Broker snap: Faint praise for Home Retail
11th Sep 2009 13:15
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
Read moreLondon open: Dull start after Dow sell off
2nd Sep 2009 08:46
The gloomy start to September has continued with talk of another big bank fund raising encouraging sellers. Lloyds is the worst performer after the Guardian reported it has won backing from its investors to raise £10bn to allow it make a partial withdrawal from the government's asset protection sch
Read moreBroker snap: DSG to withstand Best Buy invasion
26th Aug 2009 12:55
Japanese broker Nomura Securities has been looking at the UK electrical retail sector ahead of the entrance, in partnership with Carphone Warehouse, of US player, Best Buy, and tips DSG International as the best stock to be holding. 'The middle market is increasingly competitive, causing a divergen
Read moreLondon close: Footsie finishes just down
4th Aug 2009 16:33
London staged a late rally but still finished just in the red as financials weighed and the US started in tepid fashion. Asia-focused bank Standard Chartered was the biggest faller of the day after saying it is to raise £1bn through a placing. It posted solid first half figures with profits up by 1
Read moreBroker tips: Weir, Home Retail, Kingfisher
4th Aug 2009 12:21
Weir Group's prediction that it will achieve profits at the upper end of its previous guidance has cheered KBC Peel Hunt and the broker lifts its price target on the engineer to 690p from 550p. Weir's cheery outlook came as it posted a 12% rise in both pre-tax profits and revenues, helped by a stro
Read moreBroker snap: Home Retail rally prompts Nomura reassessment
4th Aug 2009 11:17
Broker Nomura has taken another look at Argos and Homebase owner Home Retail Group after shares in the firm rallied in line with a brighter economic outlook. Nomura raises its price target on the stock to 330p from 288p, but given the rally in the share price, also downgrade's Home Retail to a '
Read moreLondon close: Footsie falls for fourth week
10th Jul 2009 17:04
London's blue-chip index fell for the fourth week in succession, with insurance and resource stocks the major fallers today. Aviva was the biggest casualty as fears resurfaced about the future of the company's dividend but its fellow life assurance stocks Prudential, Standard Life, Legal & General
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Life stocks head lower
10th Jul 2009 15:38
Life assurance stocks feature among the weakest performers as global markets continue to drift lower. Aviva, Prudential and Standard Life suffer the biggest falls in the sector. In the mining sector Rio Tinto is still under a cloud after four of its employees were arrested in China. Home Retail G
Read moreTechnical Analysis: Retailers continue to buck the FTSE
10th Jul 2009 15:23
Despite indifferent retail sales data in the past few months the retail sector continues to buck the market. Over the past 30 days retailers like Mothercare, Marks and Spencer and Home Retail Group have made significant gains, in excess of 5% and when comparing the retail sector to the FTSE100 over
Read moreLondon afternoon: Equities drift down in quiet trading
10th Jul 2009 14:06
London equities are sleepwalking to a dull end to a dull week. Life assurance stocks feature among the weakest performers as global markets continue to drift lower. Aviva, Prudential and Standard Life suffer the biggest falls in the sector. In the mining sector Rio Tinto is still under a cloud aft
Read moreLondon midday: Downward drift continues
10th Jul 2009 12:23
Equities continue to drift lower with blue-chips faring worse than second-liners. Better than expected Producer Prices data has limited the falls in London but expectations of a weak opening on Wall Street has not helped matters. UK producer output prices in June fell 0.2%, after rising 0.4% in May
Read moreLondon close: Modest gains as US struggles
9th Jul 2009 16:33
Equities held onto gains despite a lacklustre final session as Wall St struggled to make headway. Mining stocks continue to dominate the list of risers. Silver miner Fresnillo is the best performer after being upgraded to "buy" by Citigroup. In contrast the US bank had downgraded gold miner Rand
Read moreLondon afternoon: Rally gathers pace
9th Jul 2009 14:46
Equities pushed higher over the lunch-time session, boosted by expectations of a firm start on Wall Street. Mining stocks continue to dominate the list of risers. Silver miner Fresnillo is the best performer after being upgraded to "buy" by Citigroup. In contrast the US bank had downgraded gold min
Read moreLondon midday: Mining stocks in the driving seat
9th Jul 2009 12:17
Mining stocks are behind the wheel once again and today they are driving the market higher. Silver miner Fresnillo is the best performer after being upgraded to "buy" by Citigroup. In contrast the US bank had downgraded gold miner Randgold Resources to "hold" from "buy". Elsewhere in the sector An
Read moreLondon close: Heavy losses for Footsie
2nd Jul 2009 16:37
Footsie closed the day nursing triple-digit losses as investors took fright following poor US monthly jobs figures. WPP was the day's worst performer as Citigroup downgraded the UK advertising firm to sell from hold, saying a continuation of the trends in the second quarter would suggest a 7.5% org
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