London midday: Markets pull back from five-month high as banks fall
23rd Oct 2013 11:15
Concerns over the Chinese economy and a weak performance by banking stocks halted a nine-day winning streak for UK markets on Wednesday, as investors chose to take profits following a strong run. The FTSE 100 snapped a nine-day winning streak this morning, pulling back from Tuesday's finish of 6,69
Read moreLondon close: Markets rise for eighth straight day, but RBS sinks
21st Oct 2013 16:54
The FTSE 100 hit a two-and-a-half-month high on Monday ahead of the eagerly anticipated US jobs report as markets managed to offset some heavy falls from heavyweight bank RBS. The UK lender dropped nearly 5% today after Chancellor George Osborne was quoted as saying that a decision over a 'good ban
Read moreSector movers: RBS, Barclays lead banks lower
18th Oct 2013 14:01
Banking stocks were mostly under the weather on Friday with domestic lenders Royal Bank of Scotland and Barclays leading to the downside. RBS was being weighed down by some gloomy comments from Investec analyst Ian Gordon, who recommended investors not to own the stock ahead of the bank's third-qua
Read moreHSBC pledges to appeal 2.5bn-dollar judgement in US class action
18th Oct 2013 09:17
- Hit with 2.5bn-dollar judgement - Vows to appeal HSBC has pledged to appeal a 2.5bn-dollar judgement that it has been hit with in a US securities class action lawsuit against Household International, the credit card and mortgage lender it bought in 2002. The case was originally filed 11 years ag
Read moreLondon close: Stocks edge higher after late rally
17th Oct 2013 17:00
UK stocks erased losses on Thursday afternoon, finishing in positive territory for the sixth straight session, though the market gave a rather lacklustre reaction to the last-minute US deal to avert a debt default. Alastair McCaig, Market Analyst at IG, said: "Having jumped out the way of one oncom
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: BSkyB shares jump on strong revenues
17th Oct 2013 15:31
Satellite television and broadband group BSkyB surged after recording a strong rise in first-quarter revenues helped by an increase of 800,000 paid-for subscription products. However, profits were down after a step-up in Premier League costs. Brewing giant SABMiller gained after saying its first-ha
Read moreBroker snap: UK banks could need extra capital, says BNP
17th Oct 2013 12:47
UK banks were trading in the red on Thursday after Exane BNP Paribas speculated that lenders may need to raise more capital to meet regulatory requirements. The Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA), due to make its final statement in December, could introduce additional capital buffers on top of c
Read moreLondon midday: Markets retreat from four-week high on US concerns
17th Oct 2013 11:33
UK markets pulled back from a four-week high on Thursday as investors gave a mixed reaction to an 11th-hour deal on Capitol Hill to increase the debt ceiling and reopen the US government. Nevertheless, losses were trimmed by midday after UK retail sales rose by a better-than-expected 0.6% in Septem
Read moreSector movers: RBS leads banks lower after BofA downgrade
14th Oct 2013 16:00
UK-listed banks were out of favour on Monday as macro concerns weighed on investor appetite for risk; Royal Bank of Scotland was a heavy faller after being hit with a downgrade by Bank of America Merrill Lynch. The US broker lowered its rating for RBS from 'neutral' to 'underperform', cutting its p
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks surge on US hopes as risk appetite returns
11th Oct 2013 11:20
The FTSE 100 was trading at a two-week high on Friday morning on hopes that ongoing negotiations in the US will result in a short-term deal to raise the borrowing limit in order to avoid a dreaded default. After a 1.5% jump on Thursday, the FTSE 100 was extending gains this morning, rising 0.8% to
Read moreLondon open: Stocks under pressure as debt ceiling looms
9th Oct 2013 08:22
Markets dropped sharply once again on Wednesday as investors' appetite for risk continues to be eroded by the ongoing government shutdown in the US. Not even the news that well-known dove Janet Yellen will be nominated as the next chair of the Federal Reserve lifted stocks this morning, with the FT
Read moreLondon close: FTSE 100 at three-month low as IMF cuts global outlook
8th Oct 2013 16:39
Disappointing economic data and the ongoing US government shutdown sparked a sell-off on London's FTSE 100 on Tuesday, with the index falling to levels not seen in over three months. Meanwhile, as the budget impasse continues in Washington, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) today cut its outloo
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Retailers hit by BRC figures
8th Oct 2013 15:09
Blue-chip retailers Marks & Spencer, Next and Kingfisher were among the worst performers of the day after data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) showed that UK retail sales growth slowed for the second straight month in September. According to the BRC, like-for-like sales growth fell to an
Read moreLondon midday: Retailers, miners drag FTSE 100 into the red
8th Oct 2013 11:20
Markets were sharply lower on Tuesday with retailers and miners providing a drag as investors digested a barrage of gloomy economic data and the ongoing government shutdown in the States. The FTSE 100 dipped below the 6,400 mark in morning trade, a level seen as support for London's benchmark index
Read moreBanks launch new mortgages as governent extends Help to Buy scheme
8th Oct 2013 10:40
UK banks were on Tuesday beginning to reveal details on new mortgages as part of the government's extended Help to Buy scheme. The extension means that buyers may now be able to afford a mortgage with a significantly smaller deposit, although there have been widespread concerns that it will result
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