London open: Sell-off continues as UK stocks fall
10th Oct 2014 08:20
The selling pressure continued on Friday morning as UK stocks opened at their lowest levels over the year, with ongoing concerns about the global economy sparking further volatility across equity markets. The post-Federal Reserve minutes bounce proved short-lived on Thursday, as early gains were qui
Read moreLondon close: Stocks end in the red amid downbeat economic data
9th Oct 2014 16:15
London shares ended Thursday on a low note as more economic gloom in Europe overshadowed hints of delays to US interest rate rises. The FTSE 100 closed 50.39 points adrift at 6431.85 after downbeat economic news in the UK and mainland Europe, which included a report showing that German exports in Au
Read moreSector movers: Miners track metals higher after Fed minutes
9th Oct 2014 14:50
Mining stocks were leading the gains on London's stock market on Thursday as metal prices advanced amid hopes that the US Federal Reserve will not rush to raise interest rates. A dovish set of minutes from the latest Federal Open Market Committee meeting sparked a steep fall in the dollar on Wednesd
Read moreBroker tips: HSBC, Vodafone, Wood Group, Centamin, Miners
9th Oct 2014 13:03
Investec has upgraded HSBC, saying the banking group is regaining its appetite for lending. "We are mightily encouraged by evidence of returning risk appetite. We upgrade to 'add' from 'hold' and our target price to 650p from 620p," the broker said. Vodafone's recent share-price outperformance mean
Read moreThursday broker round-up UPDATE
9th Oct 2014 09:27
African Barrick Gold: Numis reduces target price from 330p to 270p keeping its hold recommendation. Antofagasta: Numis upgrades to hold with a target price of 700p. Aureus Mining: Numis lowers target price from 45p to 40p staying with its buy recommendation. Boohoo: Barclays initiates with a targe
Read moreNumis cautious on metals and miners but picks Fresnillo, Randgold, Petra
9th Oct 2014 08:46
Although it remained cautious on the mining sector as a whole, Numis picked out Randgold Resources, Fresnillo and Petra Diamonds as the gems in its quarterly metals and mining report. With share prices hit hard in the third quarter by the continued slide in iron ore and gold prices, the broker expec
Read moreSector movers: Basic resource shares slide on dollar strength
6th Oct 2014 13:53
Oil and basic resource stocks bore the brunt of selling on Thursday, as markets continued to react to the better-than-expected economic data trickling in from the States with the concomitant robustness in the US dollar which that entails. US durable goods orders declined 18.2% in August following a
Read moreSector movers: Broker commentary buoys miners
6th Oct 2014 13:45
Better-than-expected economic data Stateside and the prospect of further easing from the European Central Bank lent support to the shares of mining and basic resource companies on Wednesday. Positive broker commentary and a small up-tick in risk aversion as the US and its allies carried out a first
Read moreSector movers: Airlines surge, but stronger dollar knocks commodity stocks lower
4th Oct 2014 17:55
The outlook for the world's major economies may be diverging, but at least on Friday the price action at the sector level was very similar, over on Wall Street, across the Channel and in the UK. The upside was led by travel-related stocks on the top flight index, while mining, precious metals or bas
Read moreLondon close: FTSE ends on a high after US employment figures deliver suprise
3rd Oct 2014 16:38
It was a positive finish to the week for the FTSE, as stocks rebounded from four straight days of declines as US employment data beats expectations. The FTSE 100 closed 81.52 points higher at 6,527.91, a drop of 123.25 on the week. US non-farm payrolls rose to beat forecasts and the jobless rate fe
Read moreSector movers: Precious metals miners boosted by lack of ECB decision
2nd Oct 2014 19:04
Shares of precious metals miners were the best performers on the market as risk aversion moved up a notch on the back of a disappointing press conference from European Central Bank president Mario Draghi. Though almost impossible to predict, the slightly late start to his speech already seemed to fo
Read moreLondon midday: BAE Systems leads gains on geopolitical worries
26th Sep 2014 12:14
The Footsie had reverted to positive higher by midday ahead of the release of two first-tier economic indicators in the States on Friday afternoon. UK equities traded lower throughout the better part of the morning, ignoring overnight losses in US markets which saw the Dow Jones Industrials and S&P
Read moreLondon open: Footsie slips as Russia threatens immediate retaliation
26th Sep 2014 08:54
The Footsie slipped quickly into the red after the start of trading on Friday, with US stocks having fallen deeper into the red for the month of September overnight amid on-going geopolitical concerns about both Russia and Iraq. Vladimir Putin has demanded that the European Union re-open a trade pac
Read moreLondon close: FTSE 100 declines as mining stocks fall on dollar advance
25th Sep 2014 17:14
teerngasLondon's top shares tumbled on Thursday as the rising dollar took its toll on mining and energy stocks. The FTSE 100 Index closed 66.56p points adrift at 6639.71 as the greenback bounced on speculation of monetary stimulus from the European Central Bank (ECB) and US interest rate hikes. Spe
Read moreLondon midday: Fresnillo and Rio Tinto gain
24th Sep 2014 12:31
The Footsie is holding slightly lower come midday with traders focusing on the ever present risk of something going amiss in a conflict and a weak reading on German business confidence weighing on sentiment. Overnight the US and its allies carried out a first wave of airstrikes against IS targets in
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