Christmas sales rise at Greggs
9th Jan 2013 07:20
Bakery chain Greggs said it enjoyed a resilient Christmas performance with total sales up 4.3 per cent in the five weeks ending January 5th 2013. The high street bakery and sandwich chain said like-for-like sales fell 2.9% against the previous year's 5.1%. Greggs cautioned that it expects the tou
Read moreLondon close: 'Fiscal cliff' hopes lift markets
11th Dec 2012 16:56
- Fiscal cliff optimism increases ahead of FOMC - German ZEW smashes expectations - Tullow drops 8.4 per cent After a weak start, the FTSE 100 finished Tuesday's session with slight gains on the back of increasing optimism about the 'fiscal cliff', as well as a better-than-expected reading of Germa
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Domino Printing and Victrex provide a drag
11th Dec 2012 14:36
Industrial coding, printing and marking technology group Domino Printing was the worst performer on the FTSE 250 after reporting a small decline in annual profit as it battles against tough market conditions. Pre-tax profit fell to £53.94m for the year ended October 31st 2012 from £57.44m the year
Read moreTuesday tips round-up: Man Group, BAE, Greggs
11th Dec 2012 07:00
Change at the top of Man Group comes not a moment too soon for investors. Fund managers always suffer more when the market falls, as it did solidly for two years after Mr Peter Clarke became chief executive in March 2007, but the whole point of Man's computerised flagship, AHL, was that it was suppo
Read moreLondon close: Stocks rally on 'fiscal cliff' optimism
10th Dec 2012 16:39
- Obama-Boehner meeting sparks optimistic mood - Italian PM steps down - Economic data from Asia comes in mixed Optimism that US law-makers can agree over the impending 'fiscal cliff' managed to offset concerns regarding political uncertainty in Italy, with the FTSE 100 rallying to finish with smal
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: AZ Electronic Materials hit by downgrade
10th Dec 2012 15:52
Speciality chemicals producer AZ Electronic Materials was leading the fallers on the FTSE 250 after UBS cut its rating from 'buy' to 'neutral' on valuation grounds, removing the stock from its 'Pan-euro Midcap Key Call List'. Including Monday's over 5% decline (to 360.8p), the stock has still gain
Read moreLondon midday: Markets hit by resignation of Italian PM
10th Dec 2012 11:24
- Italian PM Monti to resign - Japan in recession - Greece extends buy-back offer Stock markets reacted to Mario Monti's resignation with moderate losses on Monday, as the departure of Italy's Prime Minister throws up another curve ball in the ongoing Eurozone debt crisis. Benchmarks across Europe
Read moreLondon open: Italian political uncertainty dampens stocks
10th Dec 2012 08:27
Political uncertainty in Italy and an economic contraction in Japan weighed on stock markets on Monday morning, as investors shrugged off some better-than-expected industrial production figures from China. A close eye will be kept on Italian bond yields today after the weekend's news that Prime Min
Read moreLondon pre-open: Italian uncertainty to weigh on stocks at the start
10th Dec 2012 07:43
After having gained nearly six per cent over the past four weeks, the Footsie is expected to open slightly lower on Monday's session on the news that Japan's economy sank into a technical recession in the third quarter. City sources predict the FTSE 100 will open down 10 points from Friday's close
Read moreGreggs CEO McMeikan to step down
10th Dec 2012 07:26
Ken McMeikan, the Chief Executive Officer of bakery and hot snacks retailer Greggs is to leave the company for catering firm Brakes Group. McMeikan has been at the head of the company since the summer of 2008, having previously worked at supermarket giant Sainsbury as its Retail Director and Tesco
Read moreMonday broker round-up UPDATE
10th Dec 2012 07:10
Andor Technology: Investec moves target price from 450p to 460p, while reiterating its buy recommendation. Antofagasta: Alphavalue downgrades to reduce, while keeping the target price at 1371p. Ashtead Group: Investec target price from 250p to 475p and reiterates its buy recommendation. Atkins: J
Read moreLondon close: Footsie thunders ahead
11th Oct 2012 16:54
Better than expected US jobless figures gave a little early afternoon boost to a London market already going along nicely, as investors shrugged off a downgrade of Spain's credit rating by S&P, leaving the Iberian nation's debt status barely above a junk rating. Initial weekly unemployment claims d
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Bumi leaps on Bakrie offer
11th Oct 2012 16:08
Shares in Indonesia-focused mining giant Bumi leapt after major shareholder, the Bakrie Group, tabled an offer that could end their turbulent relationship. Bakrie wants to swap its stake in the group for a stake of equivalent value in Bumi Resources. The group has been the subject of a board room
Read moreGreggs' sales performance a bit flaky
11th Oct 2012 15:46
Much as we would like to reprise our 'Greggs on a roll' headline the interim management statement (IMS) from the sandwiches and baked food chain did not allow us to do so. Like-for-like (LFL) sales fell 2.6% in the 14 weeks to October 6th, and while this was an improvement on the 3.5% deterioration
Read moreLondon midday: Bumi booming on back of buy-out proposal
11th Oct 2012 11:51
London enjoyed a solid morning sparked by a return to favour of stock market darling Burberry, the luxury fashion chain. Burberry, which issued a profit warning last month, confirmed like-for-like (LFL) sales growth in its stores slowed dramatically in the July-September quarter, but the good news
Read more