Friday newspaper round-up: Hung parliament predicted, Labour talking to LibDems
7th May 2010 06:30
In the UK election, the Tories are on course to be largest party but set to fall short of majority, as David Cameron's party fails to take many key target seats. Labour is pushing to form coalition with Lib Dems. The latest polls (at 6.00am) suggest the Tories will end up with 309 seats, Labour on 2
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Banks lead market down
6th May 2010 15:33
Banks are leading Footsie downwards after ratings agency Moody's warned that the UK lenders are "at risk of Greek contagion". Barclays, Royal Bank of Scotland, Lloyds, HSBC and even Asia-focused Standard Chartered fell sharply after Moody's said banks in the UK, as well as in Ireland, Italy, Portu
Read moreTuesday newspaper round-up: Greece, BP, Lloyds Banking
4th May 2010 06:37
The European Central Bank executed an embarrassing U-turn on its lending rules yesterday in order to stave off the collapse of the Greek banking system. In a statement the ECB said that it was suspending a rule preventing it accepting junk-rated government bonds in return for loans. It said that th
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Positive oils can't stop fall
28th Apr 2010 15:25
Strong figures from Royal Dutch Shell have also boosted the share price of fellow oil company BP but this has not been enough for FTSE 100 to hang on to positive territory. The banks, which were the worst performers earlier in the day, have recovered the majority of their earlier losses but remain
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks off the bottom
28th Apr 2010 12:13
Blue-chips are beginning to recover their poise, helped by demand for heavyweight oil stocks in the wake of better than expected results from Shell, and a positive reaction to results from Glaxo, released at noon. Higher oil prices helped Royal Dutch Shell post a sharp rise in earnings in the first
Read moreLondon close: Footsie slumps on eventful day
27th Apr 2010 16:31
Footsie was deep in the red at trading's close after credit rating downgrades for Greece and Portugal added to already substantial losses, with miners among the stocks posting heavy falls. With oil and metals prices in retreat as fears grow about potential delays in financial aid reaching Greece re
Read moreLondon afternoon: Reckitt fails to cut the mustard
27th Apr 2010 14:35
Footsie drifted lower over the lunch time session, not helped by disappointing results from household goods maker Reckitt Benckiser. Shares in Reckitt sank to the bottom of the FTSE 100 despite the French's mustard maker posting a rise in earnings and sales for the first quarter. The firm said oper
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie slides below 5700
27th Apr 2010 12:04
Footsie has given up all of yesterday's gains and more and has dipped below the 5700 level. Barely a dozen of the blue-chip index's constituents are in the blue, with miners featuring prominently among the laggards. Vedanta, Rio Tinto, Kazakhmys and Xstrata are the worst performers in the mining s
Read moreLondon open: Miners pull Footsie down
27th Apr 2010 08:39
London's top stocks have opened lower on a weak start for the mining sector and despite some encouraging numbers from three index heavyweights. Miners are the problem, with falls across the sector led by Rio Tinto, Kazakhmys and Xstrata. Prudential is a strong performer on a report in the Times tha
Read moreLondon pre-open: Small drop ahead
27th Apr 2010 07:37
London's top stocks are expected to open around 15 points lower as investors consider a bunch of corporate results. Lloyds Banking returned to profitability in the first quarter and said it expects this momentum to be sustained throughout the rest of the year. The lender, 41% owned by the taxpayer,
Read moreBailed out Lloyds returns to profit
27th Apr 2010 07:02
Lloyds Banking returned to profitability in the first quarter and said it expects this momentum to be sustained throughout the rest of the year. The lender, 41% owned by the taxpayer, did not provide a profit figure in today's statement, but said it made a profit on a combined businesses basis due
Read moreTuesday preview: Lloyds expected to keep bullish tone
26th Apr 2010 15:33
It's all eyes on Lloyds Banking Tuesday when the lender, 41% owned by the taxpayer, updates the market on first quarter trading just five weeks after it predicted a return to profit in 2010. Chief executive Eric Daniels said last month the part-nationalised bank will be profitable on a combined bus
Read moreLondon midday: Greece woes can't halt bulls
23rd Apr 2010 12:29
London's leading shares have barely blinked on the news that Greece has asked for the $45bn EU/IMF aid package to be activated. The news hit the Euro, but has had little impact on a strong morning for UK equities. Oil company BP said it is initiating a rapid response to clear up an oil spill follo
Read moreN AMERICAN MORNING BRIEFING:Greek Bailout Move To Aid Stocks
23rd Apr 2010 11:30
DJIA Futures 11069.0 +4.0 +0.0% S&P 500 Futures 1203.4 +1.7 +0.1% Nasdaq Futures 2038.6 +2.4 +0.1% Above are as of 0615 ET FTSE 100 5707.0 +41.6 +0.7% Xetra DAX 6249.7 +80.9 +1.3% CAC40 3951.3 +26.6 +0.7% Above are as of 0
Read moreLondon open: Minimal gains posted
23rd Apr 2010 08:28
London's leading shares are showing slight gains as a late recovery on Wall Street boosts investor sentiment. Banks are amongst the early movers with RBS, Barclays and Lloyds all higher, while utilities such as Severnt Trent, National Grid and United Utilities are at the bottom end of the market.
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