London open: Solid start for blue chips
11th Aug 2009 08:26
London's blue chips have opened stronger than expected higher on a couple of decent results and the confirmation of Friends Provident's and Resolution's tie-up. Clive Cowdery's insurance investment vehicle Resolution will be catapulted into the FTSE 100 index after life insurer Friends Provident ac
Read moreLondon pre-open: Small gains ahead
11th Aug 2009 07:35
London's top stocks look set to open marginally higher with traders expecting Footsie to add 5 points in early trading. Clive Cowdery's insurance investment vehicle Resolution will be catapulted into the FTSE 100 index after life insurer Friends Provident accepted a new £1.86bn bid on Tuesday. Fr
Read moreGreggs makes steady progress
11th Aug 2009 07:11
Bakery chain Greggs lifted its interim dividend to a record level as it shrugged off the impact of the recession to lift underlying half-year profits by 7.3%. Pre-tax profits came in at £16.5m for the 26 weeks to 27 June, against £23.4m last time, though stripping out one-offs the comparable figure
Read moreThursday tips round-up: FirstGroup, Compass, Land Securities
14th May 2009 06:02
Worsening trends in employment mean that FirstGroup's UK rail business is not out of the woods - but merely in a better position than the rail operations of unprotected peers, such as National Express. However, at 365p, up 5¾p, or less than nine times earnings, and yielding 5.1 per cent, First is wo
Read moreLondon close: Footsie takes a dive
13th May 2009 16:31
Footsie gave up its recent indecisive spell to dive into the red after an unexpected fall in US retail sales tempered recent talk that we are on the cusp of an economic recovery. Financial shares were the worst performers in London, not helped by disappointing trading updates from Legal & General a
Read moreLondon afternoon: US retail sales data jolts London
13th May 2009 14:28
Poor US retail sales figures prompted a quickening in the decline of blue-chip prices in London. US retail sales had been expected to rise in April but unexpectedly fell, bringing in to doubt hopes that the US economy is on the mend. Financial shares are the worst performers in London, not helped b
Read moreLondon midday: Miners and properties slide
13th May 2009 12:04
After a moderately firmer start, London's leading shares quickly turned lower in the morning session, with mining shares and properties weighing heavily on the FTSE 100 index. Property giant Land Securities saw its net asset value slashed by two-thirds in 2008 in what it described as 'unprecedented
Read moreLondon open: Footsie slips on big results day
13th May 2009 08:40
It's a big day for company announcements, but investors seem unimpressed so far with Footsie off a few points despite good numbers from J Sainsbury, Compass and L&G. Strong demand for its 'basics' range has helped supermarket giant J Sainsbury deliver better than expected full year profit. Underlyi
Read moreLondon pre-open: Modest lift seen at outset
13th May 2009 07:43
Encouraged by Wall Street's late rally yesterday London looks set to open on a positive note. Expectations are for the FTSE 100 to rise around 20 points at the outset. Strong demand for its ‘basics’ range has helped supermarket giant J Sainsbury deliver better than expected full year profit. Underl
Read moreGreggs sales boosted by Easter
13th May 2009 07:07
Bumper sales of hot cross buns helped bakery chain Greggs put in a solid performance over Easter. The group, with over 1,400 retail outlets in the UK, increased total group sales in the 19 weeks to 9 May 2009 by 5.2%, including like-for-like sales growth of 2%. "Since our preliminary results ann
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