London open: Weak start for blue chips
4th Dec 2009 08:45
Footsie has fallen back in early dealings after a dip in the US last night while the bank bonus row has spread to Lloyds. Shares in Lloyds and Royal Bank of Scotland are both under pressure. A report in the Times this morning suggested 200 Lloyds executives will get a bonus of 80% of their salary f
Read moreLondon close: Footsie rallies above 5,300
1st Dec 2009 16:14
Strength in the US, a record gold price and fight back by the banks had London at session highs by the close of play. Markets decided that fears about Dubai's debt have been overdone. State-owned Dubai World said it had held "constructive" talks with banks and flagged plans to restructure nearly ha
Read moreLondon afternoon: Triple digit gain for Footsie
1st Dec 2009 14:59
Leading shares kicked on again in the afternoon session after US markets opened firmer, with the number of Footsie constituents showing a loss on the day being countable on the fingers of one hand. Mining stocks are going well on hopes of a sustained recovery in Chinese manufacturing. Silver miner
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie consolidates gains
1st Dec 2009 12:00
London is participating in a global rally by stock markets, as doubts over the Dubai debt crisis ease. Buoyant manufacturing data from China is lifting miners. HSBC said the Purchasing Manager's Index (PMI) for China climbed to a seasonally adjusted 55.7 in November from 55.4 in October. The index
Read moreLondon afternoon: Equities drift lower
20th Nov 2009 22:49
Around two thirds of the Footsie's constituents are in the red today as the blue-chip index looks set to finish the week lower than it started it. US bank Morgan Stanley has rained on the parade of package tour operators Thomas Cook and TUI Travel. The bank has cut its rating on both stocks, prompt
Read moreLondon close: Volatile Footsie closes lower
20th Nov 2009 16:34
Footsie ended slightly in the red after a topsy-turvy day which saw UK shares at the mercy of the US dollar. Shares in miner Antofagasta resumed their position near the top of the leaderboard after a brief dip into negative territory that came as commodity prices slipped in line with strength in th
Read moreLondon midday: Holiday firms in the shade
20th Nov 2009 12:11
Leading shares lack direction, with Footsie's early advance turning into a retreat, as early gains on mining stocks are pared. The outlook for package tour operators Thomas Cook and TUI Travel is as miserable as London's weather, according to US bank Morgan Stanley, which has cut its rating on both
Read moreLondon open: Miners lift Footsie again
20th Nov 2009 08:51
After yesterday's shake-out, London's leading shares have started on a bright note. Miners are leading the way. They are essentially proxies for movements in the dollar at present. The US currency falls, miners go up and vice versa. The miners are up today as the dollar has dropped back from yester
Read moreLondon close: Good as gold
16th Nov 2009 16:56
Footsie came close to breaching the 5400 barrier, helped by a positive start on Wall Street, but profit taking set in at the end of the session and gains were pared. Much of the blue-chip index's advance was down to mining stocks, which were in demand as metal prices continue to head north. Lonmi
Read moreLondon afternoon: Sainsbury slides on sales leak
16th Nov 2009 14:31
After getting off to a flying start, the FTSE 100 index has drifted sideways since the middle of the morning. A larger part of the blue-chip index's gain is down to mining stocks, which are in demand as metal prices continue to head north. Lonmin leads the sector higher despite reporting a full-y
Read moreLondon midday: Early gains consolidated
16th Nov 2009 12:11
Stock prices saw a modest amount of profit taking after the Footsie hit a 14-month high. Lonmin is leading the mining sector higher despite reporting a full-year loss. The South African platinum miner fell into the red in the year to September 30 as prices for the precious metal slumped in line wit
Read moreLondon close: Good end to the day and week
13th Nov 2009 16:44
London headed into the weekend in an upbeat mood as Wall Street started the day strongly and investors took a shine to property giants as the close neared. British Land, shopping centre owner Liberty and Hammerson finished in the top five risers by the end of the day. A modest rally in the dollar
Read moreLondon close: Shares shake off US blues
6th Nov 2009 17:15
The Footsie finished a see-saw day in positive territory, shrugging off concerns about the worse than expected US jobless figures, which revealed the US unemployment rate has risen above the 10% level. Banks enjoyed a day in the sun, helped by a positive response to results from Royal Bank of Scotl
Read moreLondon afternoon: Stocks slide on US jobless news
6th Nov 2009 14:04
Leading shares are retreating rapidly in the wake of worse than expected US non-farm payrolls data. October non-farm payrolls data showed the US unemployment rate rose to 10.2% from 9.8% in September. The number of jobs lost in October was 190,000, versus expectations of 175,000 job losses. So fa
Read moreLondon midday: Financials lead advance
6th Nov 2009 12:04
Banks and property stocks are leading the market higher, though the advance is being conducted at a leisurely pace. More huge write-offs sent Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) deep into loss over the past three months. Nine-month losses now total £2.06bn against a profit £1.8bn this time last year. Des
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