London pre-open: Small step forward expected
12th Mar 2010 07:43
Encouraged by Wall Street's late surge yesterday UK stocks are set to start the last day of the week on a firm footing. It's been a week in which Footsie has largely taken small steps, however, and the theme looks set to continue at the outset with traders expecting the blue-chip index to open no mo
Read moreGlaxo ditches rest of Maxygen stake
12th Mar 2010 07:20
Global pharmaceuticals leviathan GlaxoSmithKline has dumped the rest of its holding in former subsidiary Maxygen. Glaxo said it no longer owns any shares in the US-based protein drug developer after selling its entire holding of 1.433m shares. The shares, which represented around 4.5% of the issu
Read moreLondon close: Shares end with small gains
8th Mar 2010 17:14
London's top stocks ended the day with small gains after trading in a very tight range all day as shares paused for breath following last week's good gains. Oil fabrications giant Petrofac was one of the day's major bright spot after it made a bit more than expected last year, with after tax profit
Read moreLondon afternoon: Footsie still seeking direction
8th Mar 2010 14:56
Footsie continues sitting around the 5,600 point mark as shares pause for breath following last week's good gains. Oil fabrications giant Petrofac is today's major bright spot after it made a bit more than expected last year, with after tax profit up 37%, and hiked the dividend by an impressive 41%
Read moreLondon midday:Stuck in neutral
8th Mar 2010 12:21
The market trod water throughout the morning session in the absence of any economic data or corporate news to set the pulses raising. Oil fabrications giant Petrofac is today's major bright spot after it made a bit more than expected last year, with after tax profit up 37%, and hiked the dividend b
Read moreBroker tips: Pru, Glaxo, Restaurant Group
3rd Mar 2010 13:05
Prudential this week announced the "truly transformational" acquisition of American insurer AIG's Asian business (AIA) for $35.5bn, but Charles Stanley worries that the price tag "looks to be full". It notes that the UK firm is issuing shares at a discount to embedded value to purchase the business
Read moreBroker snap: Glaxo backed ahead of asthma drug meet
3rd Mar 2010 12:23
An independent clinical trial has identified GlaxoSmithKline's Advair as the best drug for kids with asthma when 'first-line' therapy fails, prompting Panmure Gordon to repeat its 'buy' stance. The medical journal New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) says a component of Advair represents the most
Read moreFriday newspaper round-up: Royal Bank of Scotland, BBC, Google
26th Feb 2010 06:37
Royal Bank of Scotland paid 100 investment bankers more than £1m each - yet has still warned that hundreds will defect this year over pay restrictions, costing the state-backed lender £1bn in profit. Speaking after RBS unveiled a £3.6bn loss last year , chief executive Stephen Hester claimed a tho
Read moreFidessa directors offload shares
25th Feb 2010 16:44
Financial software provider Fidessa's chief executive and chairman have sold shares less than one week before they go ex-dividend. Fidessa announced a 40p a share special dividend when it published its 2009 figures at the beginning of last week. This is in addition to a 20p a share final dividend
Read moreBroker tips: Glaxo, Housebuilders, Retailers
23rd Feb 2010 13:03
US senators want GlaxoSmithKline to withdraw its antidiabetic Avandia on concerns it may increase the risk of heart attacks, but analysts at SocGen say this is unlikely. Glaxo maintains it shared all relevant information with the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and a 2009 study said it was unli
Read moreBroker snap: Glaxo faces generics threat
23rd Feb 2010 11:24
US senators want GlaxoSmithKline to withdraw its antidiabetic Avandia on concerns it may increase the risk of heart attacks, but analysts at SocGen say this is unlikely. Glaxo maintains it shared all relevant information with the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and a 2009 study said it was unli
Read moreTuesday paper round-up: British Airways, Lloyds Banking, Toyota
23rd Feb 2010 06:28
British Airways crew have voted to strike and could throw the travel plans of hundreds of thousands of passengers' into chaos as early as next week. Union workers at the country's national air carrier voted 81% in favour of industrial action over pay and conditions. As many as 700,000 travellers co
Read moreLondon close: Footsie slips back
22nd Feb 2010 16:36
Footsie struggled to find any sense of direction on a quiet day's trading, closing slightly in the red. Bunzl showed a healthy rise as the market was encouraged by a strong second half for the group that saw margins improve. Foreign exchange tailwinds enabled the outsourcing and distribution group
Read moreLondon afternoon: RBS heads the field
22nd Feb 2010 14:45
The lunch-time session was a positive one for blue-chip equities despite Wall Street opening modestly lower, with banks and miners leading the advance. Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has usurped Bunzl as the best performer of the day. The part-nationalised lender, like its counterpart Lloyds Banking,
Read moreBroker tips: Income stocks, AB Foods, Reed Elsevier
22nd Feb 2010 13:11
Barclays Capital is advising its clients to buy 'high quality dividend stocks' as dividend yields trade close to historical highs relative to bond yields. Barclays Capital (BarCap) has identified 20 European high quality dividend stocks, a list that includes UK stocks Cable & Wireless, RSA, BP, Ast
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