Webb pumps £100k into Autonomy
30th Jul 2009 17:05
Autonomy's non-executive chairman Robert Webb has decided its time to dip in and pick up a stake in the data search software specialist. The shares have tumbled 23% since hitting 1,538p at the end of May, a level not seen since the tech bubble began to burst in 2000. Webb, who only took up his pos
Read moreLondon close: Footsie in triple-digit advance
15th Jul 2009 16:29
Footsie climbed more than 100 points as optimism over the prospects of an economic recovery sent stocks soaring around the world. Insurer RSA to being talked of as a takeover target, with Italy's life assurance group Generali touted as the likely predator. Elsewhere in the sector Prudential and L
Read moreLondon afternoon: Equities continue winning streak
15th Jul 2009 14:52
London is on the rise for the third day in a row, a winning steak not previously seen this month. Resource stocks and insurers lead the way. Insurer RSA to being talked of as a takeover target, with Italy's life assurance group Generali touted as the likely predator. Elsewhere in the sector Prude
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie posts good gains
15th Jul 2009 12:17
London's blue chips are now pushing on strongly ahead of what is expected to be a strong start on Wall Street after the good numbers last night from chipmaker Intel. Over here, it is the turn of insurer RSA to enter the frame as a takeover target, with Italy's life assurance group Generali touted a
Read moreBroker tips: RSA, LandSecs, JD Wetherspoon
15th Jul 2009 11:53
Insurance group RSA was the subject of bid speculation on Wednesday morning which boosted the share price but Panmure Gordon still believes the shares are worth buying, particularly after RSA made a "smart move" this week in reducing the group's pension scheme exposure. "In what appears to be a rat
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: RSA lifted by bid talk
15th Jul 2009 11:21
Insurance group RSA is moving up on talk Italian group Generali may be interested, but broker Panmure Gordon still believes the shares are worth buying anywhere, particularly after RSA made a "smart move" this week in reducing the group's pension scheme exposure. "The shares have fallen back recen
Read moreBroker snap: KBC upgrades LandSecs
15th Jul 2009 11:12
Cash-strapped real estate investment trust Land Securities has made good progress selling off assets since its rights issue and with the share price having shifted into reverse since the company's May trading update, the time is right to buy the shares, broker KBC Peel Hunt asserts. Wednesday morni
Read moreLondon open: Early gains for blue chips
15th Jul 2009 08:59
London is pushing on buoyed by yesterday's recovery in the US from an early loss to 27-point gain by the close of play. Better than expected results from Intel and Goldman Sachs appear to have whetted investors' appetites for equities. Land Securities is going well after it said it is beginning t
Read moreLandSecs starts to look forward
15th Jul 2009 07:11
Land Securities is preparing to start work on two major developments in London's West End amid tentative signs that the market may be stabilising. Landsecs added it is beginning to assess acquisition opportunities and is in the process of firming up plans for a start during 2010 on two major London
Read moreLondon close: Footsie adds 2%
1st Jul 2009 16:34
Miners were rampant Wednesday on stronger commodity prices, leaving the sector heavyweights dominating the blue chip index. There was healthy demand for gold on the metal markets, while copper also improved. The red metal headed higher following strong Chinese manufacturing data, while decreasing s
Read moreLondon afternoon: Resource stocks lead the way
1st Jul 2009 14:29
Resource stocks lead the market higher after the second half of the year got off to a good start following better than expected factory output data. The CIPS/Markit manufacturing purchasing managers' index rose to 47 in June from 45.4 the month before and a gloomy 34.9 in February. Most of the top
Read moreLandSecs sells Oxford Street asset
1st Jul 2009 13:27
Property giant Land Securities has sold Portman House, a retail and office property located on Oxford Street in London. The building has been sold to Kinloss Property, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Libyan Foreign Investment Company, for £115m, a price which implies a yield of just over 7%. The
Read moreBroker tips: Property stocks, Stagecoach, Reed Elsevier
24th Jun 2009 13:01
Credit Suisse has turned bullish on the UK commercial property sector in the wake of effective monetary, banking and fiscal policy responses. The Swiss bank has raised its rating on the sector from "market weight" to "overweight" in the belief that "the UK economic momentum is better than any other
Read moreLondon close: Footsie clings to gains
16th Jun 2009 16:39
London's benchmark index finished just above flat, reversing earlier gains, as Wall Street started in a lacklustre fashion. Tesco's first quarter trading update was well received. Like-for-like (LFL) sales growth came in at the top end of expectations, helped by a resumption of growth in non-food
Read moreLondon afternoon: Shares crawl higher
16th Jun 2009 14:19
London's blue-chip index edged higher over the lunch-time session, helped by expectations of a moderately firmer start on Wall Street. Tesco's first quarter trading update has been well received. Like-for-like (LFL) sales growth came in at the top end of expectations, helped by a resumption of gro
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