London close: FTSE sets fresh 15-year high on Greek optimism
20th Feb 2015 16:38
UK stocks settled at a new 15-year high on Friday afternoon as improving economic data from the Eurozone and optimism about a deal being agreed on Greek debt offset weak retail sales data in Britain. Eurozone finance ministers met in Brussels on Friday afternoon to discuss a loan extension request b
Read moreIAG's offer for Aer Lingus 'not persuasive' enough, says Irish minister
20th Feb 2015 15:24
International Consolidated Airlines' (IAG) offer to buy a 25% stake in Aer Lingus was not persuasive enough, according to a senior Irish government minister. The Irish carrier's board recommended the £976m offer from IAG subject to government's approval, but the development has been met by staunch p
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Standard Life lifted by results, IAG down with a bump
20th Feb 2015 13:59
Insurance giant Standard Life surged after beating forecasts with a 19% increase in annual operating profit before tax from continuing operations to £604m, while the total dividend was lifted 7.8% to 17.03p per share. The recent acquisition of Ignis also helped it to increase assets under administra
Read moreAer Lingus board to recommend IAG take-over offer
13th Feb 2015 17:44
Following the close of trading on Friday Ireland's flag airline carrier recommended to its shareholders the take-over bid tabled last month by rival IAG. The chief executive of Aer Lingus, Colm Barrington, said the company's board was convinced of the company's ability to continue growing following
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Tullow plummets on suspended dividend, BT higher on Premier League rights
11th Feb 2015 14:03
Tullow Oil topped the fallers after deciding to suspend its final dividend for 2014, as the exploration and production company swung to a loss of over $2bn on the back of hefty impairment charges and exploration write-offs. "2014 was a difficult year for our industry and a challenging one for Tullow
Read moreIAG ready to improve on its Aer Lingus commitments to Dublin
10th Feb 2015 14:57
IAG would be willing to consider improving its commitments to Ireland in order to clinch Dublin's approval for its £1.36bn bid for its smaller rival Aer Lingus, according to reports. Among other commitments made so far, IAG has already indicated that it will not sell Aer Lingus's slot pairs at Heath
Read moreIAG sweetens Aer Lingus bid to win over Irish government
2nd Feb 2015 17:41
IAG, the owner of British Airways which is currently trying to take over Aer Lingus, outlined plans on Monday to safeguard the future of the Dublin-based airline in an effort to win over the Irish government. IAG needs approval from the Irish government, alongside other investors such as Ryanair, to
Read moreLondon close: Stocks finish choppy session higher as oil stocks gain, CRH jumps
2nd Feb 2015 17:19
A late rebound ensured that UK stocks finished firmly in positive territory on Monday, though trading was choppy as investors digested mixed manufacturing data from across the globe and a rebound in oil prices. After swinging between gains and losses for most of the session, London's FTSE 100 closed
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: CRH surges on Holcim and Lafarge deal, Easyjet and IAG hit by rising oil prices
2nd Feb 2015 14:07
Irish building materials group CRH rose nearly 6% after confirming it will spend €6.5bn on assets from Holcim and Lafarge as the two European cement makers dispose of operations to win approval for their merger. CRH said it expected the deal to make it the "global number-three building materials pla
Read moreLondon close: UK stocks sink on Eurozone deflation, US GDP
30th Jan 2015 16:39
Macro concerns weighed on UK stock markets on Friday after Eurozone consumer prices fell more than forecasts and the rate of US economic growth slowed sharply. London's FTSE 100 finished the session down 0.9% at 6,749, ending at its lowest close since 21 January. The Eurozone fell further into defl
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: BT damaged by pension deficit worries, miners trading higher
30th Jan 2015 13:58
Telecoms giant BT declined despite beating analysts forecasts with a solid rise in profits in its third quarter, as it announced a new 16-year "recovery plan" to pay down its expanding pension deficit, which now stands at £7bn. The company also revealed that it would upgrade its fibre network with l
Read moreBroker tips: IAG, BT Group, Imperial Tobacco
30th Jan 2015 12:42
IAG was in focus on Friday after the revelation that Qatar Airways had purchased a 9.99% stake in the airline, though broker Liberum reckons that a full takeover of the Anglo-Spanish group is "highly unlikely". The broker said a bid for the whole company is not likely to happen "due to the ownership
Read moreBroker tips: IAG, BT Group, Imperial Tobacco
30th Jan 2015 12:42
IAG was in focus on Friday after the revelation that Qatar Airways had purchased a 9.99% stake in the airline, though broker Liberum reckons that a full takeover of the Anglo-Spanish group is "highly unlikely". The broker said a bid for the whole company is not likely to happen "due to the ownership
Read moreLondon midday: Deflation fears hit stocks as Eurozone consumer prices fall
30th Jan 2015 12:09
UK stocks fell on Friday on the back of concerns about the Eurozone, as data confirmed that the region fell further into deflation this month. Consumer prices in the single-currency region decline at an annual rate of 0.6% in January after a 0.2% fall in December, worse than the 0.5% drop expected.
Read moreFull Qatar Airways takeover of IAG "highly unlikely", says Liberum
30th Jan 2015 09:29
IAG's shares were advancing on Friday after the revelation that Qatar Airways had purchased a 9.99% stake in the airline, though broker Liberum reckons that a full takeover of the Anglo-Spanish group is "highly unlikely". Qatar Airways, which already has a relationship with IAG through the Oneworld
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