London midday: Gains trimmed after gloomy EU growth forecasts
23rd Feb 2012 11:56
- EC cuts GDP estimates across the board. - RBS, Capita lead risers after full-year results. - German IFO survey comes in at six-month high. After a strong start, gains for the Footsie were pared by lunchtime after the European Commission cut its forecasts for economic growth. The market reaction t
Read moreLondon open: RBS provides a boost early on
23rd Feb 2012 08:25
- RBS leads banks higher after results. - Capita rises strongly after bullish outlook. - EU expected to cut Eurozone GDP forecasts. The Footsie opened slightly higher on Thursday as the markets digested a host of results, with heavyweights such as Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), Capita, Centrica, RSA
Read moreKier sees difficult economic conditions for next 18 months
23rd Feb 2012 08:02
Underlying interim profits may have risen at Kier but the construction, services and property group warned that the UK construction market looks set to remain depressed over the medium-term. The company unveiled a 4.6% fall in total revenues for the six months to the end of 2011. Turnover eased to
Read moreTuesday broker round-up - UPDATE
21st Feb 2012 09:00
Admiral: Nomura reiterates buy recommendation and 1,100p target; Credit Suisse upgrades to outperform from neutral, lifts target from 1,100p to 1,300p. Morrison: Goldman Sachs adds to conviction sell list. Petropavlovsk: Nomura upgrades from reduce to neutral, target upped from 860p to 910p. Aber
Read moreLondon pre-open: FTSE 100 boosted by China (and Greece)
20th Feb 2012 07:23
City sources predict the FTSE 100 will open up around 42 points from Friday's close of 5,905, following Friday's news that the People´s Bank of China is to cut its legal reserve ratio requirement for large banks by half a percentage point. As well, different reports out over the weekend are making f
Read moreNuclear gig for Kier joint venture
20th Feb 2012 07:11
A Kier joint venture with BAM Nuttall has been given the task by energy company EDF Energy of doing site preparation work for the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station in Somerset. The contract is worth in excess of £100m to the joint venture. The UK construction and building services firm said the
Read moreTuesday broker round-up - UPDATE
24th Jan 2012 09:09
Ashmore: Royal Bank of Scotland downgrades to hold from buy. Hargreaves Lansdown: Royal Bank of Scotland downgrades to sell from hold. Weir: Goldman Sachs reiterates buy. Vedanta Resources: HSBC cuts target price to 1,320p from 2,110p; Credit Suisse keeps neutral stance and 1,400p target. Pear
Read moreKier makes £6.8m in PFI sales
16th Dec 2011 08:43
Kier Group, the construction and building services firm has sold two of its Public Finance Initiative projects at a profit of £6.8m. At the end of November Kier sold its investment in West Berkshire Hospital to the Innisfree PFI Continuation Fund for £5.0m. Yesterday it raised £3.1m by selling its
Read moreWednesday tips round-up: Construction, ITE, IG Group ...
30th Nov 2011 07:34
Much has changed since the Independent's Investment Column looked at spread betting firm IG Group. For one thing, the economic outlook has turned darker, making IG's chunky prospective dividend yield of 5% (and higher on some estimates) look that much more attractive, the Indy reckons. The income, a
Read moreKier wins Crossrail contract
24th Nov 2011 07:15
Construction, services and property group Kier said a joint venture between itself, BAM and Ferrovial had been awarded a £200m contract on the Crossrail scheme. Crossrail is a long awaited project to build a new railway link under central London. The contract will see Kier and its partners worki
Read moreKier on track for year
15th Nov 2011 07:15
Construction, services and property group Kier said it remains on course to meet expectations for the full year despite the increasingly challenging environment. Its construction division remained resilient from 1 July 2011 to the date with operating margins firmly above 2%, in line with previous g
Read moreFriday tips round-up: Kier, Investec, Cobham...
16th Sep 2011 06:47
Kier, the construction, house-building and contracting firm, has, to its credit, managed to come through the slump rather well, drawing strength from the diversity of its operations and sound strategic moves, according to the Investment Column in the Independent. This was reflected in its results ye
Read moreKier confident after private sector shift
15th Sep 2011 07:28
Construction group Kier said it has been helped by a shift from public sector work to non- private sector projects and an emphasis on non-discretionary areas such as waste and power as it posted a rise in profits for the year to 30 June. Underlying profits rose to £68.9m from £55.5m the previous y
Read moreLondon close: Stocks slump as euro debt worries continue
23rd May 2011 16:51
The top share index was nursing triple-digit losses by the close of play as the eurozone debt crisis continued to rumble on. The spotlight has turned to Italy, with the ratings agency Standard & Poors changing its stance on the Mediterranean country to "negative" from "stable." The situation is of
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks slump on euro worries
23rd May 2011 12:04
Stocks are firmly in the red as the eurozone crisis continues to drag on. The spotlight has turned to Italy, with the ratings agency Standard & Poors changing its stance on the Mediterranean country to "negative" from "stable." The situation is of global concern and metals prices have taken a knoc
Read more