London midday: Flat Footsie
15th Apr 2010 11:50
Leading shares remain mixed , with laggards among FTSE 100 constituents now marginally outnumbering leaders. Experian is the worst performing blue-chip. The credit checking firm saw revenues from continuing operations rise for the six months to March but revenues at its UK operations fell in the pe
Read moreLondon open: Greece deal boosts Footsie
12th Apr 2010 08:25
London's top stocks have made a good start to the new week on news that euro zone finance ministers have approved a €30bn emergency aid package for debt-stricken Greece. Under the terms of the deal, Greece would receive the potential aid via a three-year loan with an interest rate of around 5%, wel
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Miners head lower
8th Apr 2010 15:51
Weak metals prices mean that miners are leading the Footsie down today. Xstrata and Eurasian Natural Resources are the biggest losers. Even Vedanta Resources, which says that it achieved a significant uplift in annual production in its last financial year, is not immune. Vedanta achieved record qu
Read moreLondon afternoon: Footsie dips below 5700
8th Apr 2010 14:21
Footsie has slipped back below 5700 with banks joining miners in the doghouse this afternoon. Miners are out of favour as metal prices show signs of fatigue. Vedanta Resources provided a spot of cheer to the sector, saying it saw a significant uplift in annual production at all its businesses in fi
Read moreSector movers: Miners on the march
30th Mar 2010 14:48
The mining sector is higher after a couple of updates from big players. BHP Billiton has successfully persuaded several of its iron ore customers in Asia to move to shorter term contracts. The group said it has reached agreement with a significant number of customers throughout Asia to move existin
Read moreLondon afternoon: Footsie seeking direction
30th Mar 2010 14:20
Footsie is still marking time as gains in the mining sector struggle to offset losses among banking stocks. Mining giant BHP Billiton is higher after saying it has successfully persuaded several of its iron ore customers in Asia to move to shorter term contracts. The renegotiated contracts cover th
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Financials negate mining gains
30th Mar 2010 12:14
Mining companies remain the best performers in the Footsie but they can't totally offset the decline in financials. Strong demand for metals plus news that BHP Billiton has successfully persuaded several of its iron ore customers in Asia to move to shorter term contracts has boosted the whole sect
Read moreTuesday paper round-up: BHP Billiton, ITV, Lloyds Banking
30th Mar 2010 06:34
Global miners have passed a milestone in their efforts to change the way iron ore benchmark prices are set by convincing major steelmakers to adopt prices more closely linked to the spot market. BHP Billiton said on Tuesday that a "significant number" of Asian steelmakers had agreed to move from th
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Miners move ahead
29th Mar 2010 15:52
Miners are moving higher on the back of rising metal prices but they can't stop the Footsie falling slightly on the day. Even Rio Tinto shares are rising following the miner's attempts to distance itself from executive Stern Hu, who was sentenced to 12 years in jail in China on charges of bribery
Read moreLondon afternoon: Into the red
29th Mar 2010 14:23
All of Footsie's early gains have now been pulled back despite futures pointing to a decent start on Wall Street. Banks are dragging the index lower with losses now for both state-controlled banks, Lloyds and Royal Bank of Scotland. Vodafone is higher on reports over the weekend it is in talks a
Read moreMPs call for 'radical reform' of banking system
29th Mar 2010 09:46
MPs are calling for "radical reform" of the UK banking system to prevent taxpayers from picking up the bill next time a lender fails. The Treasury Select Committee, which said that the public would not stand for another bail-out of the banks, urged ministers not to rule out the break-up of institut
Read moreSunday paper round-up: RBS/Lloyds, Prudential, Desire Petroleum
28th Mar 2010 08:25
Advisers to the government are working on a secret plan that could allow the state to start cutting its shareholdings in British banks just weeks after the general election. The plot would see the Treasury create "convertible gilts" ? government bonds that could be exchanged for shares in the banks
Read moreLondon close: Market unmoved by Budget
24th Mar 2010 16:49
The blue-chip index finished marginally higher after a Budget that was light on bells and whistles While there was little in the Budget to excite anyone other than first-time buyers, cider drinkers and British occupants of Dominica, Grenada and Belize, the corporate news scene was busy, with half
Read moreLondon open: Early gains for blue chips
24th Mar 2010 08:39
Footsie has pushed on strongly after another day of big gains in the US yesterday. The Budget will dominate the headlines from lunchtime and banks are making progress in expectation that something will be said the government's stakes in the state-controlled banks, RBS and Lloyds. Foreign exchange
Read moreFormer UKFI boss buys Lloyds shares
23rd Mar 2010 16:38
Glen Moreno has bought his first shares in Lloyds Banking Group since he was appointed senior independent non-executive director of the company on 1 March. He has bought 50,000 ADRs, which is the equivalent of 200,000 shares, at $3.69 each. That is equivalent to just over 61p a share, making the c
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