London close: Stocks near session high
12th Aug 2009 16:14
Footsie closed near a session high on Wednesday as London's top stocks continued to add to gains in afternoon trade, with banks among the best performers. Lloyds Banking finished up more than 6%, closely followed by fellow part-nationalised lender Royal Bank of Scotland . The FSA unveiled a new co
Read moreLondon afternoon: Gains trimmed
12th Aug 2009 14:10
London is clinging onto positive territory as Wall Street gears up for a slow start ahead of tonight's Federal Reserve policy statement. Banks continue to do well. Royal Bank of Scotland agreed to sell its Pakistan unit to MCB Bank for $87m (£53m). The UK lender, 70%-owned by the British governmen
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie rallies despite BoE caution
12th Aug 2009 12:16
Footsie has rallied despite a mixed morning for UK economic news with unemployment hitting a new 14-year high and low key comments about UK recovery from the Bank of England. In the central bank's quarterly inflation report, Bank governor Mervyn King said the sustainability and strength of any reco
Read moreLondon open: Dull start for Footsie
12th Aug 2009 08:45
London's leading share index is in reverse gear again as the banks drift lower with miners also weak after BHP Billiton's figures and four Rio executives being charged with bribery by China. Full-year profits have halved at miner BHP Billiton as the recession slashed volumes and sent prices tumbli
Read moreLloyds dispenses with HBOS fund arm
12th Aug 2009 07:50
Lloyds Banking is to make an unspecified number of job cuts following a decision to fold most of HBOS's Insight fund management division into its Scottish Widows arm. The parts not being transferred have been sold to Bank of New York Mellon for £235m. Under the restructuring, Scottish Widows (SWIP
Read moreLondon close: Weak US drags down Footsie
11th Aug 2009 16:32
Footsie finished the day firmly in the red despite a bright start as banks weighed on the leading share index and a poor start in the US compounded earlier losses. While there was little US company news, stocks were hit by analyst downgrades on companies such as Yum Brands, which owns fast food cha
Read moreLondon afternoon: US slump spreads to Footsie
11th Aug 2009 15:37
Footsie has plunged further into the red in line with a poor performance on Wall Street. While there was little US company news, stocks were hit by analyst downgrades on companies such as Yum Brands, which owns fast food chains such as Pizza Hut, and mobile phone group Sprint Nextel. Banks are wea
Read moreResolution kicks off Life consolidation project
11th Aug 2009 13:07
Friends Provident has finally succumbed to the overtures of Clive Cowdery's consolidation vehicle Resolution, but investors are already trying to guess who the insurance guru will target next. Although it took several attempts to nail the £1.86bn deal with Britain's sixth-largest life group, the f
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie struggles as banks dip
11th Aug 2009 12:07
Footsie has slipped into the red as results and takeover can't offset another day of weakness in the banking sector. Banks are weak after the FT is reported that Lloyds Banking's tentative plans to raise an estimated £15bn-£20bn in a rights issue to reduce its reliance on the government face a wall
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Banks slide on cash call scepticism
11th Aug 2009 11:06
Banks are weak after the FT is reported that Lloyds Banking's tentative plans to raise an estimated £15bn-£20bn in a rights issue to reduce its reliance on the government face a wall of scepticism in Whitehall and among investors. Royal Bank of Scotland is also lower. Power generator International
Read moreLondon open: Solid start for blue chips
11th Aug 2009 08:26
London's blue chips have opened stronger than expected higher on a couple of decent results and the confirmation of Friends Provident's and Resolution's tie-up. Clive Cowdery's insurance investment vehicle Resolution will be catapulted into the FTSE 100 index after life insurer Friends Provident ac
Read moreLondon pre-open: Small gains ahead
11th Aug 2009 07:35
London's top stocks look set to open marginally higher with traders expecting Footsie to add 5 points in early trading. Clive Cowdery's insurance investment vehicle Resolution will be catapulted into the FTSE 100 index after life insurer Friends Provident accepted a new £1.86bn bid on Tuesday. Fr
Read moreTuesday newspaper round-up: Lloyds, JJB, BAE Systems
11th Aug 2009 06:16
Lloyds Banking's tentative plans to raise an estimated £15bn-£20bn in a rights issue to reduce its reliance on the government face a wall of scepticism in Whitehall and among investors. Lloyds last week floated the idea that the terms of its participation in the government's asset protection scheme
Read moreLondon close: Struggling Footsie finishes lower
10th Aug 2009 16:41
Footsie fought to lift itself into the blue all day but remained in the red as banks and miners weigh on the index. Lloyds Banking, which is apparently mulling a £15bn fundraising to keep down the cost of insuring toxic debt with the Government, fell. Reports in the weekend press suggest the Treasu
Read moreLondon afternoon: Stocks still softer
10th Aug 2009 15:01
The Footsie continues to trade lower, but in a narrow range as weaker banks and miners easily offset gains among the insurers. Lloyds Banking is apparently mulling a £15bn fundraising to keep down the cost of insuring toxic debt with the Government. Reports in the weekend press suggest the Treasury
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