FTSE 100 movers: Smith & Nephew leads top-tier index higher on M&A reports
5th Jun 2014 14:59
M&A speculation continued to boost the share price of Smith & Nephew on Thursday, as another company was reported to be interested in the medical devices firm. According to Bloomberg which cited people familiar with the matter, US peer Medtronic is in the early stages of preparing to make a bid for
Read moreBanks underpay PPI compensation by £1bn, report claims
5th Jun 2014 09:16
Banks have underpaid compensation for mis-sold payment protection insurance (PPI) policies by about £1bn, according the BBC on Thursday. The customers affected had PPI on credit cards issued by Barclays, MBNA, Capital One and Lloyds Banking Group. All the banks involved have said they will make ev
Read moreLondon open: ASOS plummets as UK stocks fall ahead of ECB
5th Jun 2014 08:26
techMARK 2,825.83 +0.11% FTSE 100 6,802.80 -0.23% FTSE 250 15,937.44 -0.31% A surprise profit warning from fast-growing fashion retailer ASOS and a cautious outlook from speciality chemicals firm Johnson Matthey sent UK stock markets lower on Thursday, as investors nerves were tested ahead of the p
Read moreLondon pre-open: Quiet start expected as investors eagerly await ECB decision
5th Jun 2014 07:26
It is likely to be a subdued start for equity markets in the UK as investors sit on their hands ahead of the pivotal European Central Bank (ECB) meeting this afternoon. Though the ECB is widely expected to unleash a host of new measures to battle deflationary pressures and boost growth across the
Read moreLloyds sells UK real estate loans for £352m
5th Jun 2014 07:13
Lloyds Banking Group is to sell a portfolio of UK commercial real estate loans to Promontoria Holding for £352m in cash. The sale to Promontoria, which is an affiliate of private investment firm Cerberus Global Investors, is part of Lloyds' continued "non-core run-off portfolio asset reduction prog
Read moreWednesday newspaper round-up: Oil prices, RBS, Lloyds
4th Jun 2014 07:50
The world needs to invest more than 48trn dollars by 2035 to meet global energy demand and prevent oil prices spiralling out of control, according to the International Energy Agency. The IEA, which represents some of the world's largest energy consuming countries, said that current investment to sec
Read moreLondon pre-open: FTSE to drop on Tesco Q1 result, Queen speech, PMIs
4th Jun 2014 07:40
A disappointing result from Tesco, the Queen's speech at the opening of Parliament and expectations of services data are all set to push blue chips into the red at this morning's opening bell. City sources predict the FTSE 100 will open around six points lower than yesterday's close of 6,836.30.
Read moreLloyds withdraws from Rosneft-BP deal
3rd Jun 2014 22:40
Lloyds Banking Group has reportedly withdrawn from a $1.5-$2bn trade finance deal involving Russian oil company Rosneft. The part-government owned lender, as well as Deutsche Bank, HSBC and Bank of China, was a mandated lead arranger on the loan to finance BP's purchase of crude oil and refined pro
Read moreSunday newspaper round-up: Lloyds Banking, Tesco, AstraZeneca
1st Jun 2014 14:03
Lloyds Banking Group has given TSB a £450m "dowry" as part of its £15bn initial public offering, the Sunday Telegraph reported. The small print of the TSB offer document reveals that Lloyds will pay up to £450m of integration costs if TSB changes its technology platform or is taken over. The unusual
Read moreBroker tips: Lloyds, Smith & Nephew, IMI, Imagination Technologies
29th May 2014 12:47
Broker Oriel said Lloyds Banking Group's offloading of TSB should enhance net interest margin for the bank and, with a rising dividend yield, has reiterated its 'buy' recommendation on the bank. "This improvement should become apparent once TSB is deconsolidated, which will depend on how quickly Ll
Read moreOriel says buy Lloyds on TSB IPO and improving yield
29th May 2014 11:32
Broker Oriel said Lloyds Banking Group's offloading of TSB should enhance net interest margin (NIM) for Lloyds and, with a rising dividend yield, has reiterated its 'buy' recommendation on the bank. With a Tier 1 capital (CET1) ratio of 10.7% and leverage ratio of 4.5% at the end of the first quart
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Royal Mail slides on broker rating cut
28th May 2014 14:58
Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated its 'sell' rating on Royal Mail, and cut its target price from 500p to 480p, pushing the stock into the bottom spot. Engineering group Weir fell after announcing it has dropped its pursuit to merge with Metso after continued rejections from the board of the Finnish riva
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks rangebound as investors turn cautious
28th May 2014 11:38
- Eurozone data comes in mixed, German unemployment weak - Markets cautious after recent highs - RBS, LSE lead financials high - GSK to be investigated by UK fraud body techMARK 2,788.03 +0.06% FTSE 100 6,849.21 +0.06% FTSE 250 15,890.88 +0.30% UK stocks were trading in a narrow range on Wednesday
Read moreLondon close: Investors ponder merits of TSB float
27th May 2014 16:58
- FTSE 100 catches up after long weekend - Euroscepticism tempered by election results in Italy, Greece - IHG gains on bid interest - Lloyds to float TSB division - Pfizer walks away from AstraZeneca proposal techMARK 2,786.31 +1.03% FTSE 100 6,844.94 +0.43% FTSE 250 15,843.93 +0.88% Equities ende
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: IHG leads markets higher on bid rumours
27th May 2014 14:05
InterContinental Hotels Group shares surged on Tuesday after Sky News reported that the the company rejected a 6bn-pound takeover bid on the grounds that it was too low. While the identity of the bidder has not been confirmed, analysts have suggested that the proposal could have come from Starwood H
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