London 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 moreHSBC sells HACL to Jardine Lloyd
1st Dec 2009 08:34
HSBC Insurance Brokers, an indirectly wholly owned subsidiary of banking giant HSBC, has sold HSBC Actuaries and Consultants Limited (HACL) to the Jardine Lloyd Thompson for £27.25m in cash. HACL was founded in 1980 and provides actuarial and pension consultancy services, financial planning servic
Read moreLondon close: Shares drop again in late trading
30th Nov 2009 16:32
London's blue chips recovered most of their losses in late afternoon trading and looked like they could be set for a positive finish before turning down again just before the close. Banks such as Lloyds Banking, Royal Bank of Scotland and Standard Chartered remained nervous about the debt situation
Read moreLondon afternoon: Banks pare losses
30th Nov 2009 14:36
Leading share prices are still holding steady at lower levels as investors await further developments from Dubai. Banks such as Lloyds Banking, Royal Bank of Scotland and Standard Chartered remain nervous about the debt situation in emirate, though the morning's losses have been pared. HSBC defie
Read moreLondon midday: Share prices steady down
30th Nov 2009 12:09
UK share prices are stabilising at lower levels after hopes of a continued rebound from the Dubai-inspired shake-out on Thursday were quashed by disappointing UK consumer confidence figures. Figures from market research firm Gfk NOP showed consumer sentiment fell to -17 from -13 in October. Middle
Read moreDubai bond default threat
27th Nov 2009 12:13
Dubai, the oil-rich Gulf state, caused a real stir this week with the threat of a debt default by Dubai World, one of the country's biggest companies. The state-owned firm said Dubai World and its subsidiary Nakheel, which built the famous tree-shaped Palm Islands, were seeking a debt standstill ah
Read moreLondon Close: Dubai worries knock market
26th Nov 2009 17:25
The London market wasn't helped by a technical glitch at the London Stock Exchange but it was never going to be a good day due to worries about the debt problems of Dubai. The fact that there was no trading for more than three hours just made investors even more nervous. The FTSE 100 fell by more
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Dubai worries batter stocks
26th Nov 2009 14:26
London Stock Exchange is one of the heaviest fallers in the FTSE 100 after the exchange operator was forced to suspend trading for more than three hours following a technical hiccup this morning. It had already come in for selling ahead of the shutdown as analysts fretted over how the Dubai debt si
Read moreLondon afternoon: Trading resumes .. so does the decline
26th Nov 2009 14:18
Trading resumed on the London Stock Exchange at 2:00pm after the exchange's technical glitch, but prices are not looking any healthier than they were before the trading interruption. Banks are under the cosh on concerns over Dubai's debt situation. The government owned Dubai World, which has debts
Read moreSector movers: Banks and miners bear the brunt
26th Nov 2009 12:16
With no sectors in the blue today amid heavy falls in equity prices, banks and miners are among the worst performers. Banks are under the cosh on concerns over Dubai's debt situation. The government owned Dubai World, which has debts of $59bn, has asked creditors if it can delay debt repayments due
Read moreLondon midday: Trading suspended on LSE
26th Nov 2009 12:07
Banks shares are leading the market lower today as investors fret about the debt situation in Dubai. The government owned Dubai World, which has debts of $59bn, has asked creditors if it can delay debt repayments due next month until May of next year. HSBC, Royal Bank of Scotland, Barclays, Lloyds
Read moreLondon close: FTSE 100 closes 32 points lower
24th Nov 2009 16:48
London ended the day in the red as the FTSE 100 lost its earlier gains after Wall Street opened sharply lower. London did not sustain a short-lived rally in the late afternoon. The market seemed to initially ignore Bank of England governor Mervyn King's cautious comments to the House of Commons Tr
Read moreLondon afternoon: Shares still drifting
24th Nov 2009 14:31
London continues to lack direction, with Bank of England governor Mervyn King's comments to the House of Commons Treasury select committee on the state of the economy having more of an effect on sterling than on share prices. With sterling dipping after King's comments, package holiday firms Thomas
Read moreS&P study raises fears over banks' financial strength
24th Nov 2009 13:25
Rating agency Standard & Poor's said that nearly all of the world's big banks are weakly capitalised. Most of the banks in Japan, the US, Germany, Spain, and Italy included in S&P's survey lack sufficient capital to comfortably maintain their credit ratings and therefore risk further downgrades. C
Read moreLondon midday: Leading shares mixed
24th Nov 2009 12:10
Footsie has fought its way into positive territory after a dull opening, helped by a recovery by some mining stocks. Anglo American, ENRC and Lonmin are the brightest features of a mining sector that initially opened lower on softer copper prices. Lloyds Banking Group is firmer after it priced i
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