London midday: FTSE 100 on course for record quarter
30th Sep 2009 12:13
Footsie still looks on course for a record quarterly gain, but early strong rises have been whittled away ahead of the US open. Hedge fund manger Man is the best performer after a bullish trading update. "Investor sentiment is continuing to improve across the industry, the performance outlook is h
Read moreSector movers: Takeover talk shakes up insurers
29th Sep 2009 14:44
Rumours that serial insurance company raider Clive Cowdery is preparing a takeover bid for Legal & General(L&G) through his investment vehicle Resolution has lifted the sector higher. L&G leads the way, with sector peer Aviva not far behind. Mining stocks are lower as metals prices slip back. Plati
Read moreLondon midday: Blue chips still struggling
29th Sep 2009 12:06
Miners and property stocks are keeping Footsie in the red despite the banking and insurance sectors going well. Swiss bank Credit Suisse has issued a bearish note on the property sector prompting the likes of British Land, Land Securities, SEGRO and Hammerson to shift into reverse. Credit Suisse's
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Compass points higher
29th Sep 2009 11:51
Contract caterer Compass is pointing higher after it reported trading has gone well in the fourth quarter with underlying earnings to be up by around 14% on a constant currency basis. Operating profit will get a boost of £120m from the movement of our key currencies compared with last year. Rumours
Read moreSunday newspaper round-up: Cadbury, ITV, Legal & General
27th Sep 2009 19:14
Kraft Foods is poised to launch a hostile bid for Cadbury valuing the British confectionery business at around £11bn, says the Observer. Cadbury is proposing to shrink the size of its chocolate bars to disguise price rises it will be forced to make next year because of high cocoa costs. The move wi
Read moreLondon close: Footsie clings on to gains
8th Sep 2009 17:01
Leading London shares closed mixed, with strong gains on resource stocks counter-balanced by losses on life assurance stocks. Kazakhmys, Antofagasta, Rio Tinto, Xstrata and Vedanta Resources led the mining sector higher, as metal prices improved. Gold miners Fresnillo and Randgold Resources were
Read moreWednesday tips round-up: L&G, Dechra, Johnston Press
2nd Sep 2009 06:38
Legal & General's new finance head Nigel Wilson spent his first day in the job on Tuesday. He now faces an interesting first few months at the embattled insurer. When his predecessor Andrew Palmer stood down in April, the company - once the darling of the stock market - had seen its relationship wi
Read moreLondon close: Footsie plunges after Wall Street reversal
1st Sep 2009 16:43
A sharp reversal in US stocks' fortunes ensured Footsie finished deep in the red after abruptly giving up an attempt to climb into positive territory. Miners were weak on lower metals prices, with Kazakh pair ENRC and Kazakhmys among the worst hit. Lower metals prices also hurt the likes of Antof
Read moreLondon afternoon: Footsie still stuck after plunge
1st Sep 2009 14:41
There has been little change in the FTSE 100 since it abruptly took a downward turn this morning Kazakh resources group ENRC is leading the mining sector lower, closely followed by fellow Kazakh operation Kazakhmys. Lower metals prices are also hitting the likes of Antofagasta, Anglo American, Lon
Read moreLondon midday: Banks and miners lead retreat
1st Sep 2009 12:16
Banks and miners are dragging the market lower and have pushed the Footsie below the 4,900 level. Kazakh resources group ENRC is leading the mining sector lower, closely followed by fellow Kazakhi operation Kazakhmys. Lower metals prices are also hitting the likes of Antofagasta, Anglo American, L
Read moreLondon open: Quiet start for Footsie
1st Sep 2009 08:54
It has been a very quiet start to the post-bank holiday weekend with news at a premium and what has come out largely small cap focused. Asia-focused bank Standard Chartered has agreed to sell its entire 14.85% stake in BC Card to Korean private equity firm Vogo Fund and its affiliates for an undis
Read moreLondon pre-open: Cautiously lower
1st Sep 2009 07:40
While bourses on the European mainland set about clawing back some of the losses suffered yesterday London, which was closed yesterday, looks set to open lower with traders predicting the FTSE 100 will open around 7 points lower at 4,901. Asia-focused bank Standard Chartered has agreed to sell its
Read moreWilson starts work at Legal & General
1st Sep 2009 07:34
Insurer Legal & General confirmed that Nigel Wilson starts as chief financial officer from 1 September. Andrew Palmer will retire from the Board with immediate effect, but will remain with the Company until the end of the year to ensure an orderly handover, the group said in a company statement.
Read moreDivi trend hobbles Dogs of the Footsie
21st Aug 2009 16:38
Dividend payouts by British companies in the first half of the year were down by 9% on the corresponding period of 2008, creating a less than propitious environment for advocates of the 'Dogs of the Footsie', the mechanical investment strategy which focuses on high-yielding blue-chips. Figures fro
Read moreLondon close: Fed optimism bolsters Footsie gains
21st Aug 2009 16:31
Footsie finished with strong gains going into the weekend after US Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke said prospects for a return to global growth look good. 'After contracting sharply over the past year, economic activity appears to be levelling out, both in the United States and abroad, and th
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