London 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
Read moreFresnillo on track to hit silver guidance, sets new gold target
15th Oct 2014 07:37
Mexican precious metals group Fresnillo said that silver production was flat over the third quarter, while the output of gold slipped. However, the company maintained its guidance for silver production and actually increased its target for gold, after factoring in more volumes from the recent buyout
Read moreLondon midday: Weak economic data and earnings sink stocks
14th Oct 2014 12:10
A wave of disappointing corporate updates and worse-than-expected data from the Eurozone pushed UK stocks firmly into the red on Tuesday, as concerns about the global economy continued to weigh on sentiment. The FTSE 100 was down 0.7% at 6,322 by midday, as gains in the mining sector were offset by
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Miners lead on the upside as travel stocks continue lower
13th Oct 2014 15:53
Mining stocks gained strongly thanks to broker upgrades and positive economic data out from China which showed that both exports and imports jumped in September, by 15.3% and 7% year-on-year respectively. Over the last few months the sector has registered sharp declines due to mounting concerns abou
Read moreSector movers: Mining stocks rebound after recent drop
13th Oct 2014 13:33
UK-listed mining stocks, which bore the brunt of the recent market sell-off, jumped by an average of 3% on Monday as strong economic data from China prompted investors to hunt for bargains. The FTSE 350 mining sector had by Friday's close fallen by 19% since the end of July as anxieties about slowin
Read moreRandgold shares worth a 'buy' after recent falls, says UBS
13th Oct 2014 10:01
Randgold Resources' share price was given a lift on Monday by analysts at UBS who upgraded the stock from 'neutral' to 'buy' after a recent slump in the value of the gold miner. The bank said that it still prefers precious metals peer Fresnillo over Randgold, but reckons that the risk/reward balance
Read moreLondon open: UK stocks fall for fifth day, but miners advance
13th Oct 2014 08:32
There was no let-up in the selling pressure on Monday as the UK stock market resumed its sell-off despite a strong performance by the mining sector. After falling 2.7% last week, the FTSE 100 was down a further 0.4% at 6,314 in early trading, falling for the fifth session in a row. If the index ends
Read moreSector movers: Cyclicals slump, defensives rise as risk appetite wanes
10th Oct 2014 14:06
Cyclical sectors such as mining and oil services were bearing the brunt of the market sell-off on Friday as fears about a global economic slowdown prompted investors to scale back risk appetite. Mining heavyweights such as Antofagasta, Glencore, Fresnillo and BHP Billiton were all under pressure as
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