London midday: FTSE 100 stuck below 6,000
7th Jan 2011 12:13
The top share index has been sitting stubbornly below 6,000 points, but could spring into life when US non-farm payroll figures are released this afternoon. Estimates are for about 150,000 new jobs to have been added in December. Elsewhere, it's a quiet morning so far. There has been a further de
Read moreLondon open: Blue chips lower ahead of jobs data
7th Jan 2011 08:51
London has fallen back below 6,000 as investors sit on their hands ahead of the non-farm payrolls data coming out of the US this afternoon. Estimates are for about 150,000 new jobs to have been added in December. Elsewhere, it's a quiet morning so far. There has been a further development in the s
Read moreLondon pre-open: Subdued opening expected
7th Jan 2011 07:38
Ahead of this afternoon's release of December's US non-farm payrolls data, investors are adopting a wait and see posture. City traders expect the Footsie will open two or three points down from last night's close. There has been a further development in the simmering dispute between shopping centre
Read moreJD Sports to trump forecasts
7th Jan 2011 07:03
The Christmas snow was no problem for sport-themed fashion chain JD Sports Fashion, which did so well it now thinks full-year profits will beat expectations. Like for like sales for the five weeks ended 1 January grew 2.5% and cumulative like for like sales for the 48 weeks are up 3.1%. They were u
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: M&A speculation making headlines
20th Dec 2010 15:42
The London Stock Exchange Group is among the high risers in the index Monday afternoon after yesterday's bid speculation in the Sunday Times. It was reported Sunday that Abu Dhabi was in talks to acquire a 20% stake in the company from Dubai, as it seeks to take control of the of the financial empi
Read moreJJB Sports likely to breach banking covenants
2nd Dec 2010 07:50
JJB Sports says it is likely to breach its banking covenants as sales continue to fall short of expectations at the sports shop chain. Trading conditions have been "extremely challenging" since it last updated the market early last month and the company thinks this has been exacerbated by the curre
Read moreWednesday tips round-up: BHP Billiton, JD Sports, Cranswick...
17th Nov 2010 06:56
Given the strength of its balance sheet, BHP's stock is cheap, with Barclays Capital putting it on a multiple of just above nine times forecast earnings for the 2011 calendar year. The mining sector, on the other hand, trades on an average of eight times. That premium is far too slight for such a
Read moreLondon close: Battering for miners and banks
16th Nov 2010 17:08
It was downhill almost all the way for Footsie in the afternoon session after the US opened sharply lower, with miners getting a real bashing on the prospect of a slow-down in the Chinese economy. No less an authority than star fund manager Anthony Bolton raised the prospect today, in the first set
Read moreLondon afternoon: Gloomy miners
16th Nov 2010 14:10
Footsie retreated further over the lunch time session with mining stocks largely responsible for the decline, as metal prices pull back on fears that China will act to cool down its economy in the interests of reining in inflation. Antofagasta, Kazakhymys, Fresnillo, Xstrata and Rio Tinto are t
Read moreBroker tips: British Land, Autonomy, JD Sports
16th Nov 2010 12:56
Despite trimming full year net asset value estimates KBC Peel Hunt retains a 'buy' for real estate group British Land. The property group's valuation increase in the first half was 2.6%, driven principally by office lettings with only a "modest contribution from yield compression". The 0.7 percent
Read moreLondon midday: Battering for blue chips
16th Nov 2010 12:16
Footsie is deep in the mire after the late swoon on Wall Street last night and concerns over the health of the entire eurozone. Miners have tanked with metals prices, while banks are still edgy over the sovereign debt situation in Ireland. Kazakhymys, Fresnillo, Xstrata, Anglo American and Antofa
Read moreBroker snap: JD discount appears excessive
16th Nov 2010 10:46
Broker finnCap is holding fire on possible changes to forecasts for JD Sports Fashion until after the retailer's all-important Christmas trading period. For the four weeks to 28 August, JD reported UK and Ireland like-for-like sales growth of 2.7% providing "encouraging news", since the broker's fo
Read moreJD Sports Fashion sales keep rising
16th Nov 2010 07:46
Sales have continued rising and margins have been maintained since JD Sports Fashion's last update in September, the trendy sportswear retailer said today. The company added that its result for the full year depends on sales and margins in December and January. 'We are inevitably cautious about ma
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: JD Sports out of fashion
22nd Sep 2010 14:09
Trendy sportswear retailer JD Sports Fashion has given up some of the gains that mostly came the day before yesterday's announcement of a sharp rise in profits. Elsewhere in world of clothes retail, department store Debenhams and Supergroup, the company behind the ultra-cool SuperDry label, are als
Read moreLondon close: Footsie turns lower as US nerves kick in
21st Sep 2010 16:33
Footsie fell into the red in late trading as nervousness kicked in on Wall Street ahead of the Federal Reserve's statement on the outlook for the US economy this evening. The Fed will also make its rate decision. In company news here, Cairn Energy was a strong performer after an update of drillin
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