Sunday newspaper round-up: ENRC, RBS, Lloyds
18th Oct 2009 12:17
Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation (ENRC), the Ftse 100 metals and mining giant, is planning to buy out its founders' African assets in a potentially controversial deal. The deal, which has not been valued but could be worth more than $2bn (£1.2bn), would be paid entirely or mostly in shares rat
Read moreLondon close: Blue chips slip lower
16th Oct 2009 16:50
London's blue chips closed lower as investors used a 100 point plus fall for the Dow as an excuse to take profits. Many of the major commodity plays, including Xstrata, Rio Tinto and Anglo American had enjoyed gains in early deals, but investors lost interest late morning. Oil plays BP, Royal Dutc
Read moreLondon afternoon: Stocks remain lower
16th Oct 2009 14:54
London's blue chips are still in the red in midday dealings after the Dow dropped more than 100 points in the US. Many of the major commodity plays, including Xstrata, Rio Tinto and Anglo American had enjoyed gains in early deals, but investors lost interest late morning. Oil plays BP, Royal Dutch
Read moreBroker tips: Lloyds, National Express, Whitbread
16th Oct 2009 12:24
News of the disposal of its Halifax Estate Agencies sent shares in Lloyds higher Friday, but an upgrade from Deutsche Bank will have done no harm either. The German bank notes that the economy has strengthened, yet shares in Lloyds are 15% below their recent peak. It lifts its recommendation to '
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie gains evaporate
16th Oct 2009 12:07
London is back where it finished yesterday's session as a sell-off in the mining sector on weaker metal prices gathered pace near lunchtime. Many of the major commodity plays, including Xstrata, Rio Tinto and Anglo American had enjoyed gains in early deals, but investors lost interest late morning.
Read moreBroker snap: Deutsche Bank upgrade lifts Lloyds
16th Oct 2009 11:37
News of the disposal of its Halifax Estate Agencies sent shares in the bank Lloyds higher Friday, but an upgrade from Deutsche Bank will have done no harm either. The German bank notes that the economy has strengthened, yet shares in Lloyds are 15% below their recent peak. It lifts its recommenda
Read moreLondon open: Oil spike lifts Footsie
16th Oct 2009 08:45
Footsie has opened stronger helped by an improvement on Wall Street last night and strong demand for oil stocks after a spike in crude prices. National Express, though, is the main talking point. The price has crashed by more than a quarter as investors face the prospect of a hefty rights issue af
Read moreLloyds axes 460 as Halifax estate agency sold for £1
16th Oct 2009 07:40
Lloyds Banking is to cut 460 jobs including 360 permanent positions following the sale of Halifax Estate Agencies to rival LSL property for just £1. LSL will take over Halifax Estate Agency's assets and liabilities, which operates through a network of 218 branches, including 93 franchise operations
Read moreFriday newspaper round-up: National Express, Goldman Sachs, Lloyds
16th Oct 2009 06:17
The Spanish-led consortium bidding for National Express is set to withdraw its £765m takeover offer for the bus and rail operator, dealing a blow to the company's biggest shareholder. CVC, the private equity firm, and the Cosmen family, which owns an 18.5% stake, had been due to finish due diligenc
Read moreLloyds in talks to sell private client assets to Rathbone
15th Oct 2009 09:19
Lloyds Banking Group today confirmed it is in talks to sell some non core private client discretionary investment management activities to Rathbone Brothers. The bank, 43%-owned by the taxpayer, said the assets were currently part of its wealth and international division, mainly the Bank of Scotlan
Read moreThursday newspaper round-up: Lloyds, Northern Rock, BA
15th Oct 2009 06:28
The UK government will not underwrite Lloyds Banking Group's planned rights issue, potentially complicating the bank's push to raise enough capital to avoid the controversial asset insurance programme. The government, which owns 43.5% of Lloyds, is expected to participate in the planned rights iss
Read moreWednesday newspaper round-up: Royal Bank of Scotland, Vauxhall, Tesco
14th Oct 2009 06:20
Royal Bank of Scotland is exploring a government-backed plan to give up all of its 312 RBS-branded branches in England and Wales, in a radical move to satisfy Brussels state aid authorities. Officials close to the negotiations say the plan - mediated by the Treasury - is well advanced and is the fa
Read moreLloyds in talks to sell estate agencies business
13th Oct 2009 17:09
Cash hungry bank Lloyds Banking Group has confirmed it is in talks to offload its Halifax Estate Agencies business. LSL Property Services, which owns the estate agecy brands your Move, Reeds Rains and Intercounty, has expressed an interest in buying the estate agencies business of Lloyds which it i
Read moreLondon close: Retailers weigh on Footsie
13th Oct 2009 16:46
A poor performance from US shares dragged Footsie into the red and the leading index finished the day with substantial losses. Retailers were out of sorts despite some moderately optimistic news from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) concerning retail sales. The BRC said annual retail sales growt
Read moreLondon afternoon: Retailers sag after sales data
13th Oct 2009 14:26
Leading shares remain mixed, with the Footsie easing back into the red over the lunchtime session. Retailers are out of sorts despite some moderately optimistic news from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) concerning retail sales. The BRC said annual retail sales growth in September accelerated to
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