Admiral directors rally round
26th Aug 2011 17:09
Shares in Admiral won back some recent losses after the car insurance company announced some big director purchases. Chief operating officer David Stevens and his wife Heather bought 75,450 shares at 1,324p and now have 10.3m. Non-executive director John Sussens's wife Cheryl bought 22,000 at 1,320
Read moreLondon close: Stocks rally but finish lower
26th Aug 2011 16:41
Stocks rallied ahead of the close but finished slightly lower on a day that was dominated by uncertainty surrounding the Federal Reserve annual meeting. The Fed still has tools to stimulate the economy chairman Ben Bernanke said, while declining to provide details as to when they might be used. A
Read moreFTSE 100 Movers: Admiral directors wade in
26th Aug 2011 13:13
Car insurer Admiral hit rough seas after results on Wednesday disappointed, but the shares are clawing back some losses today, after directors and their family members bought some shares. Admiral Group Chief Executive Officer, Henry Engelhardt, bought 22,845 Admiral Group shares at an average pric
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks slip but share-buying boosts Admiral
26th Aug 2011 12:18
Stocks have drifted into the red amid apprehension ahead of this afternoon's annual meeting of the US Federal Reserve. The results stream has slowed sharply, giving investors an opportunity to digest figures released earlier this week. AMEC, which yesterday reported a strong performance in its min
Read moreLondon open: FTSE 100 falls into red, markets await Bernanke
26th Aug 2011 08:31
The FTSE 100 fell into the red in early trading, with heavyweights AMEC, Resolution and ARM Holdings dragging the blue chip index lower, after a poor performance on Wall Street last night and a mixed session in Asia. Meanwhile, financials were on the rise, with Hargreaves Lansdown, Lloyds, RBS and
Read moreLondon close: Stocks slide after US jobs disappointment
25th Aug 2011 16:39
After an uncertain start following a raft of mixed company updates, London's leading share index finished firmly in the red as some weak US jobs data set nerves on edge. Unemployment claims in the world's biggest economy unexpectedly rose by 5,000 to 417,000 in the week to 20 August. Traders are n
Read moreLondon midday: Mixed reception for deluge of updates
25th Aug 2011 12:10
London's leading share index is uncertain today as the continuing stream of company updates gets a mixed reception. Kazakhstan-focused copper miner Kazakhmys is in demand after it said underlying profits were 24% ahead in the first half and revealed details of a $250m buy-back programme. The group
Read moreLondon open: Company results drive FTSE 100 up 0.7%
25th Aug 2011 08:32
Some pleasing company results drove the Footsie higher in early trading while the banks were also providing a lift. Kazakhstan-focused copper miner Kazakhmys was a high riser after it said underlying profits were 24% ahead in the first half and revealed details of a $250m buy-back programme. The gr
Read moreLondon close: Results drive stocks higher, Man up after upgrade
24th Aug 2011 16:38
Stocks finished with good gains after an uncertain start, with strong economic data from the US overriding the earlier mixed reception to today's raft of company updates. US orders for goods made to last more than three years, such as planes, cars and washing machines, rose by 4% in July, having fa
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks mixed after stream of updates
24th Aug 2011 12:10
The leading share index is flitting between red and blue amid differing receptions for today's stream of updates. Investors in Admiral are feeling mutinous despite pre-tax profits growing by 27%. However, according to a Thomson Reuters poll, the result was a slight miss. Miner BHP Billiton is hig
Read moreLondon open: Admiral drags Footsie into the red
24th Aug 2011 08:29
Early gains proved short-lived as the blue chip index in London fell into the red by 08.32, dragged lower by Admiral and the miners, who were registering losses on the back of falling metals prices. Admiral was the worst performer on the FTSE 100, losing over 5% after despite pre-tax profits growi
Read moreSector movers: GSK gives pharma sector a booster
22nd Aug 2011 15:27
The pharmaceuticals and biotechnology sector was among the best performing sectors on Monday, helped by its giant constituent GlaxoSmithKline. The FTSE 100 drugs and healthcare firm announced that it is to buy up over a quarter of UK-based biotech firm Autifony Therapeutics through its wholly-owned
Read moreLondon midday: Lloyds and RBS fall again as FTSE 100 slides
19th Aug 2011 12:03
The leading share index is stuck below the 5,000 point mark amid continuing worries over the global economic situation. Banks Lloyds and RBS are suffering hefty losses again as is IAG, the owner of British Airways. But shares in Autonomy rocketed by over 75% in early trading after US computing gi
Read moreSector movers: Spectris bolsters gains in electronic sector
15th Aug 2011 15:17
Gains for FTSE 250 precision instrumentation and controls company Spectris are bolstering the electronic and electrical equipment sector on Monday. Spectris's shares rose 5% to 1,416p (3.35pm) after it announced that it is to acquire Omega, a privately held US business providing measurement and con
Read moreFTSE 100 Movers: Banks suffer while miners do well
15th Aug 2011 11:47
BP saw a rise despite announcing that its growth could be hampered because it "cannot find skilled workers". With the price of silver on the up it was no surprise to see that precious metals miner Fresnillo was performing well, topping the board at almost 5%. It was a similar story for Kazakhmy
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