London close: Footsie falls as Greece and US fuel sell-off
2nd Jun 2011 16:55
Despite trading sideways for most of the day after a relatively sharp fall early on, the Footsie took another dive in late afternoon to finish over 1.3% lower. The mood was uneasy on Thursday as a result of sovereign debt fears in Europe and worrying news from the US, amid a host of underwhelming re
Read moreSector movers: Drax powers electricity sector
2nd Jun 2011 16:19
Drax is providing a spark in the electricity sector after a kind word from financial services firm Matrix. The broker upped its target price for coal-fired power station operator Drax from 460p to 550p, saying that now is the time to focus on its biomass potential with UK policy becoming clearer in
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Johnson Matthey's results disappoint
2nd Jun 2011 15:45
Full-year profits from speciality chemicals group Johnson Matthey came in ahead of market expectations with good performances in all parts of the business. However, investors seemed underwhelmed as the stock sunk on the blue chip index on Thursday. The miners are falling lower, as metals prices dec
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks stuck lower after slide
2nd Jun 2011 12:00
Shares remain firmly in the red following this morning's slide. B&Q owner Kingfisher is lower even after it saw year-on-year like-for-like sales growth of 3.3% in the 13 weeks ended 30 April. Total sales were also up 3.3%, while retail profit rose 19.1% in comparison with the year before. The numb
Read moreLondon open: Slide continues after US slump
2nd Jun 2011 08:22
Stocks have resumed yesterday's slide following a tumble on Wall Street last night. B&Q owner Kingfisher is lower even after it saw year-on-year like-for-like sales growth of 3.3% in the 13 weeks ended 30 April. Total sales were also up 3.3%, while retail profit rose 19.1% in comparison with the ye
Read moreLondon pre-open: Stuck in reverse
2nd Jun 2011 07:37
Another day of losses looks to be in prospect for London's leading stocks after US stocks headed lower last night. City traders predict the top-share index will open around 50 points down from last night's close of 5,929. Company results have provided some cheer, with platinum refiner Johnson Matt
Read moreJohnson Matthey beats expectations
2nd Jun 2011 07:13
Full-year profits from speciality chemicals group Johnson Matthey came in ahead of market expectations with good performances in all parts of the business. The company notched up pre-tax profits of £260.6m in the year to 31 March on revenue of £9,985m. The year before the company had made £228.5m o
Read moreThursday preview: Kingfisher, Johnson Matthey, ASOS
1st Jun 2011 17:50
Matrix Group has upgraded B&Q owner Kingfisher ahead of the retailer's first quarter results on Thursday, so it must be expecting good news. "The company has avoided the heavy promotion of Homebase, the UK's No.2, in the past year or so, and the results have been plain in high-teens profit growth.
Read moreWeek Ahead: Johnson Matthey, US non-farm payrolls
27th May 2011 13:27
Next week is looking like a relatively quiet week, even with the obligation to squeeze in all the results in to a four day week. Speciality chemicals group Johnson Matthey issues full year results on the Thursday, and expectations are for profit before tax to rise to £334.6m from £228.5m last year.
Read moreLondon close: Carnival sinks
22nd Mar 2011 16:57
A confident start was derailed by worse than expected inflation figures and a rally in the final hour of trading only brought out profit takers right at the death, leaving Footsie in the red. UK annual inflation rose faster than predicted in February, as surging utility bills drove up living costs.
Read moreLondon afternoon: Downward drift continues
22nd Mar 2011 14:09
Footsie lost more ground over the lunch time session as Wall Street opened mixed, failing to carry on the strong advance seen yesterday. GKN is lower on speculation of a bid for French peer Latecoere. The French aerospace firm, which provides doors for Boeing and Airbus, is looking for a buyer, acc
Read morePace bosses invest after share slump
9th Mar 2011 16:26
Directors at Pace took advantage of a sharp fall in the set-top box maker's share price yesterday to add to their stakes in the company. The shares fell sharply after figures for 2010 showed that hefty one-off costs cut profits growth to a minimum. The BSkyB supplier also said that a US customer ha
Read moreLondon close: FTSE 100 back at 6,000
2nd Feb 2011 16:39
Strength in the mining sector on the back of higher metals prices and well-received updates drove the FTSE 100 back to 6,000 points. Both factors benefited miner Eurasian National Resources (ENRC). Production matched estimates in the fourth quarter of 2010, while the ferroalloys unit produced a bit
Read moreLondon afternoon: Tobacco giant leads way
2nd Feb 2011 15:07
A limp start on Wall Street isn't helping London, but the leading index remains within reach of 6,000, supported by a strong mining sector and big gains at cigarette maker Imperial Tobacco. Resource plays still dominate the leaderboard. Eurasian National Resources (ENRC) is better on news productio
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Miners move ahead
2nd Feb 2011 13:00
Miners are propelling the market higher with nine out of the top ten performers in the Footsie from that sector. Eurasian National Resources says production was in line with expectations in the fourth quarter of 2010, although the ferroalloys division produced slightly more than expected. However
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