London close: Disappointing US jobs report sparks late sell-off
2nd Aug 2013 16:27
After a relatively quiet start to the trading session, markets sunk sharply into the red on Friday afternoon after the US economy added far fewer jobs than forecast in July. Non-farm payrolls increased by just 162,000 last month, lower than the downwardly revised 188,000 increase in June and much w
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: William Hill and RBS disappoint with H1 figures
2nd Aug 2013 15:04
Shares in William Hill sank sharply on Friday morning as investors gave a cool reaction to the High Street bookie's first-half results, in which pre-tax profits came in flat year-on-year. The firm also didn't give an update on current trading, though analysts at Canaccord Genuity said that July will
Read moreLondon midday: Markets flat as nerves set in ahead of US jobs report
2nd Aug 2013 11:55
Markets were rangebound on Friday morning as investors scaled back risk appetite ahead of the all-important US jobs report due out this afternoon. Even a impressive reading of construction activity in the UK failed to give stocks a boost this morning; the UK construction purchasing managers' index
Read moreLondon open: Stocks flat as markets await US jobs, RBS sinks early on
2nd Aug 2013 08:24
Stocks opened tentatively on Friday morning with markets taking a pause as investors waited to see whether the ongoing improvement in US economic data would continue with the all-important employment report due out this afternoon. The momentum in the US economic recovery gathered pace this week wi
Read moreLondon close: Markets surge on upbeat data, policy decisions
1st Aug 2013 16:43
Markets rose strongly on Thursday as investors reacted to dovish comments from central banks across the globe, upbeat economic data and well-received results from UK banking group Lloyds. The FTSE 100 finished 61 points higher at 6,682 today, rising to levels not seen since the end of May. "The th
Read moreLondon midday: Markets rise with central banks in focus
1st Aug 2013 11:43
Stocks were making decent gains on Thursday morning, helped by some dovish remarks from the Federal Reserve and some stronger-than-expected data from China, with Lloyds leading the FTSE 100 higher after its first-half results. It's been a busy week on the macro-economic calendar with policy decisio
Read moreLondon open: Lloyds leads FTSE 100 higher early on
1st Aug 2013 08:56
Upbeat Chinese data and some impressive first-half results from Lloyds helped boost markets on Thursday morning, though the focus is likely to turn to central-bank decisions in the UK and Europe later on. "With the Bank of England and European Central Bank likely to announce uneventful policy decis
Read moreLondon midday: Markets rise on earnings, Gfk data
30th Jul 2013 11:39
Markets edged higher on Tuesday morning as traders reacted to a barrage of corporate earnings and data which showed that German consumers were at their most optimistic in six years. The GfK's forward-looking consumer confidence survey for Germany rose from 6.8 to 7.0 in August, its highest levels s
Read moreLondon close: Markets fall but Shire leads late rally
25th Jul 2013 17:08
Markets closer firmly in negative territory on Thursday after corporate earnings came in mixed, but the FTSE 100 finished well off its intraday lows following a surge from Shire and upbeat economic data in the States. London's benchmark index finished 32 points lower at 6,588. Investors gave a pre
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Corporate earnings spark mixed reaction
25th Jul 2013 14:09
Mixed reactions to corporate earnings provided some sharp swings in share prices both ways on Thursday, with Rolls-Royce, Shire and Reed Elsevier rising strongly and Capita, Unilever, BT Group and Johnson Matthey falling into the red. Rolls-Royce Holdings jumped after reporting a 34% jump in pre-t
Read moreLondon midday: Markets shrug off UK growth as earnings disappoint
25th Jul 2013 12:07
An expected pick-up in UK economic growth in the second quarter wasn't enough to lift London's FTSE 100 into positive territory on Thursday morning as markets reacted to a series of disappointing results from a number of blue-chip firms. Capita, BT Group, Unilever and Johnson Matthey were all tradi
Read moreLondon open: Markets fall ahead of busy day for economic data
25th Jul 2013 08:29
Markets opened lower on Thursday morning as investors digested a raft of economic data and looked ahead to a series of key economic indicators due for release later on. The IFO survey on the business climate in Germany during July is due out this morning, along with the first estimate of second-qua
Read moreLondon close: Gains erased after US data misses forecasts
23rd Jul 2013 16:28
Worse-than-expected economic data from the US saw markets across Europe erase their earlier gains on Tuesday, as the FTSE 100 fell into the red despite a strong performance in the mining sector.. Home prices in the States continued to increase in May but at a worse-than-expected rate: the Federal H
Read moreSector movers: Hopes over Chinese growth drive mining stocks higher
23rd Jul 2013 15:00
Stocks in the mining sectors were shrugging off falls in metals prices on Tuesday with share prices surging as markets focused on upbeat comments from government officials in China, a huge importer of raw materials. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is reported to have stood by the government target for e
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Miners jump; Tullow sinks after well update
23rd Jul 2013 14:44
Mining stocks were among the best performing stocks on Tuesday as concerns over a 'hard landing' in China were eased by comments from the Premier and his second in command. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is reported to have stood by the government target for economic growth of 7.5% in 2013 and assured
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