Broker tips: Lloyds Banking, AB Foods, Bunzl
28th Feb 2011 15:28
Japanese broker Nomura is still bullish on Lloyds Banking Group which tomorrow welcomes on board new chief executive António Horta-Osório. Last week's full-year profit was in line with the analysts' expectations, with lower revenues and slightly higher costs offset by a much lower impairment charg
Read moreBroker snap: Nomura still backing Lloyds
28th Feb 2011 14:59
Japanese broker Nomura is still bullish on Lloyds Banking Group which tomorrow welcomes on board new chief executive António Horta-Osório. Last week's full-year profit was in line with the analysts' expectations, with lower revenues and slightly higher costs offset by a much lower impairment charge
Read moreLondon afternoon: Lloyds left behind
25th Feb 2011 14:15
Share prices moved sideways over the lunch time session, but at least they were moving; the London Stock Exchange, which recently switched over to a new computer system, suffered an embarrassing glitch which resulted in the exchange shutting down for most of the morning. Shares have been lifted by
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Lloyds heads fallers
25th Feb 2011 13:09
Lloyds Banking is the main faller today following the release of its 2010 figures. Pre-tax profits were £281m, down from £1bn, but on a continuing basis profits were £2.2bn against a loss of £6.4bn. Market forecasts had been for a profit between £1-1.8bn. The £2.2bn profit excluded the £500m pro
Read moreLondon midday: Shares bounce after trading resumes
25th Feb 2011 12:28
Shares are buoyant following the resumption of trading after this morning's shutdown. Shares began trading as normal this morning but technical problems later caused the exchange to shut down. "The exchange regrets the inconvenience that has been caused to market participants by this morning's inc
Read moreLondon open: Trading suspended
25th Feb 2011 08:53
Trading in London has been halted after some technical glitches at the start of the day, the LSE announced this morning. The exchange said it is looking into the problem. It halted its SETS and SETSqx services, while uncrossing trades that took place in the opening auction are under investigation f
Read moreLondon pre-open: Early gains predicted
25th Feb 2011 07:58
Footsie is tipped to moved ahead in early dealings as Saudi Arabia moved to calm the panic stricken oil markets. Initial estimates are for the index to open up 26 points from its previous close of 5,920. Saudi Arabia is prepared to increase supplies and the kingdom has entered "active talks" with E
Read moreLloyds retail profit soars
25th Feb 2011 07:08
State-controlled Lloyds Banking swung back into profit last year as impairment charges almost halved and retail net margins improved. Pre-tax profits were £281m, down from £1bn, but on a continuing basis profits were £2.2bn against a loss of £6.4bn. Market forecasts had been for a profit between £
Read moreFriday preview: Lloyds Banking, IAG
24th Feb 2011 16:49
After the brouhaha that surrounded Royal Bank of Scotland's disappointing and eye-numbingly detailed full year results it is the turn of another part-nationalised lender, Lloyds Banking , to update the market on Friday. Charles Stanley is predicting a return to profitability, and has a pre-tax pro
Read moreBroker snap: Nomura prefers Lloyds to RBS
24th Feb 2011 12:45
There was nothing in the full year results from Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) to persuade Nomura Securities to abandon its preference for fellow part-nationalised lender Lloyds Banking. The Japanese broker reiterated its 'reduce' recommendation on Royal Bank of Scotland after the figures came in muc
Read moreThursday newspaper round-up: Lloyds, RBS, JJB, $220-a-barrel oil
24th Feb 2011 06:27
Qatar, the natural gas-rich Middle Eastern state which owns stakes in Barclays and Sainsbury's, could invest in Lloyds and Royal Bank of Scotland, the banking groups part-nationalised at the height of the financial crisis. The Treasury owns about 83% of RBS and about 40% of Lloyds, with the stakes m
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Miners lead the fall
23rd Feb 2011 14:20
Declining metals prices have pushed Antofagasta, Xstrata and Fresnillo lower. Consumer packaging giant Rexam has been hit by profit-taking even though it grew underlying profit by a bigger than expected 45% in 2010 and expects further progress this year. Profit before tax and exceptional items jum
Read moreLondon open: Libya casts pall over blue chips
23rd Feb 2011 08:51
London has opened with Libya on its mind amid fears that the unrest sweeping through the country and the Middle East could destabilise Bahrain as well. Brent crude hit over $107 per barrel, up 1% today, as the violence and rhetoric in Libya increased. Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi vowed to fight a
Read moreTuesday newspaper round-up: Halifax, Libya, interest rates
22nd Feb 2011 06:28
Hundreds of thousands of Halifax borrowers are set to receive a windfall because of a poorly drafted paragraph in mortgage offer letters that will cost Lloyds Banking Group £500m. The payout announced by the Halifax's new parent yesterday is a record figure for customer redress by a single financial
Read moreLondon close: Shares fall as Libya crisis intensifies
21st Feb 2011 16:53
The top share index was nursing big losses at trading's close as worries over the turmoil in Libya sent the oil price soaring and continued high usage of the European Central Bank's marginal lending facility stoked nervousness over banks. Banks are granted the right to seek overnight loans from th
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