Thursday newspaper round-up: UK trade, Israel, Lloyds...
7th Aug 2014 06:58
Britain's trade performance over the past two decades has been worse than any other country in the G7, with a shortfall of nearly £40 billion in goods exports in the past five years alone. In a new report that lays bare the gap between the UK and its competitors, Royal Bank of Scotland found that go
Read moreHalifax reports increase in UK house prices
6th Aug 2014 10:36
UK house prices rose 1.4% month-on-month and 10.2% year-on-year in July, Halifax announced on Wednesday. In the three months to July, prices were 3.6% higher than the previous quarter, the lender added. The lender reported that the average house price was £186,322 in July, up over £3,000 from the
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Intertek, HSBC lead risers after H1 results
4th Aug 2014 15:27
Product testing, inspection and certification group Intertek saw its share price surge 7% after half-year profits beat estimates despite sales falling short of forecasts. The company said that earnings per share slipped to 61.2p in the first six months of the year, down 1.1% on the year but above th
Read moreSector movers: UK banking stocks rise after HSBC results
4th Aug 2014 14:45
Banking stocks were leading the risers in London on Monday after investors gave a welcome reception to first-half results from sector heavyweight HSBC. HSBC shares were up 1.5% at 638.7p in afternoon trade despite the company reporting a worse-than-expected 12% fall in half-year profits. The bank
Read moreLondon midday: UK stocks snap three-day decline as HSBC rises
4th Aug 2014 12:12
- HSBC leads banks higher, Intertek rises - UK construction PMI beats forecasts - Portugal concerns ease after BES rescue techMARK 2,748.21 -0.12% FTSE 100 6,711.03 +0.48% FTSE 250 15,387.53 -0.10% UK stocks pushed higher on Monday as the FTSE 100 rebounded after three straight days of losses, as
Read moreMonday newspaper round-up: Banco Espírito Santo, Lloyds, Carillion...
4th Aug 2014 07:05
Portugal's troubled Banco Espírito Santo has been renamed "Novo Banco" (New Bank), and split into a "good" and a "bad" bank under a €4.9-billion rescue plan drawn up by the country's central bank to keep the lender afloat. The Bank of Portugal stepped in last night after a disastrous week in which s
Read moreSunday newspaper round-up: Carillion-Balfour, share sell-off, Lloyds Banking
3rd Aug 2014 18:04
Carillion plans to put Balfour Beatty in a "bear hug" to tempt Balfour's shareholders to support its attempted takeover, the Sunday Times said. Carillion last week scuppered a planned all-share merger when it backtracked on the agreed sale of Balfour's Parsons Brinckerhoff US design consultancy. Wit
Read moreFriday broker round-up UPDATE
1st Aug 2014 10:33
AstraZeneca: Deutsche Bank ups target price from 3950p to 4000p staying with its hold recommendation. Avacta: Numis places both its target price and its buy recommendation under review. Barclays: Berenberg upgrades from sell to hold with a target price of 220p. Bodycote: UBS shifts target price f
Read moreLondon close: FTSE lower on US fed, Russian sanctions, corporate news
31st Jul 2014 16:59
- FTSE closes down 43.44 at 6,730.11 - Eurozone CPI comes in at 0.4% - UK house prices rise slowest since April 2013 techMARK 2,764.95 -0.52% FTSE 100 6,730.11 -0.64% FTSE 250 15,495.64 -0.86% The FTSE 100 suffered a drop in both early and late trade, ultimately closing 43.33 points lower at 6,730
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Shell rises after Q2 profit beats expectations
31st Jul 2014 16:18
Results from oil major Royal Dutch Shell jumped after it smashed analysts' estimates with its second-quarter profits. Shell, which has a market cap of around £156bn at current prices, said that earnings on a current cost of supplies basis surged to $5.1bn in the three months to 30 June, up from $2.4
Read moreBroker tips: Lloyds, Shell, Weir, Afren
31st Jul 2014 12:59
Better-than-expected second-quarter results from Lloyds Banking Group have prompted Investec to repeat its 'buy' recommendation for the stock. "The market has, (quite rightly in our view), taken disclosure of Lloyds' 'reprehensible' LIBOR manipulation and (immaterial) £0.2bn fine in its stride," sa
Read moreLondon midday: Earnings come in mixed as investors watch US data, Fed
31st Jul 2014 12:04
- Shell, BG Group and Intu lead the risers - Weir, Schroders and Lloyds fall - Afren drops after suspending directors - US data and Fed keep investors cautious techMARK 2,763.54 -0.57% FTSE 100 6,763.04 -0.15% FTSE 250 15,495.73 -0.86% London stocks were trading in the red for a second straight da
Read moreInvestec sees solid progress at Lloyds at Q2 beat
31st Jul 2014 11:00
Better-than-expected second-quarter results from Lloyds Banking Group have prompted Investec to repeat its 'buy' recommendation for the stock. "The market has, (quite rightly in our view), taken disclosure of Lloyds' 'reprehensible' LIBOR manipulation and (immaterial) £0.2bn fine in its stride," sa
Read moreLondon open: Stocks flat as investors digest corporate earnings
31st Jul 2014 09:15
- Lloyds falls despite H1 profit beat - Shell, BG, BT and Diageo rise after results - Weir and Rolls-Royce disappoint - US data and Fed in focus techMARK 2,771.22 -0.29% FTSE 100 6,777.11 +0.05% FTSE 250 15,521.52 -0.69% Another wave of corporate earnings was keeping investors busy on Thursday mor
Read moreLloyds' underlying profits ahead of forecasts
31st Jul 2014 08:35
Lloyds saw underlying profits improve by 32% to £3.82bn in the first half of the year. The analyst consensus was for an underlying profit of £3.6bn. The above was achieved despite a 2.2% fall in total underlying income to £9.25bn. Impairments for souring loans decreased 58% to £758m. Excluding t
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