Lloyds reportedly targeting acquisitions for first time since bailout
31st Jul 2015 16:19
(ShareCast News) - Lloyds Banking Group is reportedly starting to look at acquisitions for the first time since it required its state bailout. According to a person with knowledge of the matter cited by Bloomberg, the lender is considering buying loan books in areas such as consumer finance and cred
Read moreLondon midday: FTSE in the red on mixed earnings, data
31st Jul 2015 12:27
(ShareCast News) - The FTSE 100 slipped into the red on the back of a flat session in Asian markets, mixed earnings releases and economic data. Asian stocks were mixed, with Japan's Nikkei 225 index ending higher on upbeat reports on housing starts and construction orders but Shanghai fell on report
Read moreLloyds profits rise 15% in first half but second quarter disappoints
31st Jul 2015 08:24
(ShareCast News) - Lloyds Banking Group posted a 15% increase in underlying first-half profits to £4.4bn and declared an interim dividend of 0.75p per share, but plans for what analysts said was an "illusory" buyback and some missed forecasts hit the shares. The increased profit came from an increas
Read moreFriday preview: Lloyds reports first quarterly results since full TSB split
30th Jul 2015 17:11
(ShareCast News) - Lloyds Banking Group on Friday reports its first quarterly results since it cut ties with TSB completely. UBS said it expects the second quarter results to show underlying trends remained broadly stable. Net interest margin excluding TSB in the first quarter was 260 basis points
Read moreLloyds sells £2.6bn of Irish loans
30th Jul 2015 09:10
(ShareCast News) - Lloyds Banking Group has agreed the sale of a portfolio of Irish commercial loans to a consortium including Goldman Sachs and Bank of Ireland for a cash consideration of around £827m. The gross assets subject to the transaction are around £2.6bn, of which £2.3bn were impaired. Th
Read moreUK government cuts stake in Lloyds to just under 15%
16th Jul 2015 08:47
(ShareCast News) - The UK government has cut its stake in Lloyds Banking Group to 14.98% from 15.9% as the bank moves closer to full privatisation. The government started selling off its stake in Lloyds in September 2013 and the bank is set to become fully private again in 2016. It was rescued duri
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Aviva tops risers, housing and property shares fall
8th Jul 2015 16:58
On the day of Chancellor George Osborne's summer Budget, the FTSE 100 was in the green thanks to political boosts for several key sectors and optimistic buying of commodities companies. Aviva was the highest riser just before close on Wednesday, after the Budget saw the chancellor reduce the tax adv
Read moreUK Chancellor George Osborne to cut bank levy
8th Jul 2015 13:04
In the first Conservative Budget since 1996, Chancellor George Osborne announced that the bank levy rate will be gradually reduced over the next six years and a new 8% surcharge on bank profits will be introduced from January 2016. After that, Osborne said he will ensure the levy no longer applies t
Read moreBroker tips: ARM Holdings, Lloyds, Rolls-Royce, Land Securities
7th Jul 2015 16:32
Shares in chipmaker ARM Holdings have been boosted after Morgan Stanley upgraded the stock to 'overweight' from 'equalweight' and raised its share price target to 1,180p from 980p. The bank said that concerns around a slowdown of the smartphone market have created a buying opportunity for ARM, notin
Read moreGoldman Sachs expects rethink on bank levy in UK Budget
7th Jul 2015 12:43
Ahead of Chancellor George Osborne's Budget on Wednesday, here's a round-up of what Goldman Sachs expects. For UK banks, attention will be focused on any potential reform of the bank levy, as Osborne did not discuss it in his Mansion House speech in June, despite prior speculation. Goldman does not
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks weaken ahead of Greek summit as crisis continues
7th Jul 2015 11:14
Oil and gas stocks dragged the UK equity market lower on Tuesday after the recent plunge in crude prices, as investors showed caution ahead of a key Eurozone summit on Greece. The FTSE 100 was down 0.13% at 6,526.92 by midday, with Rolls-Royce providing a further drag as the stock extended losses fo
Read moreInvestec upgrades Lloyds from 'sell' to 'hold', but prefers other banks
7th Jul 2015 10:20
Investec has lifted its rating for Lloyds 'sell' to 'hold,' and upped its price target from 84p to 86p. Analyst Ian Gordon said a recent price correction meant the bank was close to fair value, and he was encouraged by the rapid sell down of the UK government's stake. However Investec preferred One
Read moreLondon open: Stocks inch lower ahead of key Greek summit
7th Jul 2015 09:15
UK stocks were trading slightly lower on Tuesday morning as investors awaited news from a meeting of Eurozone officials to discuss fresh proposals from Greece. The FTSE 100 was down 0.17% at 6,524.60 early on with oil and gas stocks out of favour following the recent plunge in crude prices. Stocks
Read moreUK government trims stake in Lloyds Banking Group
2nd Jul 2015 08:04
Lloyds Banking Group said on Thursday that the UK government has reduced its stake in the bank to 15.9% from 16.87%, as it moves towards full privatisation. The finance ministry started selling off its shares in Lloyds in September 2013 and the bank is expected to return to full private ownership by
Read moreThursday newspaper round-up: Greece, Chinese margin rules, General Electric
2nd Jul 2015 06:51
Michael Fuchs, a close ally of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, dismissed Greece's latest bailout proposal and said Germany would not "pour money" into a government that refused to change, The Telegraph reports. "China's securities regulator has moved to curb downward pressure on the country's tumbl
Read more