Broker snap: Growth to continue at Greggs
17th Mar 2011 10:06
Greggs made good progress in 2010 against its shop roll-out and cost control plans, and this is expected to continue into 2011 despite a challenging retail environment, according to UBS. The popular bakery chain announced 2010 results Wednesday that were broadly in line with the broker expectations
Read moreThursday newspaper round-up: Banks, yen, oil
17th Mar 2011 06:00
Taxpayers will receive a "handsome" reward for bailing out the banks, according to the heads of Lloyds Banking Group and Royal Bank of Scotland. Yet they criticised ongoing talk of the banks being too big to fail as a "red herring". The outgoing Lloyds chief executive Eric Daniels appeared in front
Read moreLondon close: Market closes at low for the day
16th Mar 2011 17:07
An attempt at an early afternoon rally was short-lived and Footsie ended at its low for the day as investors continue to worry about the situation in Japan and sovereign debt in Europe after the downgrade of Portugal's debt by ratings agency Moody's. A sharp fall on Wall Street did not help sentime
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Imagination Tech falls despite strong second half
16th Mar 2011 15:19
Imagination Technologies is the worst performer Wednesday despite continuing to see growing demand for its graphics chip technology, though its Digital Audio Broadcasting division, PURE, is finding things a bit tougher. The group expects the volume of chips shipped in the second half of the financ
Read moreLondon afternoon: Stocks pare losses
16th Mar 2011 14:06
Stocks pared losses over the lunch time session leaving the overall picture looking mixed, though the Footsie is slightly easier on balance, as investors continue to fret about the fall-out from the Japanese disaster, while sovereign debt concerns in Europe have been revived by the downgrade of Port
Read moreLondon midday: Market remains in the red
16th Mar 2011 11:50
The decline in the FTSE 100 appears to have bottomed out although there are continuing worries over the post-earthquake situation in Japan. A fire at the plant's fourth reactor sent radiation levels soaring and forced what few workers are left battling the potential disaster to retreat. Japan's Emp
Read moreLondon open: Footsie struggles as Japan news worsens
16th Mar 2011 08:54
Hopes of a rally after a bounce in Tokyo overnight have been dashed by more worrying news from the crippled Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant. A fire at the plant's fourth reactor sent radiation levels soaring and forced what few workers are left battling the potential disaster to retreat. Japan's E
Read moreLondon pre-open: Buyers expected to return
16th Mar 2011 07:37
It looks like prices have fallen low enough to attract buyers back into the market with traders saying the Footsie index is expected to open higher, possibly by as much as 30 points. There has been a brace of executive departures in the leisure industry with the chief executives of hotels group Int
Read moreGreggs makes record money in 2010
16th Mar 2011 07:06
Sausage roll fans filed into Greggs in record numbers during 2010, pushing profits up almost 8%, and like for like sales growth so far in 2011 is double what it was for all of 2010. The Newcastle-based company, which runs over 1,480 value bakers shops up and down the country, made £52.5m in the 52
Read moreWednesday Preview: Greggs, Marston's, Hikma
15th Mar 2011 17:19
Results from Greggs will help give us a clearer picture of the state of the British High Street. Shore Capital is predicting a 7% rise in pre-tax profits from the baked snacks retailer, though the broker is less cheery over trading so far this year. One interesting aspect to look out for is what Gr
Read moreFriday tips round-up: BT, Balfour Beatty, Booker...
14th Jan 2011 06:44
BT bulls have had little to complain about recently as the stock has climbed 20% in two months and broken through the 190p barrier for the first time in two and a half years. The company is due a re-rating this year if the management team keeps ticking all the right boxes. A return to growth is sti
Read moreThursday tips round-up: Greggs, Vodafone, Moneysupermarket
13th Jan 2011 06:29
Britain's biggest bakery chain Greggs shrugged off the effects of the big freeze, reporting trading over Christmas that was stronger than expected, with a 3.5% rise in sales, or 0.6% on a like-for-like basis, over the five-week period. The current valuation of 11 times 2011's projected profits fairl
Read moreLondon close: More gains for FTSE 100
12th Jan 2011 16:43
Strong financial and mining stocks helped to drive the top share index higher Wednesday, while M&A activity and company updates had some FTSE 250 constituents soaring. HSBC went well, helped by a "buy" recommendation from Barclays Capital, but fellow banks Standard Chartered and Barclays were also
Read moreLondon afternoon: Miners and banks lead the advance
12th Jan 2011 14:35
Footsie is continuing to keep its head above water, not to mention 6,000, but it is largely thanks to the strength of miners and financial stocks, with the latter in demand after Portugal's bond auction proved relatively successful. HSBC is the best performing financial, helped by a "buy" recommend
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks add more gains
12th Jan 2011 12:07
Miners continue to keep the FTSE 100 in the blue, adding to yesterday's gains, while three stocks in the FTSE 250 are posting triple-digit gains. Supermarket giant J Sainsbury had its best Christmas ever, with better than expected sales, a growing market share and a record number of customers desp
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