AXA and QBE buy some HSBC general insurance businesses
7th Mar 2012 07:05
Banking titan HSBC's sale of peripheral parts of its operations has continued with the sale of its general insurance businesses in Hong Kong, Singapore, Argentina and Mexico. The businesses, jointly owned with HSBC's 62% owned subsidiary Hang Seng Bank, have been sold to French insurance giant AXA
Read moreWednesday newspaper round-up: Romney, Banks, Impala
7th Mar 2012 07:00
The contest that was meant clarify the race for the Republican presidential nomination threatened to throw it into greater chaos after an inconclusive Super Tuesday night saw ten states split between the candidates. Mitt Romney, who entered yesterday's race with a head of momentum and the hope that
Read moreSunday newspaper round-up: Oil, Greece, Trading volumes
4th Mar 2012 16:04
BP has reached a $7.8bn (£4.9bn) deal to settle claims by more than 100,000 fishermen who lost work, cleanup workers who got sick and other private claimants who were affected by the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill, ahead of a lengthy and damaging court showdown over liability. The British oil giant s
Read moreMurdoch's senior advisor ditches bucket load of shares
2nd Mar 2012 16:08
Arthur Siskind, senior advisor to News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch, has ditched 120,000 shares in the firm. Siskind sold the shares at $20.26 each for a total of $2,431,200 on February 29th. The transaction came just one day before James Murdoch, son of media mogul Rupert Murdoch, quit his rol
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks settle after ECB refinancing
29th Feb 2012 11:38
- Higher-than-expected LTRO take-up. - ITV surges on 'exceptional turnaround'. - Ludowici issues overshadow impressive 2011 for Weir. The initial celebration of the results of the European Central Bank's (ECB's) refinancing operation quickly faded in late morning trade, with the Footsie broadly fl
Read moreLondon open: Stocks flat ahead of ECB refinancing operation
29th Feb 2012 08:31
- Investors await ECB's LTRO. - ITV jumps 7% after strong 2011. - Ludowici issues overshadow impressive 2011 for Weir. The Footsie lacked direction in the opening hour on Wednesday as investors hold out for the result of the European Central Bank's (ECB's) second longer term refinancing operation,
Read moreWednesday newspaper round-up: Cove, Vodafone, HSBC
29th Feb 2012 06:57
HSBC has admitted for the first time it may face criminal charges that could see it hit with "significant" penalties stemming from a US investigation into alleged money-laundering by Britain's biggest bank. The bank is being investigated over possible violations of the US Bank Secrecy Act. HSBC also
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie edges higher, GKN tumbles
28th Feb 2012 11:48
-Footsie trade within narrow range, edges 0.2% higher. -GKN, Whitbread, Serco disappoint after results/updates. -Persimmon jumps 13% after announcing cash return. London's FTSE 100 index held on to moderate gains by lunchtime, after having traded within a narrow range of just 19 points in the morni
Read moreTuesday broker round-up - UPDATE
28th Feb 2012 10:02
SABMiller: Nomura downgrades from buy to neutral, target increased from 2,600p to 2,700p. HSBC: Nomura cuts tagged from 725p to 650p, buy rating kept. Pearson: Nomura reiterates reduce rating and 1,200p target. Whitbread: Peel Hunt cuts target from 1,938p to 1,860p, buy rating kept; Nomura reiter
Read moreLondon open: Banks, miners provide a lift early on
28th Feb 2012 08:38
- Banks, miners rise strongly. - GKN drops after full-year results. - Persimmon surges after handing back cash to shareholders. The FTSE 100 opened higher on Tuesday, despite a negative reaction to statements from GKN, Whitbread and Serco, as banks and miners rose strongly following yesterday's bac
Read moreLondon close: Stocks rally after Germany approves Greek bailout
27th Feb 2012 16:57
- Germany approves Greek bailout. - Oil prices threaten to derail economic recovery. - Essar drops 15% after full-year results. UK stocks rallied in afternoon trade after the German parliament voted in favour of the €130bn bailout for Greece. The FTSE 100 surged by over 50 points in the final two h
Read moreSector movers: HSBC weighs on the banking sector
27th Feb 2012 15:46
Banks were the worst performers on Monday afternoon after the full-year results from heavyweight constituent HSBC were met with a negative reaction on the markets. Shares in HSBC were down 4.6% at 548,3p despite reporting what was initially seen as a decent set of figures, with reported pre-tax pro
Read moreLondon midday: Essar, HSBC drag Footsie down 0.85pc
27th Feb 2012 12:04
- Essar, HSBC provide a drag in London. - G20 urges Europe to take action first - Vedanta among the few risers after consolidation plans. London's blue chip index sank to its lowest levels of the day by lunchtime, with banks and miners providing a drag, while Eurozone debt concerns continued to we
Read moreBroker tips: HSBC, M&S, Vedanta
27th Feb 2012 11:31
Nomura has maintained its buy recommendation and 725p target price on global banking giant HSBC, saying that this morning's results are 'supportive of our investment case'. The broker says that full-year figures were broadly in line with its expectations, with pre-tax profit of $21.9bn just short o
Read moreBroker snap: Nomura happy with HSBC's full-year figures
27th Feb 2012 11:14
Nomura has maintained its buy recommendation and 725p target price on global banking giant HSBC, saying that this morning's results are 'supportive of our investment case'. The broker says that full-year figures were broadly in line with its expectations, with pre-tax profit of $21.9bn just short o
Read more