London afternoon: BP left behind
29th Apr 2010 15:07
Footsie is trading close to its high for the day despite heavily weighted index constituent BP coming under the cosh after it said the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico is much worse than initially thought. BP's chief operating officer Doug Suttles has admitted that the amount of oil leaking from the
Read moreLondon midday: London on a Sky high
29th Apr 2010 12:14
Traders are too busy digesting a full schedule of corporate announcements to worry about sovereign debt issues, as the Footsie makes another attempt at clawing back some of the heavy losses sustained on Monday. Pay TV and Internet service provider British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB) is the top perform
Read moreHomeserve hooks up with SoCalGas
29th Apr 2010 09:40
Home Services USA, the US subsidiary of Homeserve, the home maintenance firm, has signed a five year contract with the Southern California Gas company to jointly market the company's home emergency services. Home Service USA will offer home emergency policies in southern California that can charged
Read moreLondon close: Footsie moves past 5,800
14th Apr 2010 16:35
Positive sentiment as the US first quarter earnings season gets under way helped inject a bit of life into Footsie following recent sluggishness, sending it past the 5,800 point mark, though it settled slightly lower. Forecast-topping results from computer chip maker Intel yesterday were interprete
Read moreLondon afternoon: Upward trend continues
14th Apr 2010 14:26
London consolidated gains over the lunch-time session on another quiet day for corporate news. Forecast-topping results from computer chip maker Intel yesterday have been interpreted as a clear sign that the recovery in the global economy is not running out of steam, and that has led to a rise in b
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Homeserve acquisition applauded
14th Apr 2010 12:07
Home maintenance specialist Homeserve is leading the risers after saying it is extending its US reach with the acquisition of National Grid Energy Services' service contract business. Engineering consultant WS Atkins is a top FTSE 250 riser after it said it has continued to perform strongly and exp
Read moreLondon midday: BT heads field after broker tip
14th Apr 2010 12:02
Having been largely responsible for the Footsie's fall yesterday miners are driving the blue-chip index higher today, enabling the index to move close to the 5800 level despite the presence of the usual Wednesday batch of ex-dividend stocks. Forecasting topping results from computer chip maker Inte
Read moreLondon pre-open: Best foot forward for Footsie
14th Apr 2010 07:37
Better than expected figures from computer chip maker Intel after the bell yesterday in New York have allayed fears that the economic revival may be running out of steam, and has put investors in good heart in the UK. Traders expect the FTSE 100 to open around 24 points higher at 5,785. Once again
Read moreHomeserve buys National Grid Energy Services unit
14th Apr 2010 07:35
Home maintenance specialist Homeserve is extending its US reach with the acquisition of National Grid Energy Services' service contract business. The net consideration is expected to be about $14m, with gross consideration of $30m reduced by net liabilities of around $16m. The consideration will be
Read moreLondon close: Footsie eases back
26th Mar 2010 16:50
Footsie drifted lower going into the weekend, but remained near the 21-month highs it hit earlier in the week. With corporate news thin on the ground, broker commentary drove much of the action. Unilever is downgraded to neutral from 'overweight' by HSBC on sales volumes concerns. Hi-tech weapon
Read moreLondon afternoon: Sleepwalking lower
26th Mar 2010 14:05
It's been a good week for the Footsie but it looks set to end with a whimper rather than a bang. With corporate news thin on the ground broker commentary is driving much of the action. Unilever is downgraded to neutral from 'overweight' by HSBC on sales volumes concerns. Hi-tech weapons group Qi
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: HMV wanted after strategy update
26th Mar 2010 13:58
Shares in HMV were in demand after the CD and DVD retailer unveiled a strategy that involves lifting sales of new products, increasing its presence in the live music and ticketing market and continuing to improve margins at the Waterstones book store chain. Home maintenance specialist Homeserve is
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie drifts lower
26th Mar 2010 12:19
Footsie is bumbling along a tad directionless as investors consider the Greek bail-out, Budget fall-out and the prospects of more air and rail strikes. Property companies are among the best performers, with Hammerson, Segro, British Land and Liberty the four highest risers so far. In economic news
Read moreLondon open: Footsie makes dull start
26th Mar 2010 08:52
London has made a subdued opening with company news thin on the ground and a weak close in the US overnight. Property companies are the best performers, with Hammerson, Segro, British Land and Liberty the four highest risers so far. Cable & Wireless's demerger is bound to cause some confusion this
Read moreHomeserve profits to hit top end
26th Mar 2010 07:21
Home maintenance specialist Homeserve's profits this year will come in at the top end of market forecasts after a strong end with high levels of renewals and new policy sales. In the UK, it hit its customer growth target of 3% with gross new policy sales of 1.80m (2009: 1.83m). Renewals levels r
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