Tuesday preview: Budget, Carnival, Whitbread
21st Jun 2010 15:40
The main focus on Tuesday will be the first Budget from chancellor of the exchequer George Osborne in which he will have to perform the difficult balancing act of showing the UK means business about reducing its debt while not threatening the fragile economic recovery. In the election campaign the
Read moreLondon afternoon: Stocks slide as Brown sides with Obama
22nd Jan 2010 14:43
Barely more than a dozen FTSE 100 constituents are showing rises as the market looks set to slide for the third day in succession, after dipping sharply following comments from Prime Minister Gordon Brown's spokesman that appeared to lend support to President Obama's hard line stance against excessi
Read moreLondon midday: Banks and shops drag Footsie lower
22nd Jan 2010 12:15
Footsie has turned down sharply with retailers joining banks in the doldrums after some subdued sales data from December. Retail sales volumes rose by much less than expected in December, as price rises kept the UK consumer away from the shops over the Christmas period. Sales were up by 0.3% from
Read moreLondon open: Banks in early drop
22nd Jan 2010 08:11
Banking shares are dragging London's top stocks lower in early dealings on Friday, after President Obama revealed tough new measures to curb risk-taking among the big Wall Street banks. Obama proposed rules to limit bank mergers and consolidation, while also restricting involvement in hedge funds,
Read moreLondon pre-open: Weak start expected
22nd Jan 2010 07:38
Yesterday's late swoon in London looks set to continue Friday morning, with City traders predicting the FTSE 100 will open around 22 points lower at around 5,313. Resource stocks, at least, had some early good news for investors, with miner Xstrata and oil company Tullow giving updates on their act
Read moreHalma in bolt-on acquisition
22nd Jan 2010 07:02
Acquisitive electronic sensors company Halma has beefed up its presence in the photonics market through the purchase of a US manufacturer of precision products for use in light metrology applications. The company is paying $2.5m (£1.5m) for SphereOptics, a company based in New Hampshire, that had r
Read moreFairpoint chairman raises interest
23rd Dec 2009 15:49
Fairpoint non-executive chairman Matthew Peacock has added to his interest in the debt management business formerly known as Debt Free Direct. Peacock is a partner in Hanover Investors Management and Hanover Investors Management (Cayman) has acquired 181,720 shares at 55p a share. This takes the t
Read moreAnite non-exec buys for ISA
9th Dec 2009 15:45
Non-executive director David Hurst-Brown has acquired 74,445 shares in software company Anite for his ISA. This more than trebled his shareholding to 110,000 shares. He will benefit from tax free dividends in his ISA, starting with the 0.3p a share interim on 19 February. Hurst-Brown made his sh
Read moreFriday tips round-up: Go-Ahead, Halma, Marston's
4th Dec 2009 06:40
Bus and train group Go-Ahead is retaining some legacy contracts at Heathrow that are scheduled to run until 2011, and it is holding on to the Meteor car parking business, but the focus is firmly on public transport. Cue the acquisition of Plymouth CityBus, which has a fleet of more than 170 buses
Read moreLondon close: Miners eclipse banks to send index lower
3rd Dec 2009 16:35
London closed on a low note as a good day for bank shares was offset by dips for the miners and oil groups. Banking shares marched forward despite an assertion by influential US bank Goldman Sachs that commodity prices are set to rise in 2010. Goldman Sachs also seems to be out of step in its view
Read moreBroker tips: Capita, Halma, FuturaGene
3rd Dec 2009 12:55
Broker KBC Peel Hunt has initiated coverage of outsourcing giant Capita with a 'buy' recommendation and a price target of 800p, stating that 'there are more opportunities than ever facing the business.' The broker reckons the trend towards outsourcing in both the private and public sectors will con
Read moreBroker snap: Halma gaining momentum
3rd Dec 2009 12:54
Results from engineering conglomerate Halma were towards the top end of expectations, Panmure Gordon reckons, reinforcing its conviction that the shares are worth buying. The group indicated it expects margins to improve in the second half of its financial year. 'Added to better than expected cash
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Google property plans spook Rightmove
3rd Dec 2009 12:36
Shares in Rightmove have been hit by a report that internet search giant Google is considering entering the UK property market. The Financial Times said Google, having launched a property website in Australia in August, aims to enter the UK market next year. Investors have raised a glass to improv
Read moreLondon midday: Shares lack direction
3rd Dec 2009 12:11
Banking shares are still marching forward but gains are countered by weakness among miners, despite an assertion by influential US bank Goldman Sachs that commodity prices are set to rise in 2010. Goldman Sachs also seems to be out of step in its view of banks today, having downgraded the sector to
Read moreLondon open: Banks lead risers, RBS down
3rd Dec 2009 08:21
Barclays and Lloyds are leading London's top stocks higher in early dealings on Thursday, though Royal Bank of Scotland is an exception. RBS has dropped on news that that the bank's board is threatening to resign en masse if Alistair Darling will veto the group's £1.5bn bonus pot. On the positive
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