FTSE 100 movers: Lloyds and RBS climb again
6th Aug 2009 09:26
Part-nationalised banks Lloyds and Royal Bank of Scotland rose again on hopes that the worst of the credit crunch write-offs have now passed. Lloyds suggested yesterday that bad debt charges for HBOS's portfolio may have peaked. RBS reports tomorrow and is is being tipped to return to profit of aro
Read moreLondon open: Stocks surge ahead
6th Aug 2009 08:53
London's top stocks charge off the blocks as financials set a fast pace in early deals. Insurer Aviva is the main riser after it cut interim dividend by 31% and announced plans for a partial IPO of its Dutch business. IFRS operating profit fell to £1.05bn for the six months ended 30 June 2009 from
Read moreLondon close: Stocks pushed lower
5th Aug 2009 17:00
London's top stocks finished in the red as a poor start in the US and ex-dividends eventually ate into the early gains. US shares made a dull start on worse than expected job losses in July according to the private firm ADP. It said 371,000 people were laid-off compared to estimates of 350,000. L
Read moreLondon afternoon: Blue chips hang onto gains
5th Aug 2009 14:27
Footsie is holding its own in the afternoon session with Lloyds soaring despite a massive interim loss. US shares have made a dull start on worse than expected job losses in July according to the private firm ADP. It said 371,000 people were laid-off compared to estimates of 350,000. The survey is
Read moreLondon midday: Lloyds pulls Footsie higher
5th Aug 2009 11:24
Footsie is in the blue now as financials push ahead again on the back of Lloyds Banking, which is motoring forward. Lloyds Banking shares are up over 13% as investors bet that the worst of the bad debts that caused an underlying loss of £4bn in the half year to June are passed. Impairment charges
Read moreTechnical Analysis Snap: Lloyds results shrugged off by the market
5th Aug 2009 10:57
Lloyds results this morning, which came in far worse than analysts expected on the impairments side, have boosted the share price on the basis that the bad debts have probably peaked. An underlying loss of £4bn for the first half, slightly better than feared, with higher than expected impairment ch
Read moreLondon open: Lloyds gives market a boost
5th Aug 2009 08:39
Footsie has shrugged off a host of ex-dividends to move gently ahead with Lloyds and British Airways leading the way. Lloyds Banking posted an underlying loss of £4bn in the half year to June as impairment charges jumped by nearly £11bn to £13.4bn reflecting huge write-downs of HBOS's commercial pr
Read moreLondon pre-open: Lower start expected
5th Aug 2009 07:48
Footsie is expected to add to yesterday's losses as the stream of results from banks and insurers continues. Lloyds Banking posted an underlying loss of £4bn in the half year to June as impairment charges jumped by nearly £11bn to £13.4bn reflecting huge write-downs of HBOS's commercial property lo
Read moreUpdate: Lloyds shares soar despite £4bn loss
5th Aug 2009 07:03
Shares in Lloyds Banking soared today despite the part-nationalised bank posting an underlying loss of £4bn after a huge jump in bad debts. Impairment charges jumped by nearly £11bn to £13.4bn reflecting huge write-downs of HBOS's commercial property loans, but investors took heart from the bank's
Read moreWednesday newspaper round-up: Pensions, Lloyds Banking
5th Aug 2009 06:33
The shortfall in FTSE 100 blue chip final-salary pension schemes more than doubled in the past year to a record £96 billion, according to a new survey. The slide in equity markets and the fallout from the collapse of Lehman Brothers, the former Wall Street banking group, were blamed. The figures,
Read moreWednesday preview: All about Lloyds Banking
4th Aug 2009 12:34
Part-nationalised bank Lloyds Banking will dominate the headlines tomorrow morning. Rivals Barclays and HSBC have done well this week after their figures. Lloyds will receive less of a lift from the revival in capital markets, focused as it is on the retail market, even so the bank is tipped to an
Read moreSunday newspaper round-up: UK banks, National Express, William Hill
2nd Aug 2009 10:43
Treasury minister Lord Myners' radical plans for changes to financial regulation are "dangerous" and could result in a further loss of confidence in the market, according to the Association of British Insurers (ABI), the Sunday Telegraph reports. Lord Myners' idea for a two-tier shareholder registe
Read moreShareholders of UK banks looking for a result
31st Jul 2009 18:06
The banking sector has been one of the top five performers since the market rally started on 9 March, and next week's results from the major players are expected to add weight to the view that the worst may be behind them. Barclays and HSBC get the ball rolling on Monday. Both companies have avoide
Read moreUKFI chief Kingman steps down
28th Jul 2009 12:12
John Kingman, the chief executive of UKFI, the body controlling the government's stake in Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds, has surprised the City and stunned the government by handing in his resignation. Kingman, a former Treasury official who played a key part in last year's part-nationalisatio
Read moreLondon open: Footsie on course for record
28th Jul 2009 08:33
All eyes today will be on Footsie and whether it can set a new record of twelve consecutive daily gains. Currently, it is comfortably on course despite some mixed results on another big day for company announcements. Oil giant BP announced second quarter replacement cost profits towards the top e
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