London afternoon: Stocks come off the boil
9th Nov 2010 14:44
Investors creamed off a few profits over the lunchtime session pushing the Footsie back below 5900. Fund manager Schroders has muscled its way to the top of the Footsie leaderboard, seeing off competition from several other heavy hitters that have made trading updates today. Profits rocketed at Sc
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie climbs high as results impress
9th Nov 2010 12:21
Footsie has been hitting new highs in line with its pre-financial crisis levels as well-received company results drive the leading share index higher. Barclays is in demand after eked out a small increase in nine-month profit as a doubling of profit at the investment banking arm offset huge impair
Read moreLondon open: Results give Footsie a lift
9th Nov 2010 08:48
London has opened stronger than expected after the dip on Wall Street overnight, largely due to some well received trading updates from index heavyweights on a very busy company announcement day. Barclays eked out a small increase in nine-month profit as a doubling of profit at the investment banki
Read moreL&G firms up Q3 results
9th Nov 2010 08:06
Legal & General has confirmed a 27% hike in worldwide sales for the first nine months of the year and says it's set to beat its full-year net cash target. Most of the numbers, including total worldwide new business of £466m in the three months to 30 September, were published last month, more than t
Read moreLondon close: Footsie struggles
26th Oct 2010 16:24
Investors pocketed gains after an impressive autumn rally, though the decision was made easier by some disappointing corporate news, weak miners and negative broker comment on the insurance sector. The top 100 index fell back sharply from six-month highs, dropping below 5,680 at one point although
Read moreLondon afternoon: Bleak mid-winter for Cairn
26th Oct 2010 14:27
With Wall Street tipped to open lower London's leading shares fell back further over the lunch time period, resulting in the Footsie subsiding below 5700. Cairn Energy tops the list of fallers after it failed to find a commercial discovery at either the T8-1 or T4-1 wells offshore Greenland. The c
Read moreLondon midday: UK growth cuts little ice
26th Oct 2010 12:08
Better than expected UK third quarter growth has cut little ice with investors this morning, who are firmly focused on weak miners, negative corporate news and broker downgrades. Britain's economy grew twice as fast as expected in the three months to September, according to preliminary estimates by
Read moreLondon afternoon: Gloomy mood continues
22nd Oct 2010 15:25
Blue chips are stuck in the red as Wall Street failed to arouse much enthusiasm and miners continue to wallow in negative territory as dollar strength trims commodity prices. US company earnings have been largely well-received, but talks about currency tensions at this weekend's G20 meeting in Kore
Read moreLondon midday: Shares sit lower as IPOs take centre stage
22nd Oct 2010 12:22
Shares are struggling to move into the blue on a sluggish day's trading, with IPOs hogging much of the limelight. AIA, the Asian arm of the American insurance giant AIG, is raising $20.5bn from the float, which it priced at HK$19.68, at the top of the indicated range. The price values AIA at $30.5b
Read moreLondon open: Blue chips lower as IPOs roll-out
22nd Oct 2010 08:46
London has opened lower, with attention distracted by the huge AIA float in Hong Kong and Betfair's listing in London. AIA is raising $20.5bn from the float, which it priced at HK$19.68, at the top of the indicated range. The price values AIA at $30.5bn - exactly matching the price Prudential event
Read moreLegal & General mistake forces Q3 numbers out early
22nd Oct 2010 08:21
Insurer Legal & General has been forced to publish third quarter results more than two weeks early after it sent them to analysts last night by mistake. The company "inadvertently" emailed a sub-set of working draft third quarter numbers to "several analysts" after 4pm yesterday. Included were fig
Read moreLondon close: Lower finish for FTSE 100
15th Oct 2010 16:38
London finished in the red heading into the weekend after Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke's comments saying he sees the case for 'further action' to stimulate the US economy failed to stir up much excitement. 'There would appear - all else being equal - to be a case for further action,' Berna
Read moreSector movers: Insurers under the weather
15th Oct 2010 14:41
Insurers have been clobbered by a downgrade of the whole sector by Citigroup. RSA, Standard Life and Legal & General all retreat but it is insurance firm Old Mutual that is the main casualty after banking giant HSBC said is not going to go through with its proposed acquisition of a controlling stak
Read moreLondon afternoon: BT boosted by government deal
15th Oct 2010 14:23
Leading shares are mixed with traders reluctant to take on big positions ahead of this afternoon's speech from Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke. The market is hoping that Bernanke will provide clues to the Fed's plans for a possible resumption of quantitative easing. Insurers and miners remai
Read moreLondon midday: Old Mutual sinks on HSBC withdrawal
15th Oct 2010 12:36
Insurers are leading the market lower on a day when investors are, in any case, reluctant to commit new funds ahead of this afternoon's speech from Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke. Citigroup has downgraded the insurance sector, prompting sharp mark-downs in the prices of RSA, Standard Life a
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