London open: Miners and insurers lead the charge
9th Nov 2009 08:55
Leading shares have made a confident start to the week following the latest G20 meeting, with insurers and miners leading the way higher. A statement issued after this weekend’s G20 summit reassured marlkets that there would be no premature withdrawal of economic stimulus packages. “The recovery
Read moreLondon close: Footsie gleams on commodity strength
4th Nov 2009 16:18
A rush into miners, triple-digit rally on Wall Street and welcome numbers from two of Britain's largest retailers catapulted London higher Wednesday. Fresnillo took the blue chip risers' crown, up sharply as renewed dollar weakness benefited commodity prices. Kazakhmys, Xstrata and Rio Tinto also
Read moreLondon afternoon: Gains extended
4th Nov 2009 14:19
Expectations of a firmer start on Wall Street encouraged UK blue-chip prices to kick on over the lunch-time session, with miners and stores still leading the way, In the head to head battle between M&S and Next, shares in the latter are performing slightly better after the fashion chain upped its g
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Retail boost from M&S and Next
4th Nov 2009 12:08
High street giants Marks & Spencer and Next moved to the top of the FTSE 100 leaders list on better than expected trading updates. M&S is to end its policy of only selling its own branded food products and will start introduce 400 top household brands in its food halls, but it was better than expec
Read moreLondon midday: Retreat turns into a rout
3rd Nov 2009 12:08
The list of FTSE 100 constituents is bereft of risers, as stocks move swiftly into reverse while the market digests developments relating to the part-nationalised UK banks. The government is injecting another £25.5bn into Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), with a further £8bn available if things get wo
Read moreLondon close: Late swoon by Footsie
30th Oct 2009 16:52
Mining stocks proved a major millstone around Footsie's neck today while end of the month position closing also contributed to a fall of almost 2% on the blue-chip index, a decline that was mirrored on Wall Street. The US market gave back most of yesterday's gains in the morning session after US co
Read moreLondon close: Shares end near session high
29th Oct 2009 16:23
London's top stocks closed near its session high on news that the US economy grew faster than expected in the third quarter. Traders loved news that the US economy grew 3.5% annually in the last quarter, more than expected and the fastest rate of increase in two years. Part-nationalised bank Lloyd
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Banks bounce back
29th Oct 2009 15:10
Shares in Lloyds Banking, which is in advanced discussions with UK authorities regarding alternatives to entering the state insurance scheme for toxic debt, are soaring. The lender is considering raising cash via an underwritten rights issue and debt swap. Fellow part-nationalised lender Royal Bank
Read moreLondon afternoon: Blue chips track US advance
29th Oct 2009 14:55
America's return to growth in the third quarter, stronger UK banks and a better mining sector have propelled London far into the blue Thursday. Traders loved news that the US economy grew 3.5% annually in the last quarter, more than expected and the fastest rate of increase in two years. Part-nati
Read moreLondon close: Footsie clings on
27th Oct 2009 16:47
Footsie managed to close with gains despite spending some of the day in the red, with oil giant BP leading the risers. BP climbed after it kicked off the oil majors results season with third quarter figures that showed a smaller than feared drop in profits. Profit attributable to shareholders came
Read moreLondon afternoon: London jolted by US consumer confidence data
27th Oct 2009 14:35
An unexpected fall in US consumer confidence in October has had a knock-on effect back in Blighty, with the FTSE 100 relinquishing most of the gains amassed during the morning. Household goods group Reckitt Benckiser shrugged off the recession during the third quarter, reporting a big jump in profi
Read moreLondon midday: Oil fuelled advance
27th Oct 2009 12:14
Better than expected results from BP have given the market a lift but banking shares have declined to join the party. Index heavyweight BP kicked off the oil majors results season with third quarter figures that showed a smaller than feared drop in profits. Profit attributable to shareholders came
Read moreLondon open: BP heads advance
27th Oct 2009 08:35
BP has helped investors get over last night's three-figure dive on Wall Street, leading London higher in early deals. Index heavyweight BP kicked off the oil majors results season with third quarter figures that showed a smaller than feared drop in profits. Profit attributable to shareholders came
Read moreBroker snap: Credit Suisse upgrades miners
23rd Oct 2009 12:57
Mining stocks were doing their bit to drive Footsie forward on Friday morning, helped by an upgrade on the sector by Credit Suisse, which now has a 'benchmark' rating for the miners, having downgraded the sector back in May. 'We upgrade mining because: a) global excess liquidity is at an all-time h
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie off worst but still lower
22nd Oct 2009 12:12
Footsie is off its worst but is still showing hefty falls as miners and insurers lead the market lower. Platinum miner Lonmin has again unsettled the mining sector as it saw a 20% decline in production of the precious metal in the fourth quarter after having to shut down mines for safety reasons an
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