London open: Tobacco stocks provide a drag early on
15th Aug 2012 08:28
- Greece to ask for more time - Markets await MPC minutes - Tobacco stocks fall on Australian plain packaging issue UK stocks slipped on Wednesday morning on the back of concerns over Greece and ahead of a keenly awaited report on US industrial output; tobacco companies were leading the decline in
Read moreLondon pre-open: Stocks to track losses in Asia
15th Aug 2012 07:26
City sources predict the FTSE 100 will open down 25 points from yesterday's close of 5,865, tracking losses seen overnight in Asia. Investors are also awaiting the release of minutes from the latest policy meeting of the Bank of England, as well as the July employment report from the Office for Na
Read moreLloyds to offload loss-making private equity portfolio
15th Aug 2012 07:01
UK banking group Lloyds is intending to sell its interest in a portfolio of private equity-related investments worth over a billion pounds which made a loss last year. The lender said that it has agreed the sale of the investment, with gross assets of around £1,050m and the transfer of underway com
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Petrofac and the miners provide a drag
13th Aug 2012 15:26
Oilfield services firm Petrofac was leading the fallers on the Footsie on Monday afternoon despite reporting a strong first half as investors turned cautious on the pace of growth going forward Earnings per share were up 32% to 94.8c, with pre-tax profits rising to $412.5m, from $300m the year befo
Read moreBroker snap: StanChart rebound lifts banks higher
8th Aug 2012 16:23
Banking stocks were trading broadly higher on Wednesday as gains for heavyweight lender Standard Chartered were enough to offset weakness in the wider sector, with HSBC, Lloyds, Barclays and RBS trading in the red. Following a massive 16% tumble yesterday, emerging markets-focused bank StanChart wa
Read moreLondon open: Stocks rebound after Draghi disappointment
3rd Aug 2012 08:31
- Stocks rebound after Draghi-fuelled sell-off - Chinese data improves - RBS leads banks higher after first-half results The Footsie rose strongly Friday morning, rebounding after a heavy sell-off the day before, with RBS and the banks providing a lift early on. Stocks sank yesterday after a press
Read moreLondon close: Markets tank as Draghi dampens sentiment
2nd Aug 2012 16:48
- Draghi fails to give markets a boost - BoE maintains rates and QE - RBS leads the downside on one-charges, nationalisation rumours Equity markets across Europe tanked on Thursday afternoon in spite of a positive start, after the European Central Bank (ECB) dashed hopes of immediate action to stem
Read moreTuesday newspaper round-up: BP, Yahoo, Lloyds
31st Jul 2012 07:03
The US Treasury Secretary urged Europe's leaders to follow through on their promises to do "whatever it takes" to save the euro as he embarked on a whirlwind round of diplomacy in Germany. Tim Geithner stoked speculation about a co-ordinated transatlantic push to bolster the single currency as he me
Read moreLondon close: Stocks jump on central bank hopes; IAG surges
30th Jul 2012 17:05
- IAG leads Footsie higher; banks, miners follow suit - ECB expected to act soon - QE3 hopes in the US drive gains UK stocks started the week well as risk appetite increased on hopes that European policy-makers will announce measures this week to stem the crisis and the US central bank will act to
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Miners and financials lead the way
30th Jul 2012 14:23
The banking and resources sectors were among the best performers on Monday as risk appetite increased on the back of stimulus hopes. Barclays, RBS, ENRC and Xstrata were high risers by mid-afternoon. Global banking group HSBC was along among them after seeing an 11% rise in reported pre-tax profit
Read moreLondon close: Stocks rally as euro leaders vow to battle crisis
27th Jul 2012 16:59
- Merkel, Hollande pledge lifts markets - Bundesbank still opposed to ECB bond-buying - Barclays surges after half-year beat Markets rocketed on Friday afternoon after European leaders showed their commitment to protect the Eurozone and US economic data beat expectations. German Chancellor Angela
Read moreSector movers: Barclays provides a lift to the banking sector
27th Jul 2012 16:01
Banks were among the best performing stocks on Friday afternoon, helped by the well-received interim results from Barclays and some reassuring remarks by European officials about the debt crisis. Underlying pre-tax profits came in at £4.2bn, 11% ahead of consensus estimates, with investment banking
Read moreFriday newspaper round-up: Greece, Facebook, Oil companies
27th Jul 2012 06:58
Greek leaders struggled to agree on required budget cuts yesterday as Citigroup raised the probability of the country's exit from the euro to 90 per cent. The leaders of the three parties in the new coalition Government met for three hours in a session at which they were meant to sign off on a plan
Read moreLondon close: Markets surge on Draghi's euro pledge
26th Jul 2012 16:48
- Stocks surge on comments from ECB head - Peripheral bond yields drop - Rolls, ITV and Unilever lead gainers on Footsie Mario Draghi's pledge to do whatever it takes to save the euro saw stocks worldwide rocket toda,y as markets attempt to regain lost ground from the steep sell-off earlier this we
Read moreBroker snap: Nomura stays negative on Lloyds as core shrinks
26th Jul 2012 11:14
Nomura has reiterated its 'reduce' rating and 35p target price for UK banking group Lloyds, saying that the core business are shrinking. "The Lloyds interim results and the key features were similar to our expectations and we expect these trends to be mirrored by other UK banks and to be sustained
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