finance plays suffer on fears about the strength of European peers. Barclays and HSBC are among the worst performers as Greek rivals slump on worries about their country's budget deficit. Reports, later denied, that Austria'
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie drifts back
15th Dec 2009 12:12
Footsie has drifted slightly lower as banks and miners join British Airways among the heaviest fallers. The airline is in focus amid expectations of a 12-day strike over Christmas. BA said it is mulling "all options" to cope with the planned action by cabin crew over the Christmas period. BA is
Read moreLondon close: Glum faces as stocks slide
8th Dec 2009 16:40
A weak start on Wall Street and serious concerns about Greece's public finances and Dubai's debt restructuring ensured London ended deep in the red Tuesday. Fears over the solvency of Greece reached new levels after Fitch downgraded its outlook on the country by one rating to 'negative'. Fellow rat
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: RBS remains a concern
8th Dec 2009 11:20
It has been a mixed day for banks. Royal Bank of Scotland tops the worst performers and Standard Chartered is also in decline but Lloyds Banking Group is one of the best performers. The prospect of the inclusion a windfall tax on bonuses in tomorrow's pre-budget report is worrying the sector, but
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