London afternoon: Experian provides isolated cheer
19th May 2010 14:13
Leading shares trimmed their losses over the lunchtime session but the predominant colour on the Footsie leaderboard remains red. Mining companies lead the retreat on fears that Germany's decision to impose an immediate ban on "naked short selling" of euro-denominated government bonds and also cred
Read moreLondon midday: Markets on short fuse
19th May 2010 12:20
Water utility company Severn Trent was the only FTSE 100 constituent to advance during the morning session, as all of the others ended the morning underwater. If the move by Germany's financial regulator to impose an immediate ban on "naked short selling" of corporate debt last night was intended t
Read moreLondon open: Footsie lower on German moves
19th May 2010 08:56
Footsie is lower, but predictions of a bloodbath as investors react to last night's decision by German authorities to act against short-sellers have proved too dramatic. US markets fell heavily on the news, but the reaction from traders last night was more of bewilderment at how German authorities
Read moreLondon pre-open: Sell-off predicted
19th May 2010 07:40
It looks like being a bloodbath in early deals as investors react to last night's decision by German authorities to ban naked short-selling in European public debt and top bank stocks. City experts predict London will lose a quick 89 points after Wall Street racked up a triple-digit loss overnight
Read moreLand Securities sees 'dramatic turnaround'
19th May 2010 07:20
A "dramatic turnaround" in the UK commercial property market saw Land Securities swing strongly back into the black last year with a big increase in the value of its portfolio compared to last year's write-downs. In the year to March, the value of Land Securities' investment properties increased by
Read moreLondon close: Footsie retreats from 21-month high
7th Apr 2010 17:18
An attempted rally by blue-chip stocks petered out in the final hour of trading and the Footsie finished close to its low for the day. Miners were a drag on the index throughout the day though gold miner Randgold Resources was a bright spot. Hedge fund giant Man was the best performer. Last night
Read moreLondon afternoon: Footsie in drift mode
7th Apr 2010 14:46
Footsie is becalmed after a weak start in the US and mixed news on the UK economy. Hedge fund giant Man remains the best performer. Last night the company disclosed that the net asset value of the AHL fund had risen 3.81% last week, prompting brokers Execution Nobel to rush out a 'buy' note, while
Read moreLondon open: Blue chips drift lower
7th Apr 2010 08:51
Blue chips have opened lower following an indecisive performance in the US last night as concerns over the financial health of Greece resurfaced. Hedge fund giant Man is one of the few strong risers alongside property giants Land Securities and Hammerson. Mobile phone giant Vodafone is to launch a
Read moreSunday newspaper round-up: Budget, RBS, Sainsbury
21st Mar 2010 11:03
Alistair Darling will next week endorse plans for a global tax on investment banks and other institutions that pose a "systemic risk", but will rule out using the proceeds to create an insurance fund against future bank failures. The chancellor will use his Budget to give detailed backing to a glob
Read moreLondon close: Footsie suffers hiccup
4th Mar 2010 16:40
The blue chip index failed to stretch its winning streak to a fifth session, falling for the first time this week on negative results reaction and downbeat miners. It held above 5,500 all day despite coming close just after trade began and towards the end of play. Engineering and project managemen
Read moreLondon afternoon: Stocks are becalmed
4th Mar 2010 14:13
It's been an up and down day for the blue-chip index although the Footsie has rarely strayed far from its overnight level. As expected, the Bank of England has held interest rates at 0.5% and taken no further action on quantitative easing (QE) amid conflicting signals over the state of the UK econo
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie drifting sideways
4th Mar 2010 12:13
Footsie is trading sideways after the Bank of England decided on no change to its stance on interest rates and quantitative easing. UK interest rates stay at 0.5% and the QE programme at £200bn. On the company front, results are dominating. Engineering and project management firm Amec is worst of t
Read moreLondon open: Footsie struggles early on
4th Mar 2010 08:30
A four-day winning streak could end Thursday after a poor start following last night's late sell-off on Wall Street, weaker miners and some disappointing company results. Engineering and project management firm Amec is worst of the blue chips as investors react badly to a 3% slip in revenues, or 12
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Carnival price increase
24th Feb 2010 15:55
Cruise operator Carnival is the biggest riser in the Footsie after announcing that it is going to increase the price of its cruises. The decision has been taken after strong reservations activity for 2010. The price increases will be up to 5%. They will happen on 22 March but overall cruise prices
Read moreMonday newspaper round-up: Centrica, Recession, Royal Dutch Shell
25th Jan 2010 06:35
The cold winter weather this year will deliver a £100m boost to the profits of Britain's Big Six energy companies, according to forecasts by City analysts. Centrica, the owner of British Gas and Britain's largest gas and electricity supplier, with 16m customers, is likely to be the biggest single
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