London midday: Blue chips turn lower
21st Oct 2009 12:03
Footsie's early drift has given way to more substantial falls as US futures point to a lower opening on Wall Street. Smiths Group and BSkyB are the highest profile stocks in the red as a result of trading in ex-dividend status today. Also on the downturn is London Stock Exchange, after Goldman Sach
Read moreLondon open: Quiet start in London
21st Oct 2009 08:54
London's top stocks are moving sideways pretty much despite a late burst on Wall Street and better than expected results after hours from US web giant Yahoo! UK company news is less dramatic. Home Retail reported a 3% rise in half year sales and said trading at both Argos and Homebase exceeded its
Read moreLondon pre-open: Small gain expected
21st Oct 2009 07:35
London's top stocks are expected to open largely flat, with traders forecasting a 10 point gain for footsie. Home Retail reported a 3% rise in half year sales and said trading at both Argos and Homebase exceeded its expectations. Sales rose to £2,805m in the 26 weeks to 29 August from £2,736m, re
Read moreHome Retail posts 3% rise in sales
21st Oct 2009 07:09
Home Retail reported a 3% rise in half year sales but said it remained cautious about prospects for consumer demand. Sales rose to £2,805m in the 26 weeks to 29 August from £2,736m, reflecting growth of 1.7% at Argos and 4.4% at Homebase. Like-for-like sales were down 2.1% at Argos and up 2.8% at H
Read moreWednesday preview: Cadbury, Home Retail, BoE minutes
20th Oct 2009 16:49
Under siege confectionery and gum company Cadbury will have to produce one of the most impressive trading updates of its illustrious history to boost its chances of resisting the determined efforts of US processed food manufacturer Kraft Foods to take it over. The chocolate maker has been trading s
Read moreWeek ahead: Home Retail, Cadbury, BoE meeting minutes
16th Oct 2009 12:26
Home Retail Group delivers interim results. Last month the retailer, which owns Homebase and Argos, said it expects profits for the first half of the year to match those of the same period in 2008 after it saw continuing declines in like-for-like sales at its Argos chain in the quarter to August 29,
Read moreHome Retail boss to be Hammerson non-exec
6th Oct 2009 08:20
There is to be a new senior independent director at property group Hammerson Group after John Clare announced his decision to retire from the board at the end of the year. Current board member Tony Watson, who has been on the board since February 2006, will succeed Clare as the senior independent d
Read moreLondon afternoon: Market cements morning's gains
28th Sep 2009 14:15
London made further headway over the lunchtime session, boosted by expectations of a firm opening on Wall Street. There are contrasting fortunes for two stocks dependent on the health of the housing market, with Wolseley on the rise and Home Retail on the slide. Earlier today property research firm
Read moreBroker tips: Home Retail, Wolseley, Misys
28th Sep 2009 13:16
Concerns about the threat Tesco Direct poses to the Argos brand has prompted Credit Suisse to downgrade Argos owner Home Retail. The Swiss bank now expects the shares to underperform, having previously been neutral on the stock. Analysts at Credit Suisse (CS) have been poring over the Argos catalog
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Wolseley at 'watershed'
28th Sep 2009 13:06
Plumbing supplies merchant Wolseley is the best performer on FTSE 100 today as brokers suggested that today's figures could be a watershed. Though the company announced a staggering post-tax loss of £1.17bn, broker Charles Stanley takes 'some solace from some of the more positive trends such as tha
Read moreBroker snap: Tesco threat to Home Retail's Argos
28th Sep 2009 12:50
Concerns about the threat Tesco Direct poses to the Argos brand has prompted Credit Suisse to downgrade Argos owner Home Retail. The Swiss bank now expects the shares to underperform, having previously been neutral on the stock. Analysts at Credit Suisse (CS) have been poring over the Argos catalog
Read moreLondon midday: Market edges higher despite weak banks
28th Sep 2009 11:59
Leading shares remain mixed, but the Footsie is still in the blue despite weakness from banks and miners. Cash call rumours continue to swirl around the two part-nationalised banks Lloyds Banking and Royal Bank of Scotland while miners are easier despite some upbeat comments from Anglo American bos
Read moreLondon afternoon: Weak retailers out of step
15th Sep 2009 14:18
Leading shares are consolidating the morning's gains, though retailers decline to join the party. Confusion and speculation surrounds the acquisition and fund raising intentions of general insurer RSA. Reports in today's FT suggest RSA indicated at a recent investors conference that it was looking
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Miners keep Footsie bubbling
11th Sep 2009 15:44
Silver miner Fresnillo, copper group Antofagasta and platinum specialist Lonmin were among the best performers. Hedge fund giant Man Group also went well helped by the rising markets. The share price of Home Retail has been back-pedalling rapidly since the Argos and Homebase owner released a tradi
Read moreBroker tips: Home Retail, JD Wetherspoon, 888
11th Sep 2009 13:17
The share price of Home Retail Group has been back-pedalling rapidly since the Argos and Homebase owner released a trading update on Thursday but for those who have not already sold Pali International thinks the shares are worth holding at their current level. Some profit taking after the share's r
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