16th Sep 2011 12:07
The banks maintained their top position throughout the morning as the blue chip index extended gains on the back of the announcement by the European Central Bank (ECB) yesterday to provide more dollar liquidity to Eurozone banks. Barclays, RBS and Lloyds were all buoyed after the news that the ECB
Read more15th Sep 2011 16:27
After an already strong start to trading on Thursday on the back of a Franco-German statement on Greece, markets across Europe surged following a European Central Bank (ECB) announcement in mid-afternoon, helping the Footsie in London finish over 2% higher. Early on, investors celebrated last night
Read more12th Sep 2011 16:28
Despite finishing over 1% down, the FTSE 100 managed to pull back slightly despite a broad sell-off across Europe and a mixed start on Wall Street. Concerns over Europe's sovereign debt crisis were escalated today on speculation that Greece is headed for a default. Meanwhile, Greece's prime ministe
Read more12th Sep 2011 13:00
Kingfisher, the company behind the DIY chain B&Q, has unveiled plans to open nine news stores in Russia in a move to cash in on the recent trend among the country's middle class for DIY home improvement. The company was joined higher by just one other company, satellite operator Inmarsat. Fresn
Read more8th Sep 2011 16:32
It was a volatile day for the Footsie on Thursday, as a steady decline after the Bank of England (BoE) rate decision was met with a late afternoon comeback. The Footsie managed to pull above water by 16:30 to finish with a gain of 0.41%. The BoE announced at midday that it had kept interest rates u
Read more7th Sep 2011 16:26
Oil stocks were the star performers on a decent day for the Footsie, which clawed its way back above the 5,300 mark, helped by a better start on Wall Street. The oil companies were leading the rise on Wednesday, with Tullow Oil, Essar Energy and BP being helped by a rising oil price. Drilling in
Read more7th Sep 2011 12:51
The oil companies were leading the rise on Wednesday afternoon, with Tullow Oil, Essar Energy and BP among the better performers on the blue chip index, helped by a rising oil price. BP rose after drilling results confirmed a significant resource extension of The Mad Dog Field complex in the Gulf o
Read more6th Sep 2011 14:09
Coffee shop, restaurant and hotel owner Whitbread boosted its share price after accelerating revenue growth during the first half, posting a 12.9% improvement in sales in the second quarter, up from a 9.2% increase in the first three months of the year. On a like-for-like basis, sales rose 4.8% in
Read more2nd Sep 2011 16:30
The Footsie finished over 2% down on Friday, as London was not immune from the global sell-off, meaning that just eight out of the 100 blue chips stocks closed in the blue. After a poor start in early trade, sentiment was dampened after a worse-than-expected jobs report in the US which showed that n
Read more1st Sep 2011 14:24
Wealth manager Hargreaves Lansdown has raced ahead. Assets under administration climbed 41% in the year ended 30 June. The wealth management firm hiked its dividend by nearly 60%. Elsewhere in finance, RBS, Lloyds and Barclays have powered forward, buoyed by rumours that reform of the banking sect
Read more1st Sep 2011 13:46
Telecommunications stocks were heading north on Thursday with sector giant Vodafone rising higher, two days after it confirmed that it is talks to merge its Greek telecoms business with privately-owned rival Wind Hellas. Discussions with Largo Limited, the owners of Wind Hellas, were said to be at
Read more1st Sep 2011 08:30
The FTSE 100 began September trading on a dull note, falling lower in the opening minutes on Thursday, with the mining sector largely to blame. The mining sector dropped as copper, gold and silver prices declined. Fresnillo, Lonmin and Randgold Resources were among the worst performers. Sector pe
Read more24th Aug 2011 16:38
Stocks finished with good gains after an uncertain start, with strong economic data from the US overriding the earlier mixed reception to today's raft of company updates. US orders for goods made to last more than three years, such as planes, cars and washing machines, rose by 4% in July, having fa
Read more24th Aug 2011 12:10
The leading share index is flitting between red and blue amid differing receptions for today's stream of updates. Investors in Admiral are feeling mutinous despite pre-tax profits growing by 27%. However, according to a Thomson Reuters poll, the result was a slight miss. Miner BHP Billiton is hig
Read more24th Aug 2011 08:29
Early gains proved short-lived as the blue chip index in London fell into the red by 08.32, dragged lower by Admiral and the miners, who were registering losses on the back of falling metals prices. Admiral was the worst performer on the FTSE 100, losing over 5% after despite pre-tax profits growi
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