London close: Flat finish ahead of Royal Wedding
28th Apr 2011 16:46
Stocks finished flat heading into the long weekend, though there was no shortage of company updates for investors to digest. Costa Coffee and Premier Inn owner Whitbread shrugged off the economic difficulties said to be plaguing Britain as it upped its dividend by 17% and announced plans to step up
Read moreLondon midday: FTSE 100 seeking direction after updates
28th Apr 2011 12:05
A stream of updates from big-hitters such as Shell and Unilever has failed to give the top share index any overall sense of direction. Costa Coffee and Premier Inn owner Whitbread shrugged off the economic difficulties said to be plaguing Britain as it upped its dividend by 17% and announced plans
Read moreHammerson's occupancy slips but board still confident
28th Apr 2011 09:01
Real estate titan Hammerson saw its occupancy rate slip just below its target of 97% in the first quarter but remains confident in the growth potential in retail, making £308m of acquisitions in 2011 so far. Occupancy fell from 97.3% to 96.7% during the three months ended 31 March, with UK Retail a
Read moreFriday newspaper round-up: BP, Barclays, Aviva...
25th Mar 2011 06:24
BP's $16bn joint venture with Rosneft was blocked last night in a ruling that has thrown the company's growth strategy into turmoil. A judgment by independent arbitrators that the deal cannot progress is hugely embarrassing for Robert Dudley, BP's chief executive, since he personally negotiated it
Read moreLondon close: Miners push Footsie higher
23rd Mar 2011 17:19
Footsie ended the day close to its high point though that was largely due to the strength of mining stocks rather than a rapturous reception to the UK Budget. What did get a rapturous reception, at least for a while, was the news that the voting by the Monetary Policy Committee in March on interest
Read moreLondon afternoon: Housebuilders get Budget boost
23rd Mar 2011 15:00
It would appear that the UK Budget was far from a blockbuster as the market has reacted phlegmatically to the Chancellor's big day. The headline grabbing move was the commitment to effectively abolish National Insurance and push up income tax to compensate, but this will not take effect for some t
Read moreLondon midday: Back to square one
23rd Mar 2011 12:24
Footsie ended the morning more or less where it started it, as investors sit tight ahead of the Budget speech at 12:30pm. Resource stocks are in demand, with ENRC sitting atop a buoyant mining sector and Cairn leading oils higher. Underlying profits more than doubled last year at Kazakhstan-based
Read moreLondon open: Market unsettled as Sainbury's disappoints
23rd Mar 2011 09:00
Budget days are normally quiet, but supermarket giant J Sainsbury's slightly disappointing trading update has unsettled the mood. Caution ahead of today's speech by the Chancellor will also be keeping some on the sidelines. Supermarket giant Sainsbury's grew like for like sales by slightly less th
Read moreLondon pre-open: Stocks to retreat
23rd Mar 2011 07:33
Selling on Wall Street last night and in Asia this morning look like knocking London back for a second day. Worries about the nuclear situation in Japan and violence in Libya and the Middle East are still unsettling investors. Caution ahead of today's Budget speech will also be keeping some on the
Read moreHammerson in £208m shopping centre spree
23rd Mar 2011 07:13
Property giant Hammerson has splashed out over £200m to snap up the Centrale shopping centre in Croydon plus five others as it executes its plan to invest into areas with potential. Hammerson is buying the six assets from St Martins Property Investments Limited for £208m. Hammerson's initial commit
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: ABF warns on consumer demand
28th Feb 2011 13:53
Associated British Foods is leading the market lower. The British Sugar and Primark owner says that its interim figures will be in line with expectations but it warns of weakening UK consumer demand and rising cotton prices hitting margins. HSBC doubled its profits to over $19bn last year but it
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Miners lead the fall
23rd Feb 2011 14:20
Declining metals prices have pushed Antofagasta, Xstrata and Fresnillo lower. Consumer packaging giant Rexam has been hit by profit-taking even though it grew underlying profit by a bigger than expected 45% in 2010 and expects further progress this year. Profit before tax and exceptional items jum
Read moreBroker tips: AB Foods, Hammerson, Logica
23rd Feb 2011 12:39
Nomura keeps its positive stance on Associated British Foods, saying that near-term cost pressures at its Primark division now appear discounted, and the business is well-placed to expand over the medium term. The broker highlights the near-term downgrade risk at AB Foods' Primark division - with r
Read moreBroker snap: Hammerson too defensive
23rd Feb 2011 12:10
UBS says that retail real estate group Hammerson is too defensive relative to its peers, and despite results beating expectations, the broker remains cautious. After 2010 earnings per share (EPS) came in 2% above the broker's estimate, it raises the EPS forecast for the current year by 3% to 19p.
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Contract concerns for BAE
22nd Feb 2011 12:23
Although the FTSE 100 is off its low for the day it remains well down. Worries about potential cancellations of defence projects hit BAE Systems. Rising oil prices have knocked International Consolidated Airlines Group. BHP Billiton has regained its early losses after it announced the acquisit
Read more