FTSE 100 movers: Whitbread jumps as Costa drives strong first-quarter growth

18th Jun 2013 14:34

Whitbread was performing well on Tuesday after the company reported a decent first quarter with group sales up 13.8 per cent, boosted by growth at Premier Inn and another strong performance from Costa which saw sales jump by an impressive 24.8 per cent. Whitbread said that while sales in its resta

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London midday: Stocks rise as markets await Fed policy decision

18th Jun 2013 11:20

Markets were issuing decent gains on Tuesday morning with investors choosing to be optimistic ahead of the all-important monetary policy meeting in the States which concludes tomorrow. Helping sentiment this morning was Germany's closely-watched ZEW survey which showed that the economic sentiment i

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Broker tips: HSBC, RSA, SDL

18th Jun 2013 11:01

Citigroup has upgraded its recommendation for HSBC from 'neutral' to 'buy', saying that the future looks better for the global banking giant. The broker said: "With most of the concerns (like US asset quality issues, anti-money laundering fines etc) behind them, and potential benefits once net inte

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London open: Markets edge higher ahead of Fed, Whitbread rises

18th Jun 2013 08:33

UK stocks were in positive territory in early trading on Tuesday though gains were only slight with markets cautious ahead of the all-important monetary policy meeting in the States. The two-day Federal Open Market Committee meeting which concludes tomorrow will likely keep upside on markets limite

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Tuesday broker round-up UPDATE

18th Jun 2013 08:19

Alternative Networks: Westhouse Securities upgrades from neutral to add with a target price of 350p. Andes Energia: Westhouse Securities initiates with a target price of 60p and a buy recommendation. Andor Technology: Investec reduces target price from 525p to 360p downgrading from buy to hold. A

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Broker snap: Citi upgrades HSBC to 'buy'

18th Jun 2013 08:10

Citigroup has upgraded its recommendation for HSBC from 'neutral' to 'buy', saying that the future looks better for the global banking giant. The stock is down 10% over the last month and up just 5.0% so far this year, compared to -6.0% and +7.0% for the UK banking sector, respectively. The broker

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London midday: Financials pull markets lower after Hester exit from RBS

13th Jun 2013 11:38

Uncertainty regarding central-bank stimulus, reductions in global growth forecasts and the surprise departure of the head of one of the UK's biggest domestic banks prompted a sell-off on the FTSE 100 on Thursday, as volatility continued on markets across the globe. London's benchmark index slumped

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Broker tips: RBS, HSBC, Petrofac

13th Jun 2013 11:34

Credit Suisse gave its initial thoughts on the news that Royal Bank of Scotland Chief Executive Officer Stephen Hester has agreed to leave the group, saying that while the exit had been speculated in the past, "it still comes as a surprise in terms of timing". The broker reiterated its 'underperfor

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Broker snap: Investec upgrades HSBC by two notches to 'buy'

13th Jun 2013 09:10

Investec has upgraded its rating for global banking giant HSBC from 'reduce' to 'buy', highlighting the potential for dividend growth. Analyst Ian Gordon said that the bank has ruled out any further major value-destructive acquisitions - "misguided attempts to deploy surplus capital/liquidity which

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London open: RBS leads market sell-off early on after Hester exit

13th Jun 2013 08:33

Markets sunk sharply from the off on Thursday morning as the FTSE 100's losing streak was extended into its fourth day, with RBS in focus after shocking the City with the surprise resignation of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Stephen Hester. Following the impressive rise seen at the start of the ye

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Thursday broker round-up UPDATE

13th Jun 2013 07:01

African Barrick Gold: Citi moves target price from 175p to 124p and maintains a sell recommendation. ASOS: Nomura raises target price from 2970p to 3400p keeping a neutral rating. Exane increases target price from 4200p to 5000p and retains its outperform rating. Citi ups target price from 4400p to

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Tuesday broker round-up UPDATE

11th Jun 2013 07:22

AG Barr: Investec cuts target price from 591p to 581p, while upgrading from add to buy. Canaccord Genuity upgrades to buy with its target price at 570p. Aquarius Platinum: Nomura reduces target price from 90p to 65p, but keeps its buy recommendation. AstraZeneca: Berenberg takes target price from

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Sector movers: Barclays leads banks lower as risk appetite sours

6th Jun 2013 15:01

Ongoing market volatility and policy decisions from central banks saw risk appetite diminish on Thursday, with the banking sector in London the worst affected. Policy announcements from the Bank of England and European Central Bank - as well as ongoing uncertainty regarding the Federal Reserve's po

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Wednesday newspaper round-up: Apple, HSBC, Home Retail...

5th Jun 2013 06:46

Financial Times reports that tech giant Apple is facing an import ban in the US on certain models of its iPhone 4 and iPad 2 (as well as some older devices) after the International Trade Commission said that the devices infringed Samsung's patents. "HSBC failed to comply with New York state laws th

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Tuesday broker round-up UPDATE

4th Jun 2013 07:25

Afren: Goldman Sachs shifts target price from 224p to 221p keeping a buy recommendation. Alent: Goldman Sachs initiates with a target price from 426p and a buy recommendation. Amerisur Resources: Goldman Sachs moves target price from 65p to 82p and stays with its neutral rating. Bahamas Petroleum

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