London midday: Banks hold back FTSE 100
24th Jan 2011 12:13
Shares are still seeking direction as banks fall back. The sector is weak after comments by the head of the Independent Banking Commission over stricter capital rules and possible separation of the retail and investment bank arms. The political problems in Ireland have also unsettled the mood. RBS
Read moreLondon open: Cautious start to week
24th Jan 2011 08:51
London is muddling along in the early exchanges despite the decent finish to last week on Wall Street. Banks are weak after comments by the head of the Independent Banking Commission over stricter capital rules and possible separation of the retail and investment bank arms. The political problems i
Read moreDumped Greencore mulls improved deal for Northern Foods
24th Jan 2011 07:23
Irish foods group Greencore may be prepared to improve its offer for biscuits and pizza group Northern Foods after the agreed merger between the two was scuppered by Indian firm Boparan's £342m offer late Friday. In a statement Greencore said a combination with Northern Foods still represents a com
Read moreMonday newspaper round-up: Barclays, Cocoa, Centrica...
24th Jan 2011 06:42
Bob Diamond will stamp his authority on Barclays next month, when the incoming chief executive announces a radical overhaul of the way it pays its top bankers. According to people close to the plans, Mr Diamond aims to use innovative bonds - so-called contingent convertibles, or cocos - to pay a la
Read moreLondon close: Shares end week on a high
21st Jan 2011 16:59
London's leading share index went into the weekend on a high after falls the previous two days. Royal Bank of Scotland led the top share index higher after the FT reported that bank executives and officials at the Treasury are talking about ways for the bank to exit the toxic asset scheme. After
Read moreLondon afternoon: Miners lead revival
21st Jan 2011 14:35
After yesterday's triple-digit fall the Footsie has clawed back around half of those losses, helped by a strong performance from miners. Weather conditions in Australia have improved enough to allow Rio Tinto to end the force majeure event that's disrupted supplies of aluminium from Boyne Smelters
Read moreBoparan paves way for Northern Foods takeover, reports
21st Jan 2011 13:20
Ranjit Boparan, the food magnate who gate-crashed the proposed merger between Northern Foods and Irish food group Greencore, has reached agreement with trustees of Northern Foods' pension scheme, reports say. Such a move would clear the way for Boparan, whose current activities include supplying ch
Read moreHarry Ramsden owner approaches Northern Foods
22nd Dec 2010 09:20
Shares in Northern Foods were in demand after the Goodfella's Pizza and Fox's Biscuits group said it had received an approach from Boporan Holdings, controlled by the owner of the Harry Ramsdens chip shop chain Ranjit Boparan. Northern added that it remains committed to its proposed merger with the
Read moreLondon close: Footsie sluggish as Ireland hogs limelight
17th Nov 2010 16:52
Footsie limped to a slightly higher finish on a sluggish day dominated by uncertainty over the Irish debt situation. Ireland appeared close to accepting a European bailout Wednesday ahead of a visit from European Union and International Monetary Fund experts the following day. The discussions shoul
Read moreLondon afternoon: Waiting for the dust to clear
17th Nov 2010 14:35
Investors continue to adopt a wait and see approach, biding their time until the Irish debt situation becomes clearer. UK economic news has been good, but not amazingly so. There was an unexpected fall in unemployment in October and a widely-anticipated three-way split in views on the Bank of Engla
Read moreLondon midday: Shares struggle for direction
17th Nov 2010 12:00
Traders find themselves unsure which way to move with economic and company news and the intensification of the Irish debt situation giving them plenty to ponder. Chancellor George Osborne says Britain is ready to step in to help Ireland, given our close interdependence with its economy. Meanwhile,
Read moreGreencore and Northern Foods to merge
17th Nov 2010 08:49
Irish ready made meals supplier Greencore and Goodfellas pizza and Fox's biscuits group Northern Foods have agreed a 50:50 merger that will save £40m a year. The new company will trade as Essenta Foods when the deal completes, expected during the second quarter of 2011. Over 30% of Greencore and al
Read moreGreencore FD Doherty signs for Kingspan
29th Jul 2010 16:01
Geoff Doherty will swap convenience foods for high performance insulation when Greencore's finance boss moves to Kingspan at the end of 2010. The 39-year-old joined the €280m Irish company as group financial controller in 2001, eventually joining the board four years later. But after nearly a deca
Read moreGreencore confident for rest of year
25th May 2010 07:47
Ready made meals supplier Greencore served up a half year pre-tax profit compared a loss the year before and said the second half had started well. The group reported a pre-tax profit of €11.8m for the half year ended 26 March 2010 compared to a loss of €37.8m the previous year. Revenue rose to €43
Read moreOsmond increases Pearl stake
10th Dec 2009 16:35
Pearl Group director Hugh Osmond has invested nearly £119,000 on buying 13,550 shares. Specialist closed fund operator Pearl gained a secondary listing on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange on 17 November. No new shares were issued but Pearl hopes to attract additional institutional invest
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