Tuesday broker round-up - UPDATE
1st May 2012 08:09
Aberdeen Asset Management: Citigroup ups target from 290p to 310p, buy rating kept; Barclays Capital raises target from 260p to 285p, equal weight retained; UBS lifts target from 310p to 340p, buy rating unchanged. Avocet Mining: Nomura reiterates buy recommendation and 310p target. Cape: Arden Pa
Read moreLondon pre-open: Chinese data figure knocks investor sentiment
1st May 2012 07:28
City sources predict the FTSE 100 will open down nine points from yesterday's close of 5,738 after Chinese manaufacturing data for April came in slightly below expectations at 53.3, missing a forecast of 53.6. The number was up from 53.1 the previous month at 53.1. Profits at Lloyds Banking Group
Read moreLloyds takes bigger PPI hit but profits up
1st May 2012 07:05
Profits at Lloyds Banking Group were back in the black in the first quarter but the bank has had to set aside more money to cover the mis-selling of payment protection insurance (PPI). The bank, which is 41% owned by the UK tax payer, said pre-tax profits came in at £288m compared to a massive loss
Read moreTuesday newspaper round-up: Sterling, Mortgages, China
1st May 2012 05:13
More than one million homeowners will see their mortgage payments jump by hundreds of pounds a year from today as lenders, including two state-backed banks, raise borrowing costs. Borrowers with other banks and building societies face similar increases in the months ahead, experts have warned, with
Read moreLondon close: Stocks snap four-day winning streak
30th Apr 2012 16:30
- Chicago PMI, US consumer spending disappoints - Spain joins the UK in recession - Global stock markets in the red With economic data missing expectations Stateside and Spain continuing to dampen the outlook for the Eurozone economy, London's FTSE 100 index slumped on Monday, snapping a four-day w
Read moreTuesday preview: BP, Lloyds, IMPs ...
30th Apr 2012 16:01
There are plenty of big names reporting on Tuesday but the two most likely to catch they eye are BP and Lloyds Banking. Starting with integrated oil giant BP, recently returned to the dividend standard, Charles Stanley's Tony Shepard thinks first quarter net income will be flat at $5.4bn compared t
Read moreLloyds denies rumours of an offer for Scottish Widows
30th Apr 2012 14:53
UK banking group Lloyds has quashed rumours that it has received a 'multi-billion' pound offer for its life assurance, pensions and savings business, Scottish Widows. According to Monday's London Evening Standard, the bank had received an approach from Edmund Truell, the founder of private equity f
Read moreSunday newspaper round-up: Lloyds, House prices, Colt
29th Apr 2012 11:43
Middle Eastern wealth funds including Qatar Holdings and Abu Dhabi's Mubadala fund have held talks with Lloyds bank bidder, NBNK, to bolster its £2bn approach for the 632 branches Lloyds is struggling to sell. The backing of either or both funds - which have major investments in household business n
Read moreWeek Ahead: Lloyds, RBS, BP, US unemployment
27th Apr 2012 11:54
Banking results season gets in to full swing with Lloyds and RBS giving first quarter updates. There are plenty of other blue-chip companies clamouring for the limelight but it will be hard to ignore the first quarter update from BP on Tuesday, while on the economic front, US jobless figures for Apr
Read moreLondon open: Spanish downgrade weighs on sentiment
27th Apr 2012 08:41
- S and P downgrades Spain - UK consumer confidence misses estimates - Banks, miners lead the downside in London The FTSE 100 opened cautiously on Friday morning looking like it could snap a three-day winning streak, with banking and mining blue chips providing a drag on the back of concerns over t
Read moreMitie in partnership with Lloyds Banking
26th Apr 2012 13:37
Outsourcing and energy services company Mitie has agreed a partnership to deliver facilities management services for Lloyds Banking Group. The contract, which has been signed for a five-year term, has a possible one-year extension period, with an expected value of around £155m per annum. Mitie wi
Read moreThursday broker round-up - UPDATE
26th Apr 2012 08:36
Admiral: Oriel Securities retains sell rating and 740p target. AstraZeneca: Panmure Gordon maintains buy rating and 3,600p target. Barclays: Nomura reiterates neutral rating and 268p target; Exane BNP Paribas keeps outperform rating and 300p target; Oriel Securities keeps buy rating and 285p targe
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks pare gains after GDP data
25th Apr 2012 11:54
- Footsie gains despite GDP data - Draghi continues to see downside risks - ARM rises on Apple earnings, broker upgrades After a strong start, the FTSE 100 index pared gains in mid-morning trade following some gloomy economic data that showed that the UK fell back into a 'technical' recession in th
Read moreLondon open: Stocks rise ahead of GDP data
25th Apr 2012 08:16
- Q1 GDP expected to be flat - ARM up on upgrades, Apple earnings - Ex-div stocks lead the downside Stocks rose moderately in early trade on Wednesday as the Footsie still attempts to recover from Monday's steep sell-off. The release of first-quarter gross domestic product (GDP) figures for the UK
Read moreLondon close: Markets rebound after steep losses
24th Apr 2012 16:43
- Global markets rebound after yesterday's losses - Man Group jumps as UBS speculates over M&A - Shell makes 220p-a-share offer for Cove London's FTSE 100 index clawed its way back above the 5,700 level on Tuesday afternoon after a broadly stronger start on Wall Street. Europe's major benchmarks we
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