London open: Miners lift UK stocks higher, but Serco plummets
10th Nov 2014 08:33
UK stocks advanced on Monday morning, led by decent gains in the heavyweight mining sector despite some mixed trade figures from China. The FTSE 100 was up 0.4% at 6,594 in early deals after closing Friday's session at 6,567.24, its highest finish since 6 October. However, gains on the FTSE 250 were
Read moreLondon close: Miners lead shares higher on gold price rise
7th Nov 2014 17:11
Miners and oil stocks led the London market modestly higher on Friday as gold and oil prices jumped on a weaker dollar and German trade data improved. Silver miner Fresnillo gleamed 34.5p to 734p and Randgold Resources glittered 58p to 4132p as gold prices rose about 2% and a barrel of US crude boun
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Mining stocks jump as insurers fall
7th Nov 2014 16:01
Mining stocks were performing well on Friday, leading the risers on the FTSE 100 as metal prices gained on upbeat US economic data. Fresnillo, BHP Billiton, Anglo American, Randgold and Rio Tinto were all in demand. Experian was continuing to advance after a well-received first-half report on Thursd
Read moreLondon midday: UK stocks rise, but gains trimmed as investors await US jobs data
7th Nov 2014 11:43
UK stocks gained on Friday after Eurozone stimulus hopes and upbeat economic data pushed Wall Street indices to more record highs, but gains were pared slightly by lunchtime as investors waited for the all-important US jobs report. The FTSE 100 was up 0.5% at 6,587 by midday, having touched an intra
Read moreLondon open: UK stocks at one-month high ahead of US jobs report
7th Nov 2014 08:41
The UK stock market was trading at a one-month high on Friday following more record highs on Wall Street, boosted by upbeat US economic data and hopes for more monetary stimulus from the European Central Bank (ECB). However, investors will be keeping a close eye on the upcoming US jobs report on Fri
Read moreLondon close: M&S helps stocks to brush off downbeat services data
5th Nov 2014 16:11
Markets shrugged off fresh economic woes and gold price falls on Wednesday, helped by positive news from retailer Marks & Spencer (M&S). Continental European service sector data came in weak and UK service data also surprised on the downside, slowing to a 17-month low in October. Fears that the dec
Read moreSector movers: Mining stocks track commodity prices lower on stronger US dollar
5th Nov 2014 14:14
Mining stocks missed out on the wider equity-market rally on Wednesday as commodity prices declined on the back of a stronger dollar, following upbeat US economic data and a Republican victory in the mid-term elections. Precious-metal miners such as Fresnillo, Petropavlovsk, African Barrick Gold and
Read moreLondon open: M&S, Meggitt lead UK stocks higher early on
5th Nov 2014 09:02
UK stocks rose on Wednesday as decent gains from Marks & Spencer, Meggitt, Tulllow Oil and AB Foods offset falls in the mining sector after yet more weak data from China. The FTSE 100 was trading 0.6% higher at 6,493 in morning trade. With the exception Japan's Nikkei index, Asian markets weaker ov
Read moreLondon open: UK stocks fluctuate at four-week high on China data, HSBC results
3rd Nov 2014 08:19
UK stocks opened cautiously on Monday, with upside limited by disappointing economic data from China and poorly-received results from HSBC after the banking group reported a drop in underlying third-quarter profits. The FTSE 100 was 0.1% higher at 6,554 in early deals, after having closed Friday's s
Read moreLondon close: Stocks end higher after BoE announcement on leverage ratios
31st Oct 2014 16:35
Banking stocks drove the FTSE to a strong finish on Friday after the Bank of England (BoE) unveiled softer-than-expected requirements for banks' leverage ratios and also thanks in part to an unexpected boost to stimulus from the Bank of Japan announced overnight. The top tier closed the day 82.92 po
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Barclays and RBS rise after BoE unveils softer-than-expected requirements for leverage ratios
31st Oct 2014 16:11
Banking stocks, already bolstered by stronger-than-expected quarterly results from RBS, received another big lift on Friday afternoon as the Bank of England unveiled softer-than-expected requirements for leverage ratios. The leverage ratio, a key gauge of a bank's ability to cushion itself against l
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Smith and Nephew rises after first quarter results
30th Oct 2014 16:14
Medical devices maker Smith & Nephew rose strongly after it posted a 3% increase in both revenue and profit for the third quarter, thanks to an improvement in its emerging and international markets units, recent product launches and investment in the sales force. On an underlying basis, turnover cli
Read moreSector movers: Mining, oil stocks track commodities lower as dollar gains
30th Oct 2014 13:24
Mining and oil stocks took a hit on Thursday as a hawkish statement by the Federal Reserve and better-than-expected US growth bolstered the dollar and dampened commodity prices. Gold dropped to its lowest in three weeks, while silver, platinum and crude prices all declined, as the dollar rose to a t
Read moreLondon open: Miners drag UK stocks lower, but Barclays gains
30th Oct 2014 08:34
London's stock exchange opened more or less flat on Thursday as heavy falls from mining stocks and BT offset gains from Barclays and St James's Place. The FTSE 100 was trading 0.1% lower at 6,449 in early deals. The subdued start follows a weak performance on Wall Street overnight as investors reac
Read moreLondon close: Ebola and downbeat Chinese housing data weigh on markets
24th Oct 2014 16:23
London shares ended Friday on a negative note amid fresh jitters about the Ebola virus and weak Chinese property data. The FTSE 100 Index closed 30.42 points adrift at 6388.73 as a New York doctor who recently returned from Ebola-hit Guinea in West Africa became the fourth case of the virus in the U
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