London midday: Stocks fall, but losses pared after PBoC move
4th Feb 2015 12:08
Stocks declined on Wednesday as London's FTSE 100 retreated from a five-month high, though losses were trimmed slightly after China took measures to stimulate its economy. The People's Bank of China trimmed the banks' reserve requirement ratio by 50 basis points to 19.5%, the first such cut since Ma
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: CRH surges on Holcim and Lafarge deal, Easyjet and IAG hit by rising oil prices
2nd Feb 2015 14:07
Irish building materials group CRH rose nearly 6% after confirming it will spend €6.5bn on assets from Holcim and Lafarge as the two European cement makers dispose of operations to win approval for their merger. CRH said it expected the deal to make it the "global number-three building materials pla
Read moreBroker tips: Mining stocks, CRH, Barclays
2nd Feb 2015 11:38
The recent re-rating in mining stocks and weak commodity prices has prompted Liberum to downgrade its recommendations on sector giants BHP Billiton, Glencore, Anglo American and Rio Tinto. The broker lowered its ratings on all four from 'sell' to 'hold' and slashed target prices, saying that copper
Read moreUBS cuts Fresnillo and Randgold to 'neutral' after strong run
2nd Feb 2015 11:14
UBS has lowered its ratings for precious metal miners Fresnillo and Randgold Resources from 'buy' to 'neutral' after recent strong gains from both stocks. Mexico-focused producer Fresnillo offers the most attractive long-term growth potential of the large global gold miners, with attributable silver
Read moreLondon close: UK stocks sink on Eurozone deflation, US GDP
30th Jan 2015 16:39
Macro concerns weighed on UK stock markets on Friday after Eurozone consumer prices fell more than forecasts and the rate of US economic growth slowed sharply. London's FTSE 100 finished the session down 0.9% at 6,749, ending at its lowest close since 21 January. The Eurozone fell further into defl
Read moreSector 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 more