Sector movers: Banks and homebuilders lead gains

26th Apr 2016 15:19

(ShareCast News) - Banks and real estate and property stocks rode to the top of the leaderboard on the heels of well-received quarterly earnings from StanChart and a perception that Brexit risks were fading, although analysts and market commentary were cautious on both counts. For the first quarter

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HSBC adds Lloyds to 'Europe Super 10' list

25th Apr 2016 15:31

(ShareCast News) - HSBC added Lloyds to its 'Europe Super 10' list on Monday, as it removed Credit Agricole. It said Lloyds, which it rates at 'buy' with an 80p price target, has an attractive and progressive dividend yield helped by the exceptional returns generated by the group on risk assets. As

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Friday broker round-up

22nd Apr 2016 15:08

(ShareCast News) - Acacia Mining: Jefferies reiterates buy with a 390p target and Citigroup stays at neutral with a target price of 340p. ITV: UBS stays at sell with a 230p target. Easyjet: Credit Suisse keeps at outperform with a target price of 2137p. Lloyds: Deutsche Bank keeps at buy with a t

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Lloyds looking at deeper job cuts or new strategic review, reports say

22nd Apr 2016 08:29

(ShareCast News) - Lloyds Banking Group may make more than its planned 9,000 job cuts before the end of 2017, according to reports, with management pondering a new strategic review of the business. The FTSE 100 lender's directors are mulling axing further staff in order to cut back the cost base clo

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National Grid hit by jump in UK debt yields

21st Apr 2016 18:38

(ShareCast News) - Public sector net borrowing in the UK only overshot the Chancellor's target for the full fiscal year modestly, analysts said, but that was enough to push sovereign debt yields higher, knocking the likes of National Grid off their perch. Westminster's net cash requirement fell 34.0

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Tuesday newspaper round-up: Negative rates, Sorrell, Tata Steel

19th Apr 2016 07:20

(ShareCast News) - Investors looking for income may have to give up on UK equity funds. A spate of FTSE dividend cuts has prompted an industry-wide debate about how the term "income fund" should be defined. Some of the most popular products selected by retail investors, income funds have attracted b

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Time to buy European banks, says SocGen

14th Apr 2016 10:09

(ShareCast News) - Societe Generale turned bullish on European banks in its latest Europe Equity Compass, saying it was time to buy as deflation fears recede. The bank noted fear of deflation was back to an all-time high - even higher than after the Lehman collapse - with a plunge in oil prices and

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Lloyds speaks to advisers about potential insurance M&A, reports say

7th Apr 2016 12:46

(ShareCast News) - Lloyds Banking Group is planning to expand its insurance brand Scottish Widows via several acquisitions, according to reports. The lender has spoken to several City of London firms about potential acquisition targets and was not looking to divest the business, Sky News reported.

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JP Morgan prefers StanChart to HSBC

21st Mar 2016 12:45

(ShareCast News) - Shares in StanChart were offering close twice the value of those in HSBC, JP Morgan said, leading it to recommend them to clients over those in rival HSBC. Ongoing pressure on revenues from global markets and Asian wealth management might create downside risk for the sector, b

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Friday newspaper round-up: LLoyds Bank, NZ zero hour contracts, Libor traders

11th Mar 2016 07:14

(ShareCast News) - The US has been handed a proposal that would end the last vestiges of its control over the internet, touching off a potentially contentious political debate in Washington over the future of cyber space. The proposal was put forward on Thursday by the Internet Corporation for Assig

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CMA extends deadline for retail banking investigation

7th Mar 2016 09:50

(ShareCast News) - The Competition and Markets Authority has decided to extend the deadline for its investigation into the UK retail banking sector, which it believes is not competitive enough. The CMA said the extension to 12 August from May is necessary to allow enough time to take full and proper

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Thursday newspaper share tips: Virgin Money, Challenger banks

3rd Mar 2016 16:40

(ShareCast News) - Homes are not always a safe repository of value, as property busts show, but at the moment they are the safest corner of the UK banking space. That was reflected yesterday in Virgin Money's full-year figures for return on tangible equity, which at 10.9% easily trumped those of the

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Mastercard said to plan £1bn Vocalink takeover bid

3rd Mar 2016 13:02

(ShareCast News) - US-based credit card issuer Mastercard has reportedly drawn up secret pans for a takeover of international payment systems provider Vocalink. According to Sky News, Mastercard has approached the board of bank-owned Vocalink about a deal that could be worth more than £1bn. More th

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Monday broker round-up

29th Feb 2016 13:16

(ShareCast News) - IMI: JP Morgan reiterates overweight with a target price of 850p, Credit Suisse and Canaccord stays at underperform, Investec and HSBC keep at buy, 920p and 1000p target respectively, Exane BNP Paribas maintains neutral and Societe Generale reiterates hold. Jupiter Fund Management

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Friday broker round-up

26th Feb 2016 14:05

(ShareCast News) - Burberry: Nomura upgrades to buy with a target price of 1500p. Anglo American: Canaccord downgrades to sell with a target price of 350. South32: UBS reiterates neutral with a target price of 67p, Citigroup stays at buy, 75p target and Exane BNP Paribas keeps at outperform, 70p ta

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