London close: Footsie dampened by European debt fears
12th Jul 2011 16:31
The ongoing euro crisis weighed heavily on stock markets in Europe and the UK as investors continued to fret over sovereign debt contagion spreading to Italy, Europe's third largest economy. However, after a steep decline early on, things calmed down slightly after it was announced that Italy sold
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: ARM pulls blue chips lower
12th Jul 2011 16:04
Chip maker ARM was the biggest faller after figures from US peers Microchip Technology and Novellus came short of expectations. BSkyB was continuing its decline, a day after Rupert Murdoch withdrew his offer to spin-off Sky News in order to make his bid for the satellite broadcaster feasible. As s
Read moreSector movers: Charter rockets, engineers higher
29th Jun 2011 15:35
The industrial engineering sector was making gains on Wednesday, as Charter International recovered from last week's sell-off. Engineering conglomerate Melrose has been in discussions with rival Charter about making a possible 780p-a-share offer for the company, it confirmed today. The offer valu
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: ICAP surges nearly 7%
29th Jun 2011 15:14
ICAP was the high riser of the day, gaining nearly 7% as of 15:18 on Wednesday afternoon. Shares in the world's largest interdealer broker were trading 31.4p higher at 467.9p, attempting to recover from its performance over the year to date. In mid-January, the share price was around the 560p level.
Read moreLondon close: Miners dominate fallers as global worries continue
16th Jun 2011 16:45
Global growth worries dampened the markets on Thursday as all but a few constituents on the FTSE 100 finished in the red. While the Footsie edged higher in the late afternoon, it still closed under the 5,700 level, a level not seen since mid-March. FTSE 100 closed down 44 at 5,699. A lack of clarit
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Autonomy leads the decline
16th Jun 2011 14:12
Just three stocks are making gains, with WPP, Capita and Vodafone edging slightly higher. Meanwhile, Autonomy is the worst performer on the blue chip index, losing over 4%. Engineering peers GKN, IMI and Weir are also lower. The miners are lower today, as global growth fears dampen the markets. Lo
Read moreTuesday tips round-up: Kingfisher, William Hill, Homeserve
14th Jun 2011 06:37
It is not always appreciated that B&Q owner Kingfisher, which also has operations in Turkey, Russia, Spain and China, achieves 60% of its sales and profits outside the UK. This gives it a significant counterpoint to the woes of the high street here. The shares sell on less than 12 times this year's
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: ENRC leads the decline
10th Jun 2011 13:54
Kazakhstan-focused miner Eurasian Natural Resources Corp is the heaviest faller on further speculation of a major boardroom shake-up, as a result of indifferences with minority shareholders. On Wednesday, the group initiated a "comprehensive review of its corporate governance" which saw four board
Read moreLondon close: FTSE 100 rallies despite retail gloom
9th Jun 2011 16:31
Shares rallied in the afternoon after a good start on Wall Street where stocks won back some recent losses. Engineer Weir Group was the highest riser after its earnings estimates were lifted by RBC Capital Markets. There have also been reports today that two companies in China have been given fine
Read moreLondon midday: FTSE 100 unchanged despite retail slump
9th Jun 2011 12:14
Retailers are heavily under the cosh today after a raft of gloomy updates, but the top share index is little changed as investors await US jobs data due later in the afternoon. Ongoing difficulties at the catalogue-based retailer Argos continue to plague its owner Home Retail Group, which has annou
Read moreLondon open: Retailers slide as sales decline
9th Jun 2011 08:21
Retailers are posting hefty losses after a raft of updates but a rally in mining stocks is helping to cushion the blow. In the FTSE 100, Marks & Spencer and B&Q owner Kingfisher are among the heaviest fallers, while South American copper miner Antofagasta rallies after declining on the back of the
Read moreFriday tips round-up: Johnson Matthey, Impax, Kingfisher
3rd Jun 2011 06:35
Johnson Matthey, originally in precious metals such as platinum and palladium, still refines and distributes these. But it also puts them into technologies that are used to reduce pollution, such as autocatalysts in cars and devices to cut emissions from power plants. Shares in Johnson Matthey, whic
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 moreBroker tips: Kingfisher, Drax, Galliford Try
2nd Jun 2011 11:30
Prime Markets has confirmed a 'sell' recommendation and target price of 248p for B&Q owner Kingfisher, saying that the shares have climbed "too far too quickly" over the last couple of months. "Whilst we have got off to a good start, it remains our view that this year is likely to be a tough one fo
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