London afternoon: Wall St. sparks London rally
20th May 2009 14:49
A buoyant opening on Wall Street has encouraged UK shares to claw back the morning's losses and the FTSE 100 is now virtually back up to its overnight level. Banks are leading the revival, with Lonmin, Rio Tinto, Vedanta, Randgold, Antofagasta and Kazakhmys all going well, while silver and gold pro
Read moreBroker tips: Experian, pub groups, Debenhams
20th May 2009 12:40
Credit checking group Experian's own credit-worthiness is looking better after the company surprised the market with the amount of cash it generated in the second half of its financial year. Broker Charles Stanley said the pre-tax profits of $843m were ahead of market consensus of $805m, but 'the b
Read moreLondon midday: Financials drag Footsie down
20th May 2009 12:01
Leading shares remain mixed with the Footsie in negative territory thanks, in part, to weak performance by financial stocks. The share price of Lloyds Banking Group has been adjusted to take into account the fact that the shares no longer carry the right to participate in the group's compensatory o
Read moreBroker snap: MPs' report a bitter blow for pubcos
13th May 2009 12:00
A Parliamentary report calling for the reform of the business model adopted by pub companies has sent the sector into a tailspin. The report has called on the Competition Commission to investigate the tied arrangement - referred to in the trade as 'wet rent' - that requires pubs to buy beer and oth
Read moreImperial chairman buys after results
12th May 2009 17:00
Imperial Tobacco's chairman Iain Napier has lifted his stake in the firm following its first quarter results, spending more than £35,000 on shares. He took 2,257 at about 1,560p a time and now has 12,538. Imperial saw underlying earnings rise for the half-year but shares were hit because of concer
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