London open: Retailers slide as sales decline
9th Jun 2011 08:21
Retailers are posting hefty losses after a raft of updates but a rally in mining stocks is helping to cushion the blow. In the FTSE 100, Marks & Spencer and B&Q owner Kingfisher are among the heaviest fallers, while South American copper miner Antofagasta rallies after declining on the back of the
Read moreLondon pre-open: Stocks to slip after retail updates
9th Jun 2011 07:44
Stocks are expected to fall back slightly as investors digest a raft of cautious-to-gloomy updates from the retail sector. Continuing difficulties at the catalogue-based retailer Argos continue to plague its owner Home Retail Group, which has announced an 8.1% fall in sales at the chain to £817m in
Read moreHome Retail's Argos sales slide 8.1%
9th Jun 2011 07:05
Continuing difficulties at the catalogue-based retailer Argos continue to plague its owner Home Retail Group, which has announced an 8.1% fall in sales at the chain to £817m in the 13 weeks to 28 May. On a like-for-like basis, excluding the impact of new openings, sales at Argos were down by 9.6% f
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Synergy Health tops the risers
7th Jun 2011 15:58
Healthcare outsourcer Synergy Health is the best performer of the day, after saying that its provision of critical healthcare services is helping it to cope with tough economic circumstances as it posted a rise in profits and revenues. Helping things is Citi, after the US investment bank said that
Read moreTuesday newspaper round-up: Morrisons, executive pay, Northern Ireland
31st May 2011 06:23
Morrisons is aggressively outbidding its rivals to secure new stores, particularly in the southern England, signalling the scale of its ambitions under chief executive Dalton Philips. The Bradford-based grocer is on a mission to grab property for both standard supermarkets and conveniences stores, w
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Mothercare rises after full-year results
18th May 2011 15:02
Mother, baby and child retailer Mothercare is among the best performers despite revealing a whopping 23.4% drop in annual profit as it announced the closure of more than a quarter of its UK stores. Nevertheless, the group said "We are on track to meet the international growth targets set out in Dece
Read moreSector movers: Next props up the retailers
4th May 2011 14:22
Retailers are in demand on the back of some sentiment-lifting first quarter results from Next. Fashion retailer Next saw shares leap after a strong first quarter, which saw sales increase more than expected. Total sales for the period excluding VAT were up by 5.2% from the same period the previous
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Aquarius Platinum jumps after rights purchase
4th May 2011 14:10
Shares in Aquarius Platinum are in demand despite declines elsewhere in the mining sector after the company said it is to buy mineral rights in an area next to its own operations in the Eastern limb of South Africa's Bushveld Complex. Oil and gas group JKX Oil & Gas, Exillon Energy and Salamander
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: DS Smith lifted higher after update
20th Apr 2011 13:19
Recycled packaging group DS Smith is the top of the bunch today after saying that the year ending 30 April is progressing 'in line' with good improvements in return on sales and "significant" earnings growth, as the group has been able to tackle rising input costs. Home products retailer Home Reta
Read moreLondon midday: FTSE 100 storms past 6,000
20th Apr 2011 12:03
The top share index has soared back above the 6,000 point mark, with some well-received corporate news here and overseas whetting traders' appetites. ARM Holdings is leading the FTSE 100 higher after a strong update from its US peer Intel, while miners move ahead as metals prices advance. Antofagas
Read moreLondon open: Stocks storm higher
20th Apr 2011 08:31
Stocks have stormed ahead in early dealings, helped by some bullish updates from big US companies after Wall Street closed last night. Chipmaker Intel and web portal giant Yahoo! were among the big hitters to impress traders. Here, Intel's peer ARM Holdings is leading the FTSE 100 higher, but it i
Read moreArgos boss departs as Home Retail profits slump
20th Apr 2011 07:10
Home products retailer Home Retail Group announced the departure of Argos's managing director as it unveiled a sharp fall in profits due to lower sales at the catalogue-based chain and predicted further sales declines. The company said that Sara Weller informed the board that she is stepping down
Read moreLondon pre-open: Vibrant start expected
20th Apr 2011 07:02
Some upbeat trading updates in the US after the bell last night has helped boost sentiment this side of the pond, and a strong start to trading is in prospect. City traders expect the FTSE 100 to open up around 50 points higher. Home products retailer Home Retail Group has announced the departure
Read moreWednesday preview: BoE minutes, Reckitt, Home Retail
19th Apr 2011 17:31
Minutes of the March meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), the team that determines the Bank of England's interest rate policy, will be as keenly analysed as ever, though for the first time this year there are not so many people suggesting that the number of members voting for a rate hike
Read moreWednesday tips round-up: Home Retail, Cambium, Amlin
6th Apr 2011 06:33
Home Retail was back in the spotlight yesterday after it emerged that a US private equity investor had bought a 4.25% stake in the owner of Argos and Homebase. But with consumer spending likely to be in the doldrums for the rest of this year, the Independent thinks a bid is unlikely and Home Retail
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