Forth Ports director increases stake
21st Jan 2010 16:34
Non-executive director Gerry Brown has bought 5,000 shares in Forth Ports. This takes his stake in the port operator to 7,064 shares. The shares cost 1,100p each making the cost of the investment £55,500. Brown is senior independent director of Forth Ports. He has been a non-executive director s
Read moreWednesday tips round-up: SABMiller, Pennon, International Power
20th Jan 2010 06:39
SABMiller shares, off 41p at £17.80 yesterday, are trading on about 18 times full-year earnings. Not cheap, perhaps, but far from stretched, given stronger forecast earnings growth than any of its peers. Hold says the Times. Water utility Pennon's confirmation it will continue with its progressive
Read moreLondon close: Footsie turns positive
19th Jan 2010 17:22
London's top stocks finished the day above the 5,500 mark after turning positive in afternoon trading. Luxury fashion label Burberry was the best performer of the day after saying it expects profits for the full year to be at the top end of expectations after seeing strong sales in the last three m
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie falls despite Cadbury cheer
19th Jan 2010 12:00
Footsie is in the red, despite strength from Cadbury which has been sweetened by its board's recommendation of a revised offer from US food giant Kraft, as investors mull the latest round of third quarter trading statements. The revised terms for Cadbury are worth around 850p a share and have clea
Read moreLondon open: Weak start from FTSE 100
19th Jan 2010 08:41
London's leading share index has fallen into the red in early dealings after a mixed reception for company updates. Brewer SABMiller and property group Land Securities are among the fallers. Peroni and Grolsh brewer SABMiller saw lager volumes dip slightly in the first nine months of its current
Read moreLondon pre-open: Quiet start on the cards
19th Jan 2010 07:38
There's no lead from Wall Street this morning as US markets were closed for a public holiday yesterday, meaning a flat start for stocks over here. Investors are hoping for news from Dairy Milk maker Cadbury today, which is reported to have fallen to an £11.7bn takeover by US food conglomerate Kraft
Read moreIG powers forward
19th Jan 2010 07:21
Spread bet firm IG Group upped its interim dividend by 25% after another record first half for sales and profits as bad debts fell sharply. Trading revenue in the six months to 30 November 2009 rose 14% to £143.8m, (10% on a constant currency basis), while adjusted profit before tax was £78.0m, up
Read moreTuesday preview: Inflation surge expected
18th Jan 2010 13:18
Data out Tuesday is expected to show inflation rose sharply in December, back above the Bank of England's 2% target. Economists predict consumer price inflation jumped to at least 2.5% last month, a nine-moth high, up from 1.9% in November and more than double September's five-year low of 1.1%. '
Read morePersimmon appoints bank expert to board
21st Dec 2009 13:32
Housebuilder Persimmon has acquired the services of banking expert and serial non-executive director Jonathan Davie. The 63-year-old, formerly vice chairman of Credit Suisse, boss of BZW Global Equities and non-executive director of Credit Suisse UK Private Bank, will start on 1 January. Davie is
Read moreFriday tips round-up: Premier Farnell, IG Group, Begbies Traynor
11th Dec 2009 06:46
Distributor Premier Farnell is not the most exciting company in the world, but it is a solid bet. Given the recovery the company is starting to show and its solid management, there is no reason to desert it now and investors should be rewarded for holding the shares says the Independent. September'
Read moreLondon close: Afternoon rally fizzles out
9th Dec 2009 17:13
The Chancellor's pre-Budget Report speech had little effect on UK equities, with much of its content widely expected while others subscribed to the view espoused by the Shadow Chancellor that it was more of a 'pre-election report' than a pre-Budget report. As expected, banks that pay excessive bonu
Read moreLondon afternoon: Cautious response to Pre-Budget
9th Dec 2009 14:27
London's blue chips have reacted cautiously to the chancellor's pre-Budget speech even though the big numbers were better than feared. The government's borrowing forecast for this year came in ahead of market predictions with a slight upward revison to £178bn, while Alistair Darling stuck to his fo
Read moreLondon midday: Shares hold steady
9th Dec 2009 12:06
With less than half an hour to go before the Chancellor's pre-Budget Report speech, leading equities are back to square one, as investors wait to see what the Chancellor has in store. Speculation is he'll announce the biggest squeeze in public spending for a generation, with only schools, hospital
Read moreSector movers: Standard Chartered lifts banks
9th Dec 2009 11:05
Asia-focused Standard Chartered gives the banking sector a lift after saying it remains on course for a record year with a strong performance in wholesale banking offsetting lower income in consumer banking, while its exposure to Dubai is not 'material'. "With regard to recent developments in the U
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Stagecoach races ahead
9th Dec 2009 11:04
Stagecoach leads the risers in the FTSE 250 after reporting that pre-tax profits fell by more than a quarter in the six months to October 31 after the rail and bus group was squeezed by reduced demand from recession hit travellers and high fuel costs. The group said it had made a good start to the
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