London close: Rate rise fears fuel late slide
4th Dec 2009 17:17
Euphoria over the better than expected US jobless figures proved short-lived as week-end profit taking took hold and miners headed underground. Metal prices weakened in the afternoon session, taking mining stocks with them, as some pundits suggested that with the better than expected jobless figure
Read moreLondon afternoon: Stocks bounce into the blue after US jobs
4th Dec 2009 14:20
Share prices have surged higher as the keenly watched US monthly jobs figures showed a big drop in the number losing their jobs and an unexpected drop in the level of US unemployment. Miners are leading the rally with Rio Tinto the best performer. Other gainers include ENRC and oil explorer Cairn E
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks treading water
4th Dec 2009 12:17
Share prices are stabilising at lower levels as investors wait on the big US jobless announcement due at 1:30pm. Banks are on the back foot after a lukewarm note on the sector from JP Morgan. The US bank is particularly down on part-nationalised bank Royal Bank of Scotland, which it advises its cli
Read moreFerrexpo secures $230m financing
4th Dec 2009 07:50
Ukraine-focused Iron ore producer Ferrexpo has secured a new pre-export financing of $230m, the first successful financing to be concluded by a metals company with assets in the Commonwealth of Independent States since the global financial crisis began in September 2008, it said. Germany's Deutsche
Read moreLondon close: Late swoon by Footsie
30th Oct 2009 16:52
Mining stocks proved a major millstone around Footsie's neck today while end of the month position closing also contributed to a fall of almost 2% on the blue-chip index, a decline that was mirrored on Wall Street. The US market gave back most of yesterday's gains in the morning session after US co
Read moreLondon afternoon: Shire provides some cheer
30th Oct 2009 14:19
Footsie dipped into the red over the lunch-time session, as Wall Street opened lower. Metal prices are in retreat, prompting investors to bail out of mining stocks, including precious metals miners such as Fresnillo and Randgold. Among base metal miners, Kazakhmys and Lonmin are the worst perform
Read moreLondon midday: Retailers lifted by consumer confidence
30th Oct 2009 12:12
Insurers and miners are hampering the Footsie's progress today, but outside of these two sectors most blue-chips are on an upward trajectory, helped by some decent news on the economy. Economic data released Friday shows that UK consumers are more confident now than at any time in the last 21 mont
Read moreLondon open: Upbeat start for Footsie
30th Oct 2009 08:18
London's blue chips have opened higher thanks to upbeat economic and company news out this morning. Economic data released Friday shows that UK consumers are more confident now than at any time in the last 21 months. The GfK/NOP consumer confidence index improved to -13 in October, the best number
Read moreFerrexpo to pay dividend as outlook brightens
30th Oct 2009 07:38
Iron ore producer Ferrexpo has announced that it will pay an interim dividend of 3.3 cents a share, having deferred the decision when it delivered interim results in August due to market uncertainty. Ferrexpo has been hit hard by the downturn in commodity prices, but said this morning that its cash
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Enterprise Inns loses fizz
28th Oct 2009 13:28
Last week, investors were raising a glass to Enterprise Inns after the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) rejected a complaint by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) blaming the system which forces pub tenants to buy beer from their landlords for the high cost of a pint. With Enterprise's shares among the
Read moreWednesday tips round-up: SSL, Inmarsat, Booker
14th Oct 2009 06:45
Scholl to Durex group SSL is well run and M&A activity will drive the shares. The stock is pricey, though, trading on a forward price-earnings ratio of 15 times and offering a dividend yield of just 1.6%. Wait for some softening before buying suggests the Independent. Hold. SSL's valuation is quite
Read moreLondon close: Retailers weigh on Footsie
13th Oct 2009 16:46
A poor performance from US shares dragged Footsie into the red and the leading index finished the day with substantial losses. Retailers were out of sorts despite some moderately optimistic news from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) concerning retail sales. The BRC said annual retail sales growt
Read moreLondon afternoon: Retailers sag after sales data
13th Oct 2009 14:26
Leading shares remain mixed, with the Footsie easing back into the red over the lunchtime session. Retailers are out of sorts despite some moderately optimistic news from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) concerning retail sales. The BRC said annual retail sales growth in September accelerated to
Read moreLondon midday: Looking for direction
13th Oct 2009 12:14
The Footsie has crawled into positive territory, helped by miners recovering from their weak opening. Kazakhmys is the pick of the sector after revealing it is in talks with the China Development Bank and JSC Sovereign Wealth Fund Samruk-Kazyna regarding a potential corporate loan facility of aroun
Read moreFerrexpo enjoys better Q3
13th Oct 2009 07:27
Ukrainian iron ore producer Ferrexpo had a strong third quarter, producing at full capacity through the period and increasing 65% Fe pellet output as demand improves. The firm, which saw profits slide 82% in the first half of 2009, said iron pellet production from its own raw materials rose by 0.3%
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