London midday: BT leads market higher
13th May 2010 12:07
London's top stocks are making good gains helped by BT's full-year numbers and a decent showing from the miners. BT is the strongest riser on news that telecoms giant returned to the black in the last quarter and the full year and reported a 6% rise in the dividend. Pre-tax profit hit £1.01bn in th
Read moreLondon close: Late rally pares losses
5th May 2010 17:16
Though tomorrow is the day of the UK General Election all eyes were on Greece today, as at least three people were reported dead as violent protests erupted in central Athens against the planned introduction of austerity measures. Stocks came off the bottom towards the end of the session, though th
Read moreLondon afternoon: Greek riots rattle investors
5th May 2010 14:53
Footsie is now nursing a triple digit fall as the downward trend seen in the last hour of the morning session accelerated over lunch as US investors woke up to television footage of Greeks rioting in the streets. Civil unrest in Greece has sent the price of oil and metals into decline with a predic
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks turn south again
5th May 2010 12:19
Having recovered all the way back to last night's closing level shortly after 11:00am the Footsie headed south again for the remainder of the morning as the US futures markets suggested Wall Street will open lower. On a busy day for trading announcements Next is the most conspicuous faller despite
Read moreLondon open: Heading lower again
5th May 2010 08:47
Footsie has turned sharply after a steady opening half-hour as a number of gloomy comments about consumer spending have hit sentiment already shaky following yesterday's heavy falls on global markets. Next expects profits this year to be at the top end of market forecasts after sales in the first
Read moreLondon pre-open: Slight recovery expected
5th May 2010 07:36
Footsie is expected to edge up by a whisker following yesterday's sell off. Next expects profits this year to be at the top end of market forecasts after sales in the first three months to April were strong, though it is still very cautious on the outlook for consumer spending. "Our internal profit
Read moreL&G sales edge up in Q1
5th May 2010 07:02
Insurer Legal & General increased sales by 2% during the first quarter and by 18% over the previous three months and says it's on track to deliver £600m of cash in 2010. Worldwide new business on an annual premium equivalent (APE) basis rose to £388m in the three months to 31 March, helped by a fir
Read moreWednesday preview: Pru, L&G, Sage
4th May 2010 15:52
FTSE 100 companies Sage, Legal & General, Liberty International, Next and Prudential are scheduled to give trading updates on Wednesday while Chilean copper miner Antofgasta will issue a quarterly production report. The Pru will announce the terms of its $20bn rights issue to fund the acquisition o
Read moreLondon close: Footsie moves past 5,800
14th Apr 2010 16:35
Positive sentiment as the US first quarter earnings season gets under way helped inject a bit of life into Footsie following recent sluggishness, sending it past the 5,800 point mark, though it settled slightly lower. Forecast-topping results from computer chip maker Intel yesterday were interprete
Read moreLondon afternoon: Upward trend continues
14th Apr 2010 14:26
London consolidated gains over the lunch-time session on another quiet day for corporate news. Forecast-topping results from computer chip maker Intel yesterday have been interpreted as a clear sign that the recovery in the global economy is not running out of steam, and that has led to a rise in b
Read moreLondon midday: BT heads field after broker tip
14th Apr 2010 12:02
Having been largely responsible for the Footsie's fall yesterday miners are driving the blue-chip index higher today, enabling the index to move close to the 5800 level despite the presence of the usual Wednesday batch of ex-dividend stocks. Forecasting topping results from computer chip maker Inte
Read moreLondon close: Further boost for shares
23rd Mar 2010 16:43
Rising commodity prices, US strength and some well-received company updates sent London to a fresh 21-month closing high Tuesday. The leading index hasn't finished up at this level since 19 June 2008 and is just one decent session away from breaking through 5,700. Cairn Energy was easily the most
Read moreLondon afternoon: Full steam ahead for Carnival
23rd Mar 2010 14:15
London's leading shares consolidated gains over the lunch-time trading session after notching up solid gains in the morning. Cairn Energy remains the stand-out performer among blue-chips by some distance. The oil group raised its forecast for peak production from its Indian assets by over a third t
Read moreBroker tips: Legal & General, Halfords, Carpetright
23rd Mar 2010 13:06
The capital position at Legal & General is looking increasingly attractive and with the prospect of improved dividend payouts Panmure Gordon is happy to reiterate its 'buy' recommendation after the insurer's 'excellent results' on Tuesday morning. 'We believe that these results addresses many of th
Read moreBroker snap: L&G results allay lingering concerns
23rd Mar 2010 12:19
The capital position at Legal & General is looking increasingly attractive and with the prospect of improved dividend payouts Panmure Gordon is happy to reiterate its 'buy' recommendation after the insurer's 'excellent results' on Tuesday morning. 'We believe that these results addresses many of th
Read more