Sector movers: Smith & Nephew bolsters heath care sector
5th May 2011 16:06
Medical devices firm Smith & Nephew is propping up the heath care equipment and services sector, after a strong first quarter performance. Revenues during the three months ended 2 April rose to $1.06bn, from $995m the year before, boosted by progress at its US knee franchise. Few seemed to be disap
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Schroders drops after profit misses targets
5th May 2011 15:26
Asset management firm Schroders has taken a tumble as profits came short of expectations in the first quarter. The group's profit before tax rose to £103.8m, from £93.2m in the first quarter of 2010, but that wasn't enough for investors who were hoping for a figure closer to £117m. Lloyds has also
Read moreLondon midday: FTSE 100 back on the slide
5th May 2011 12:07
The top share index has given up its bright start to resume the slide suffered yesterday, with banks leading the fall. The mining sector, which had started brightly, is also lower. First quarter profits fell sharply at part-nationalised lender Lloyds Banking, as the bank took an impairment charge t
Read moreLondon open: Banks spoil the party
5th May 2011 08:28
Stocks have rallied following yesterday's slide, but only slightly as the banking sector puts a dampener on the recovery. First quarter profits fell sharply at part-nationalised lender Lloyds Banking, as the bank took an impairment charge that was half a billion pounds larger than it was expecting,
Read moreLondon pre-open: Stocks set for rebound
5th May 2011 07:45
Stocks are set to rebound this morning against a backdrop of a hectic company results schedule. City traders expect the top share index to open around 24 points up from last night's close of 5,984. First quarter profits fell sharply at part-nationalised lender Lloyds Banking, as the bank took an im
Read moreLloyds makes provision for potential mis-selling
5th May 2011 07:15
First quarter profits fell sharply at part-nationalised lender Lloyds Banking, as the bank took an impairment charge that was half a billion pounds larger than it was expecting. The group, still labouring under the weight of the controversial HBOS acquisition, saw profit before tax fall to £284m in
Read moreThursday preview: BoE rate decision, Lloyds, Morrisons ...
4th May 2011 18:36
It is a big day for central banks on Thursday with the Bank of England and the European Central Bank both set to announce their interest rate decisions, though neither is expected to alter course ... yet. For the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), the pressure to lift interest rates
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Aggreko leaps on full year guidance
27th Apr 2011 13:39
Temporary power supplier Aggreko has surged ahead after saying it expects its full year profits to be slightly ahead of 2010 after a strong start to the year. Airline IAG is firmly highly, continuing from strong gains made yesterday. Engineers GKN, IMI and Weir Group are also among the best perfo
Read moreTuesday newspaper round-up: Lloyds, HSBC, Barclays
26th Apr 2011 06:31
Lloyds Banking Group, which is now 43% owned by the taxpayer, is reported to be considering a sale of its pensions and insurance business Scottish Widows. The group's new chief executive, Antonio Horta-Osorio, is said to be poised to offload the subsidiary, possibly together with the bank's 60 per c
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Resolution unwanted after downgrade
18th Apr 2011 13:43
Insurance giant Resolution is the worst performer on the FTSE 100, after being downgraded from 'buy' to 'neutral' by UBS. The broker cuts its rating given the weak operational performance, mixed valuation picture and strong recent share price performance. The share price is left at 300p. Also lowe
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Banking shares head south
15th Apr 2011 12:37
The banking sector is heading lower today as sentiment sours after credit rating agency Moody's cut its rating for Ireland's sovereign debt by two levels to Baa3 from Baa1, while retaining its negative outlook. RBS, Lloyds and Barclays are among the worst performers. Also in the red are the blue ch
Read moreLondon midday: Banks dull after Ireland downgrade
15th Apr 2011 12:02
The top share index failed to regain the 6,000 level in the morning, but came close before subsiding just before midday. Banks are dragging the index lower, offsetting good gains among property companies. Banks such as Royal Bank of Scotland, Lloyds and Barclays are off the pace as sentiment sour
Read moreLondon close: Retailers lift Footsie higher
13th Apr 2011 16:08
While the Footsie came off its daily highs, it still managed to post a gain of close to 1% as strong results from ASOS boosted the retail sector higher. Meanwhile, stocks were recovering from the 89 point sell-off yesterday, its worst one-day fall since mid-March. Strong growth overseas helped the
Read moreTuesday newspaper round-up: Banking commission, tablets, UK growth
12th Apr 2011 06:07
Banks breathed a sigh of relief yesterday as the Government's Independent Commission on Banking (ICB) stopped short of proposing radical measures to increase stability and competition in the sector. Presenting what he called "moderate" interim recommendations on banking reform, Sir John Vickers, the
Read moreLondon close: Flat finish despite banks' advance
11th Apr 2011 16:54
The top share index was seeking direction all day Monday even as banks advanced following the publication of changes proposed for the sector by the Independent Commission on Banking (ICB). While Lloyds Banking had a grumble about the ICB's recommendation that it should have to sell more than 600 br
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