Sector movers: Diageo rises on Jose Cuervo speculation
2nd Apr 2012 15:10
Drinks giants Diageo and SABMiller were making decent gains on Monday afternoon, meaning that the beverages sector was at the top of the pile. Diageo is rumoured to be nearing the acquisition of a further stake in Mexican tequila maker Jose Cuervo. According to media reports, Diageo could be buying
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Miners jump on Chinese data while financials fall
2nd Apr 2012 14:39
Miners were providing a lift after the better-than-expected manufacturing data from China, which saw the nation's purchasing managers' index rise to an 11-month high of 53.1 in March, from 51 the month before. This boosted hopes for demand in the metals industry with Fresnillo, Rio Tinto and Vedan
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks flat after mixed macro data
2nd Apr 2012 11:36
- Chinese, UK PMIs beat expectations in March - Eurozone PMI disappoints, jobless rate on the up - RBS to dish out dosh to preference shareholders London's blue chips pared earlier gains after some gloomy economic data from Europe. Miners were performing well after better-than-expected manufacturin
Read moreSome banks plan on returning LTRO financing to ECB early
2nd Apr 2012 10:39
Some of Europe's largest banks are already planning on returning the funds they got through the three-year LTROs (long-term refinancing operations) run by the European Central Bank (ECB) according to senior bankers cited in a front page piece in today's Financial Times (FT). These sources suggeste
Read moreLondon open: Stocks rise after upbeat China data
2nd Apr 2012 08:26
- Miners wanted after Chinese PMI reaches 11-month high - RBS to dish out dosh to preference shareholders - LSE acquisition of LCH.Clearnet passes milestone UK stocks opened with decent gains on Monday morning as miners rose on the back of some better-than-expected manufacturing data from China.
Read moreLondon close: Eurozone worries dampen UK stocks
29th Mar 2012 16:35
- Stocks dragged down by Eurozone concerns - International Power receives approach from GDF Suez - FirstGroup plummets after gloomy update London's FTSE 100 index sank to its lowest levels of the day by the close of trade on Thursday with Eurozone worries once again in focus as bond yields in Italy
Read moreLloyds sells Dubai business to HSBC
29th Mar 2012 14:47
Lloyds Banking Group is selling its onshore Dubai business to HSBC Bank Middle East. The sale, which comes as part of Lloyds' plan to reduce its international presence, includes the group's retail, commercial and corporate banking business in the area. The said assets were valued at totalling £4
Read moreFinancial complaints soared in second half of 2011
28th Mar 2012 14:41
Financial complaints soared in 2011, with over 12,000 a day is the second half of last year, the Financial Services Authority (FSA) has revealed. The volume of complaints received by the FSA were up 21% compared to the first half of the year. Complaints about loan insurance rocketed a whopping 8
Read moreLondon midday: Gains pared despite strong performance by banks
27th Mar 2012 11:55
- Government may cut stake in RBS - Defensives sold off - Resolution could split before sale The Footsie was nearly back where it started by midday, after gains were trimmed as heavy losses for Resolution, Compass and utilities stocks weighed on the blue chip index. The earlier rise for London's
Read moreLondon open: RBS leads the rise early on
27th Mar 2012 08:46
- Government may cut stake in RBS - Rio Tinto considers offloading diamond interests - Resolution could split before sale A strong performance by the banks helped push the FTSE 100 higher on Tuesday morning as the market continues to be boosted by recent comments by US Federal Reserve Chairman Ben
Read moreLondon close: Stocks surge on Iranian oil report
23rd Mar 2012 16:42
- Oil surges on falling Iranian exports - BoE tells banks to raise capital ASAP - BT leads the rise, miners trim losses London's blue chips rallied in afternoon trade with the Footsie surging in the last two hours to finish in positive territory as oil prices jumped. According to report in Reuters
Read moreFinancial Policy Committee tells banks to raise capital ASAP
23rd Mar 2012 12:46
The Bank of England (BoE) has warned banks that they must raise external capital as early as is feasible. The Financial Policy Committee (FPC), which acts as a watchdog for the BoE, published a report expressing its concerns that "capital is not yet at levels that would ensure resilience in the fac
Read moreLondon midday: Miners drag Footsie lower
23rd Mar 2012 11:55
- Footsie on track for worst weekly performance YTD - Miners fall, Randgold still hampered by Malian concerns - BT rises on pension deficit arrangement After a strong start, a sell-off in the mining sector dragged the Footsie into the red by lunchtime. Rising commodity prices did little to lift the
Read moreLondon open: BT leads the risers early on
23rd Mar 2012 08:38
The Footsie rose in the opening hour of Friday's session, helped by a strong performance by financial stocks. Company news was thin on the ground early on but BT was the best performer after announcing plans to eliminate its pension deficit within 10 years. The blue chip index remains nearly 100 po
Read moreLloyds's mass branch sale to Co-op proves 'complex'
22nd Mar 2012 15:35
Lloyds has said that it will update the market on the progress being made on its sale of hundreds of branches to The Co-operative Group (Co-op) in the second quarter due to the 'complex' nature of the deal. The European Commisson-mandated divestment of 632 retail and commercial branches, known as P
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