Sector movers: Gold miners track bullion higher
30th Jan 2015 15:54
A slight rebound in gold on Friday after its worst one-day slump in over a year gave precious metals miners a boost in London. Blue-chip mining stocks such as Fresnillo and Randgold were among the best performers, up 4.7% and 5%, respectively, while FTSE 250 peers Centamin and Acacia Mining also adv
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: BT damaged by pension deficit worries, miners trading higher
30th Jan 2015 13:58
Telecoms giant BT declined despite beating analysts forecasts with a solid rise in profits in its third quarter, as it announced a new 16-year "recovery plan" to pay down its expanding pension deficit, which now stands at £7bn. The company also revealed that it would upgrade its fibre network with l
Read moreLondon midday: Deflation fears hit stocks as Eurozone consumer prices fall
30th Jan 2015 12:09
UK stocks fell on Friday on the back of concerns about the Eurozone, as data confirmed that the region fell further into deflation this month. Consumer prices in the single-currency region decline at an annual rate of 0.6% in January after a 0.2% fall in December, worse than the 0.5% drop expected.
Read moreLondon open: Stocks unchanged ahead of Eurozone CPI, US GDP
30th Jan 2015 08:27
UK stocks opened more or less flat on Friday as investors treaded cautiously ahead of some key economic data, including consumer price figures in the Eurozone and growth estimates in the States. London's FTSE 100 was down just 0.04% at 6,808 early on. The release of the Eurozone consumer-price inde
Read moreSector movers: Shell dampens energy stocks, gold miners track bullion lower
29th Jan 2015 16:01
Worse-than-expected results from one of the biggest oil companies in the world hit stocks in the energy sector on Thursday. Royal Dutch Shell delivered a 12% year-on-year increase in adjusted profits in the fourth quarter to $3.3bn, well below the consensus forecast of $4.2bn. The company also anno
Read moreFresnillo beats gold and silver production guidance, expects growth in 2015
28th Jan 2015 07:19
Mexican precious metals group Fresnillo beat forecasts with its silver and gold production in 2014 and said it expects to grow output this year. In a fourth-quarter trading update, the company said total silver production in the final three months of last year totalled 12.33m ounces (oz), up 15.5% o
Read moreLondon pre-open: Strong start expected after Apple and Yahoo impress
28th Jan 2015 07:01
A strong showing by US tech giant Apple and internet titan Yahoo after the closing bell on Wall Street is expected to filter into a positive open in London on Wednesday. City sources expect the FTSE 100 to open 50 points higher than Tuesday's close of 6,811.61. Apple's shares jumped after the close
Read moreLondon close: Chinese data offsets IMF downgrade
20th Jan 2015 17:23
Stocks ended the session with modest gains on the heels of better-than-expected growth figures in China. The FTSE 100 gained 34.57 points to finish the day at 6,629. China's gross domestic product expanded at a 7.4% clip in 2014, markets seemed to draw comfort from the fact that the rate of expansi
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Chinese data boosts commodities and retail, Unilever sinks on dissapointing growth
20th Jan 2015 13:57
Fast-moving consumer goods giant Unilever was among the fallers after revealing slower-than-expected growth in 2014. Underlying sales were up 2.9%, faster than the markets they operate in but lower than analyst forecasts, with volumes higher by 1% and prices advancing by 1.9%. The company's core
Read moreLondon close: Oil and mining stocks lift FTSE as commodity prices rise
16th Jan 2015 16:40
After a weak start, UK stocks rose to their highest in a week as a decent performance from the resource sectors and upbeat US data gave markets a boost. London's FTSE 100 finished the session up 0.8% at 6,550.27, its best close since 8 January when it settled at 6,569.96. Oil and gas stocks were ri
Read moreLondon close: Stocks rally strongly after Swiss move as ECB stimulus hopes rise
15th Jan 2015 16:36
A surprise policy move by the Swiss National Bank (SNB) resulted in a choppy day for UK markets on Thursday, though stocks were able to regain their composure and rally strongly as the dust settled. The FTSE 100 finished the session 110.32 points higher at 6,498.78, up 1.7% on the day due to increas
Read moreSector movers: Mining stocks rebound as copper and gold prices gain
15th Jan 2015 15:03
Resource stocks were on the rise on Thursday, rebounding strongly after a sharp sell-off the previous session, as copper prices recovered. Copper, having dropped over 5% to $5,548 a metric tonne on Wednesday, was rising 2% to $5,666 in afternoon trade after data from China showed that credit growth
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Gold miners soar on UBS recommendation, Experian rises
15th Jan 2015 14:57
Gold mining stocks were performing well after UBS said they are "well-placed to benefit from FX and oil weakness" compared with their industrial metal peers. Precious-metal producers Randgold Resources and Fresnillo were the best performers. Third-quarter organic revenue was flat at informatio
Read moreLondon midday: Surprise Swiss policy move sinks stocks, FTSE near one-month low
15th Jan 2015 11:57
Markets were back in the red by Thursday lunchtime, erasing earlier gains after a surprise announcement by the Swiss central bank. The FTSE 100, which rebounded to an intraday high of 6,472.91 early on, was down 0.6% at 6,349 by midday after Switzerland scrapping the franc's minimum exchange rate ag
Read moreSector movers: Mining stocks hammered as copper prices tumble
14th Jan 2015 14:57
Mining stocks were bearing the brunt of the sell-off on Wednesday as a tumble in the price of copper hammered share prices across the sector. Miners were lower across the board but those with exposure to copper, such as Kaz Minerals and Vedanta Resources, were faring the worst. Kaz and Vedanta were
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