London 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
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Supermarket stocks pull back after strong surge
9th Jan 2015 13:47
Supermarket stocks were under pressure on Friday, with Tesco in particular pulling back after a 15% surge the previous session, following the announcement of its turnaround plan and resilient Christmas sales. Dampening Tesco's shares was the news that ratings agency Moody's had cut the UK grocer'
Read moreLondon midday: Weak UK production data dampens stocks ahead of US jobs report
9th Jan 2015 11:35
Disappointing UK economic data and nervousness ahead of a key labour-market report in the States sent London's FTSE 100 lower on Friday morning, as stocks pulled back after a surge the previous session. By around lunchtime, the Footsie was trading nearly 0.7% lower at 6,527 with weakness among super
Read moreLondon close: Stocks end choppy session firmly lower as data disappoints
6th Jan 2015 17:19
It was a volatile day for the UK equity market with stocks swinging between losses and gains for most of the session, with a late sell-off sending the FTSE 100 firmly in the red by the close. Service-sector activity data from across the globe largely came in below expectations with weak figures from
Read more