Monday broker round-up - UPDATE
22nd Oct 2012 08:19
888 Holdings: Morgan Stanley ups target from 125p to 130p, overweight rating kept. Aggreko: Jefferies cuts target from 2,800p to 2,535p, buy rating kept; HSBC downgrades to underweight, target cut from 2,350p to 1,750p; JPMorgan Cazenove cuts target from 2,360p to 2,165p, neutral rating kept; Barcl
Read moreLondon close: Late rally fizzles
18th Sep 2012 16:50
A late rally which briefly looked like it might see Footsie venture into positive territory for the first time all day was nipped in the bud right at the death. Equities had a dull but fretful day, which started with concerns over China becoming involved in a trade war with the US and a military wa
Read moreIrish eyeing JJB Sports
18th Sep 2012 14:47
Ireland's biggests sports shop chain could be looking to expand over the Irish Sea through the acquisition of cash-strapped JJB Sports. Sky News reports that Stafford Group, a family-owned private company which owns the Lifestyle Sports chain in Ireland, is among those companies in the running to b
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks pare losses after in-line macro data
18th Sep 2012 12:06
Inflation data was in line with forecasts while the Spanish debt auction went as well as could be expected, prompting London equities to claw back some of the losses seen in early trading The Consumer Prices Index (CPI) measure of inflation dropped to 2.5% in August, down from 2.6% in July, helped
Read moreLondon open: Stocks retreat ahead of inflation update
18th Sep 2012 08:54
London has opened lower ahead of this morning's inflation figures, with tensions in China putting investors in a cautious frame of mind. There are signs that US President Barack Obama may be keen to pick a fight with China over US jobs. Obama launched action at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to
Read moreJD Sports hit after venturing into great outdoors
18th Sep 2012 07:03
JD Sports saw profits plunge in the first half as it worked to integrate outdoor activity chain Blacks, which it bought out of administration in January. The firm said Blacks had made an initial loss of £10m, as expected, due to a critical lack of stock and unsustainable cost base. It added the va
Read moreJD Sports passes rugby brand Canterbury to Pentland
23rd Aug 2012 07:33
JD Sports Fashion is to seek shareholder approval to sell the rugby equipment brand Canterbury to Pentland, a significant shareholder in the sports fashion-wear firm. Pentland, which has a 57.47% stake in JD, is to pay £22.7m for the Canterbury brand, subject to the approval of other JD shareholder
Read moreLondon close: Shareholder spring moves into summer at WPP
13th Jun 2012 17:08
It was an up and down day for the Footsie although the top-share index rarely strayed far from the previous day's closing value. The so-called "shareholder spring" of protest votes against bumper pay packages for executives continued with perhaps the biggest slap in the face so far, as 60% of votes
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Oxford Instruments leaps into top spot
13th Jun 2012 15:28
High-tech Oxford Instruments jumped into the top spot as investors finally responded to what was an excellent set of results, having originally paid far more attention to warnings from Chief Executive Jonathan Flint that the economic turbulence in Europe, where around a third of the firm's revenues
Read moreLondon midday: Bids add spice to bland market
13th Jun 2012 12:12
With Spanish government bond yields rising to all-time highs in the Eurozone era, Footsie is back to square one after a confident start. There are no major UK economic indicators today to provide direction and not a lot of corporate news flow either, adding to the general air of ennui. Supermarke
Read moreLondon open: London rises on Wall Street tailwinds
13th Jun 2012 08:40
Taking their lead from US and Asian markets, London's leading stocks have opened on the front foot. Wall Street rebounded strongly yesterday on hopes that the US Federal reserve might do a bit more to stimulate the US economy. Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago President Charles Evans, speaking in an
Read moreJD's growth quickens but Black's will take a year to fix
13th Jun 2012 07:32
Sports fashion retailer JD Sports Fashion has seen an improvement in like-for-like sales growth but, as anticipated, gross margins remain under pressure. LFL sales in the 19 weeks to June 9th were up 1.5% on the corresponding period of the previous year, which represents an improvement in the growt
Read moreLondon close: Shell rallies as it denies oil slick blame
12th Apr 2012 17:11
After a mixed morning session, London's top shares kicked on in the afternoon, buoyed by Wall Street's strength. Bulls seized upon comments by New York Fed President William Dudley who opined that the US economy is not yet firing on enough cylinders to make a serious dent in the jobless numbers.
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Hays leads the index higher
12th Apr 2012 15:15
Recruitment firm Hays leapt into the top spot after it posted a 12 per cent actual increase in group net fees for the quarter ended March 31st. As a result the firm expects full-year operating profit to be towards the top of the current market estimates. Egyptian gold miner Centamin rose strongly
Read moreLondon midday: Mid-caps set the pace
12th Apr 2012 11:49
The top share index spent the morning spinning its wheels with most of the excitement taking place among the mid-cap stocks. Last night, the Federal Reserve's April Beige Book survey encouraged the maintenance of the status quo. The Fed's survey revealed that overall activity "continued to expand a
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