London close: Footsie finishes up but gains pared after US data
31st Jan 2012 16:32
Early gains were trimmed by the end of trade on Tuesday after consumer confidence data in the US disappointed, sending US benchmarks into the red. The Footsie finished just 11 points higher at 5,682, well below the intraday high of 5,730 seen in the morning session. Meanwhile, Greek debt-swap talks
Read moreLondon open: Miners jump after Fed pledges low rates
26th Jan 2012 08:33
London's blue chip stocks rose in early trading on Thursday, following on from a surge last night on Wall Street after the Federal Reserve pledged to keep the federal funds rate low until late 2014. Meanwhile, Greece is again in focus as talks resume between private creditors and the government. The
Read moreLondon open: Footsie flat, Vodafone rises on Indian tax ruling
20th Jan 2012 08:28
The Footsie opened flat on Friday morning, with a rise in the banking sector being offset by resource stocks. The blue chip index nudged just a few points lower to 5,738 in early trading, following yesterday's 0.7% rise on the back of strong macro data and an improving outlook in the Eurozone. In o
Read moreLondon close: Stocks edge higher on IMF hopes
18th Jan 2012 16:33
- IMF looks to boost lending capacity by $500bn - UK jobless rate rises to 8.4% - Essar bounces back after Indian tax ruling UK stocks finished moderately higher on Wednesday, with reports that the IMF is boosting its lending capacity lifting the mood across European markets. The International Mo
Read moreLondon midday: Essar recovery pushes Footsie into the blue
18th Jan 2012 12:01
The Footsie pushed into positive territory in late morning trade, helped the blue chip index nudge above the 5,700 mark, helped by a strong recovery from Essar Energy and a well-received trading update from Man Group. Nevertheless, investors are keeping a close eye on Athens today as Greek private
Read moreLondon open: Tullow, BHP lead resource stocks lower
18th Jan 2012 08:21
Yesterday's optimism - on the back of positive macro data from China, Germany and the US - seems to have been short-lived, with the FTSE 100 falling in to the red in early trading on Wednesday. Eurozone concerns are now again in focus with meetings between the Greek government an private creditors s
Read moreFresnillo beats full year gold target
18th Jan 2012 07:06
FTSE100 miner Fresnillo said record gold production in the final three months of 2011 meant it had beaten its full year target. However, the Mexico-focused miner said silver production remained flat and would continue to do so into 2012. The firm plans to boost its 2012 exploration budget to $264m
Read moreLondon close: Macro data provides a boost, but Essar plunges
17th Jan 2012 16:38
The Footsie finished higher on Tuesday, close to the 5,700 level, but gains were steadily trimmed since the mid-morning. Providing a drag on the blue chip index in afternoon trading was oil and gas giant Essar Energy, which plunged nearly 30% after a negative tax ruling in India. MACRO DATA PROVID
Read moreFTSE 100 Movers: RBS in top spot for a second day running
13th Jan 2012 12:44
Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) led the way higher on Friday morning, extending gains from yesterday, when the shares bounced after the lender revealed a massive shake-up to its investment banking and wholesale businesses, including a mass job cull of 3,500. Seymour Pierce fuelled gains after upgrading
Read moreLondon open: RBS rises after shake-up, Tesco plummets
12th Jan 2012 08:28
A sharp fall for the retailers was met with a strong showing by the banks this morning, equating to a flat start for the FTSE 100. It has been reasonably busy on the corporate front, with several firms providing trading statements, but RBS and Tesco dominated the headlines early on. MARKETS CELEBRA
Read moreLondon close: Footsie closes up 1.5% on mining surge
10th Jan 2012 16:53
The Footsie closed near its highest levels of the day at 5,697, breaking through the 5,700 mark briefly in late afternoon trade. Upbeat economic data from China along with news that Fitch doesn't intend to downgrade France this year lifted the mood across Europe today with benchmark indices across t
Read moreFTSE 100 Movers: Miners lead index higher
10th Jan 2012 14:46
Miners were leading the rise on Tuesday, with Vedanta Resources, Kazakhmys and Antofagasta gaining ground after some positive economic data from China boosted sentiment. China's trade balance widened from $145.3bn to $165.2bn in December and while import growth on the whole had slowed, imports for c
Read moreLondon midday: Eyes on Merkozy meeting as Footsie falls
9th Jan 2012 11:43
London's blue chip index was trading slightly lower by midday, following a moderate rise early on, with all eyes on the meeting between Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy. The German Chancellor and French Prime Minister are to hold a press conference in the next hour in which they are expected to d
Read moreMonday broker round-up - UPDATE
9th Jan 2012 09:19
InterContinental Hotels: Deutsche Bank upgrades to buy from hold. Fresnillo: Deutsche Bank upgrades to buy from hold. Antofagasta: Deutsche Bank downgrades to hold from buy. ARM Holdings: Citi reiterates buy. Capita: Panmure Gordon downgrades from hold to sell, target cut from 700p to 560p. Mor
Read moreLondon close: London hitches ride on Wall Street's coat-tails
29th Dec 2011 15:31
London's reaction to the keenly awaited Italian bond auction bordered on indifference, but investors took heart from US business activity data. Propelled by Wall Street's tail-winds, Footsie finished on a high for the day. Italy sold €2.5bn worth of benchmark 10-year bonds at an interest rate of 6
Read more