Broker snap: Lloyds confident of passing tests
4th Dec 2009 12:45
Societe Generale (SocGen) reckons the faster than expected stabilisation of the net interest margin at part-nationalised lender Lloyds Banking has been overlooked, and sees further scope for margin improvement as the company reduces its reliance on government funding. 'Looking ahead, while Lloyds c
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks treading water
4th Dec 2009 12:17
Share prices are stabilising at lower levels as investors wait on the big US jobless announcement due at 1:30pm. Banks are on the back foot after a lukewarm note on the sector from JP Morgan. The US bank is particularly down on part-nationalised bank Royal Bank of Scotland, which it advises its cli
Read moreLondon open: Weak start for blue chips
4th Dec 2009 08:45
Footsie has fallen back in early dealings after a dip in the US last night while the bank bonus row has spread to Lloyds. Shares in Lloyds and Royal Bank of Scotland are both under pressure. A report in the Times this morning suggested 200 Lloyds executives will get a bonus of 80% of their salary f
Read moreLloyds starts fresh row over bonuses
4th Dec 2009 08:38
Gordon Brown hopes that a promise to Royal Bank of Scotland that it won't be singled out for tough treatment on pay will prevent high level resignations, but a new row at Lloyds threatens to fuel the debate on bonuses. It emerged last night that 200 bright lights at part-nationalised lender Lloyds
Read moreFriday newspaper round-up: Lloyds, Royal Bank of Scotland, Tesco
4th Dec 2009 06:31
A fresh row over City bonuses is set to engulf ministers after it emerged last night that 200 executives at Lloyds, the partly state-owned bank, are set to receive one-off payments worth up to 80% of their annual salaries. They will receive the money for integrating Lloyds with HBOS, which has led
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Banks in demand
3rd Dec 2009 18:06
Barclays was wanted after the Telegraph reported that it is set to award its 22,000 investment bankers pay rises of up to 150%. Lloyds Banking was also higher, as was Royal Bank of Scotland. Market makers initially marked RBS lower on news that that the bank's board is threatening to resign en mas
Read moreLondon close: Miners eclipse banks to send index lower
3rd Dec 2009 16:35
London closed on a low note as a good day for bank shares was offset by dips for the miners and oil groups. Banking shares marched forward despite an assertion by influential US bank Goldman Sachs that commodity prices are set to rise in 2010. Goldman Sachs also seems to be out of step in its view
Read moreSector movers: Bearish Goldman fails to dent banks
3rd Dec 2009 12:37
The banking sector has shrugged off a bearish note from Goldman Sachs to post good gains. The broker downgraded the sector to 'neutral' following its recent strong showing, saying that large global retail banks are likely to be the stocks to hold in the sector. Barclays is wanted after the Telegra
Read moreLondon midday: Shares lack direction
3rd Dec 2009 12:11
Banking shares are still marching forward but gains are countered by weakness among miners, despite an assertion by influential US bank Goldman Sachs that commodity prices are set to rise in 2010. Goldman Sachs also seems to be out of step in its view of banks today, having downgraded the sector to
Read moreLondon open: Banks lead risers, RBS down
3rd Dec 2009 08:21
Barclays and Lloyds are leading London's top stocks higher in early dealings on Thursday, though Royal Bank of Scotland is an exception. RBS has dropped on news that that the bank's board is threatening to resign en masse if Alistair Darling will veto the group's £1.5bn bonus pot. On the positive
Read moreLondon afternoon: Footsie in the blue
2nd Dec 2009 14:52
Though banks are still looking sickly, Footsie has struggled into positive territory on the back of a strong mining sector. Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) remains the biggest faller among blue-chips, with lingering concerns about its exposure to Dubai World's debt now overshadowed by with newspaper r
Read moreLondon midday: Banks get battered
2nd Dec 2009 12:11
After yesterday's strong gains, equities come off the boil today with banks, in particular, getting hammered, on enduring fears over exposure to Dubai debt. Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and Lloyds Banking are the big fallers among blue-chips, while elsewhere in the banking sector Barclays is also o
Read moreSector movers: Sage lifts software sector
2nd Dec 2009 11:02
Sage, which makes accountancy computer packages, is helping lift the software and computer services sector higher after it upped its dividend and said conditions have stabilised in the second half. The total dividend has been increased by 3% to 7.43p per share (2008: 7.21p per share). The group sai
Read moreLondon close: Footsie rallies above 5,300
1st Dec 2009 16:14
Strength in the US, a record gold price and fight back by the banks had London at session highs by the close of play. Markets decided that fears about Dubai's debt have been overdone. State-owned Dubai World said it had held "constructive" talks with banks and flagged plans to restructure nearly ha
Read moreLondon afternoon: Triple digit gain for Footsie
1st Dec 2009 14:59
Leading shares kicked on again in the afternoon session after US markets opened firmer, with the number of Footsie constituents showing a loss on the day being countable on the fingers of one hand. Mining stocks are going well on hopes of a sustained recovery in Chinese manufacturing. Silver miner
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