London close: Oils and pharmas shine
22nd Dec 2009 17:09
London equities added to the previous day's gains although a late pull-back ensured that rises were not as extensive as yesterday. Oil stocks and pharmaceuticals led the way higher. Cairn Energy enjoyed another strong day after it announced yesterday that it would start its drilling programme in G
Read moreLondon afternoon: Shares off the top
22nd Dec 2009 14:28
Leading shares came off the top over the lunch time period but most are still sporting reasonable gains, leaving the Footsie still within striking distance of its high for the year. Oil stocks are driving the index higher, particularly Cairn Energy and Royal Dutch Shell. Cairn Energy is enjoying
Read moreLondon midday: Shell leads advance
22nd Dec 2009 11:50
With two of its five most heavily weighted constituents notching up rises in excess of 2%, the FTSE 100 had a good morning session. Royal Dutch Shell and GlaxoSmithKline are the two heavy hitters boosting the blue-chip index's performance. Oil giant Shell gets a boost from firmer oil prices while d
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Gem Diamonds sparkles
22nd Dec 2009 11:42
Gem Diamonds leads the risers after announcing subsidiary Kimberley Diamonds has entered into an agreement to sell yellow diamonds from the Ellendale mine in Western Australia to Laurelton Diamonds, which is owned by the US jeweller Tiffany. Taylor Wimpey is lifted by an upgrade from Goldman Sachs.
Read moreLondon open: Footsie pushes on
22nd Dec 2009 08:47
Footsie is still making progress, boosted by the good gains on Wall Street overnight. Cairn Energy is the top performer for the second day on hoped for its Greenland drilling programme, which it brought forward by a year yesterday. The shares were also split on a ten-for-one basis today. Banks a
Read moreLondon pre-open: Slight rise expected
22nd Dec 2009 07:36
Footsie is expected to top up yesterday's strong gains in early dealings. Online poker and casino group 888 Holdings has agreed to pay almost £60m for the Wink Online Bingo business and says trading continues to be strong and in line with expectations. The UK mid-cap will buy Wink Bingo, which runs
Read moreGem Diamonds to supply Tiffany
22nd Dec 2009 07:04
Gem Diamonds subsidiary Kimberley Diamonds has entered into an agreement to sell yellow diamonds from the Ellendale mine in Western Australia to Laurelton Diamonds, which is owned by the US jeweller Tiffany. Under the agreement, which will run for the economic life of the Ellendale mine, Kimberley
Read moreTuesday tips round-up: Cairn Energy, Hunting, Gem Diamonds
22nd Dec 2009 06:41
Shares in the FTSE 100 oil explorer Cairn Energy notched up the best gain among blue chips yesterday as it brought forward its eagerly awaited drilling campaign in offshore Greenland by a year. The best guess of RBS, Cairn's broker, is that the company will target discoveries in the region of 500 m
Read moreTuesday tips round-up: Yule Catto, Hardy Underwriting, St Ives
20th Oct 2009 06:46
The upgrades to earnings forecasts after specialist chemicals group Yule Catto's latest tading update yesterday ? the third in four months ? imply that Yule will achieve pre-tax profits this year of £39m, 19% higher than last. Yule still trades at a reasonable nine times next year's earnings, despi
Read moreGem Diamonds sees prices regain sparkle
19th Oct 2009 07:57
Gem Diamonds, which mines for the gemstones in Africa, southeast Asia and Australia, said diamond prices are recovering, though they are still well below the levels they sat at before the global economic crash that started in September last year. The firm said it was seeing strong demand from its L
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: PZ Cussons jumps after update
5th Oct 2009 08:24
Soap manufacturer PZ Cussons is going well after it said it remains 'cautiously optimistic' for the full year despite uncertain economic conditions after seeing strong trading in its main market of Nigeria and in the UK. Gem Diamonds is sparkling after its smaller peers Kopane Diamond and DiamondCo
Read moreHuntsworth's Puttnam doubles holdings
28th Aug 2009 16:06
Huntsworth non-executive director Lord Puttnam has doubled his holdings in the public relations and healthcare communications firm. The group said Lord Puttnam bought 90,000 ordinary shares at 65.5p each, taking his holdings to 180,000 shares or 0.1% of the issued class. Top Director Buys Huntsw
Read moreThursday tips round-up: Tullow, Antofagasta, Costain
27th Aug 2009 05:55
Tullow Oil claims 741 million barrels in proven and probable reserves. Adding a very conservative 200 million for the extra potential in Ghana and Uganda gives one billion barrels, which the stock market is currently valuing at $14.5 per barrel. About right, given the Africa risk, but if Tullow does
Read moreSmall caps round-up: Sirius Petroleum, Gem Diamonds, Churchill Mining...
26th Aug 2009 10:55
Sirius Petroleum has been guaranteed at least $80m of debt funding by London-based Capital Investment Office for its first marginal oil field project. 'We now have a substantial funding line which will enable us to execute our first asset deal in line with our strategy to create shareholder value
Read moreFriday tips round-up: Unilever, Schroders, RSA
7th Aug 2009 06:44
The long-term case for Unilever is that it has the highest emerging market exposure of its peers ? about 50% of sales ? and so will benefit as deodorant, detergent and salad dressings become staples for more of the world's population. Yesterday's numbers show recovery from years of underperformance
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