Tuesday 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 moreMonday broker round-up - UPDATE
27th Feb 2012 09:44
BP: Nomura maintains neutral rating and 500p target. HSBC: Seymour Pierce confirms buy rating and 800p target. Vedanta Resources: Credit Suisse reiterates neutral recommendation and 1,400p target. Marks & Spencer: UBS upgrades from neutral to buy, target lifted from 325p to 410p. Lloyds Banking
Read moreHBSC beats expectations with a little help
27th Feb 2012 09:11
Global banking colossus HSBC saw strong profits growth in 2011 despite its investment banking arm's profits taking a dive. Reported profit before tax at $21,872m was ahead of expectations and up from $19,037m the year before. It was, however, boosted by favourable fair value movements of HSBC's ow
Read moreLondon open: Stocks sink early on, Essar leads the fall
27th Feb 2012 08:55
- Essar drops after full-year results. - Vedanta confirms merger of Indian subsidiaries. - HSBC beats expectations in 2011. London's blue chip index fell sharply in early trading on Monday after a G20 meeting failed to alleviate concerns over the economic crisis in Europe. Essar Energy and the mine
Read moreWeek Ahead: Asia-focused banks under the spotlight
24th Feb 2012 13:56
Banks are likely to be once again in focus next week, with the focus shifting from UK government-owned operators to two firms with strong presences in Asia: HSBC and Standard Chartered. On Monday, HSBC will update the market on its fourth quarter performance and also publish its full year numbers.
Read moreWednesday broker round-up - UPDATE
22nd Feb 2012 09:32
Vodafone: Credit Suisse cuts target from 175p to 170p, outperform rating kept. Vedanta Resources: Credit Suisse maintains neutral rating and 1,400p target. AMEC: UBS raises target from 1,225p to 1,325p, buy rating unchanged; Nomura raises target from 1,130p to 1,240p, buy rating unchanged. HSBC:
Read moreSunday newspaper round-up: Lehman, Tax cuts, North Sea, Iran
19th Feb 2012 16:12
George Osborne came under pressure from three sides today to put tax cuts at the heart of next month's Budget. Nick Clegg sought to sharpen dividing lines with the Tories as the Liberal Democrats pressed for more help for low earners. Labour called for an emergency VAT cut while senior Tories urged
Read moreLondon close: Optimistic mood ahead of Eurogroup, but risks remain
17th Feb 2012 17:10
-Merkel optimistic about Eurogroup meeting. -Miners lead gains on Footsie. -Retailer rise on economic data. London's benchmark index finished the week strongly - up 53 points on last Friday's close of 5,852 - as markets expressed confidence that the next Greek bailout can be secured on Monday. Af
Read moreLondon close: Losses pared after US data, Greece still a concern
16th Feb 2012 16:35
- Losses pared after US data. - Miners track metals prices lower. - European leaders weighing up ECB role in Greek aid. London's blue chip index finished in the red on Thursday but well off its intraday lows after US economic data came in stronger than expected in the afternoon. Nonetheless, concer
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