London midday: Stocks rise as Chinese manufacturing hits seven-month high
24th Oct 2013 12:10
- Chinese HSBC PMI at seven-month high - Eurozone composite PMI misses forecasts - Sports Direct founder sells 106m-pound stake techMARK 2,629.17 +0.18% FTSE 100 6,706.61 +0.48% FTSE 250 15,526.08 +0.20% UK stocks were performing well on Thursday as some improving data from China fuelled some dece
Read moreAberdeen confirms Lloyds SWIP talks
24th Oct 2013 11:59
Fund group Aberdeen Asset Management confirmed rumours it was in talks with Lloyds Banking Group about the potential acquisition of Scottish Widows Investment Partnership (SWIP). The FTSE 100 company said these early stage discussions also included the formation of a strategic partnership with curr
Read moreLondon close: Stocks pull back from five-month high
23rd Oct 2013 17:01
- Miners, banks weigh on Footsie - Money-market rates spike in China - RSA up on bid speculation techMARK 2,624.47 -0.41% FTSE 100 6,674.48 -0.32% FTSE 250 15,494.97 -0.11% The FTSE 100 finished in negative territory for the first time in 10 trading sessions on Wednesday as traders took profits af
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: RSA rises amid heavy volume on bid talk
23rd Oct 2013 14:06
Chip designer ARM Holdings fell for the second straight day as investors gave a cool reaction to its third-quarter results. JPMorgan Cazenove said this morning that it sees "no reason to be building positions at this time and would take profits in the short term". A number of stocks were also trad
Read moreLondon midday: Markets pull back from five-month high as banks fall
23rd Oct 2013 11:15
Concerns over the Chinese economy and a weak performance by banking stocks halted a nine-day winning streak for UK markets on Wednesday, as investors chose to take profits following a strong run. The FTSE 100 snapped a nine-day winning streak this morning, pulling back from Tuesday's finish of 6,69
Read moreLondon close: Markets rise for eighth straight day, but RBS sinks
21st Oct 2013 16:54
The FTSE 100 hit a two-and-a-half-month high on Monday ahead of the eagerly anticipated US jobs report as markets managed to offset some heavy falls from heavyweight bank RBS. The UK lender dropped nearly 5% today after Chancellor George Osborne was quoted as saying that a decision over a 'good ban
Read moreLondon midday: FTSE 100 at a two-and-a-half-month high
21st Oct 2013 11:22
The FTSE 100 was trading at its highest levels since early August on Monday morning as equities extended gains made last week following the last-minute US deal to extend the debt ceiling. Upside was limited in morning trade, but London's benchmark index still managed to push past its September high
Read moreMonday newspaper round-up: Lloyds, Hinkley Point, Housing market
21st Oct 2013 07:25
David Cameron is planning to build on the huge popularity of the Royal Mail privatisation by prioritising retail investors for the sell-offs ahead of the general election in 2015. Attracting retail investors will be a key aim as the government prepares to complete the sales of Royal Mail and Lloyds
Read moreSector movers: RBS, Barclays lead banks lower
18th Oct 2013 14:01
Banking stocks were mostly under the weather on Friday with domestic lenders Royal Bank of Scotland and Barclays leading to the downside. RBS was being weighed down by some gloomy comments from Investec analyst Ian Gordon, who recommended investors not to own the stock ahead of the bank's third-qua
Read moreBroker tips: UK banks, SABMiller, Antofagasta
17th Oct 2013 14:07
UK banks were trading in the red on Thursday after Exane BNP Paribas speculated that lenders may need to raise more capital to meet regulatory requirements. The Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA), due to make its final statement in December, could introduce additional capital buffers on top of c
Read moreBroker snap: UK banks could need extra capital, says BNP
17th Oct 2013 12:47
UK banks were trading in the red on Thursday after Exane BNP Paribas speculated that lenders may need to raise more capital to meet regulatory requirements. The Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA), due to make its final statement in December, could introduce additional capital buffers on top of c
Read moreBarclays named most complained about firm, FCA data reveals
16th Oct 2013 14:18
Barclays has been named as the most complained about firm in the first half, according to data from the Financial Conduct Authority. It had 370,733 complaints in the first half, down 12% from the previous half. Lloyds TSB was the second most complained about financial services firm with 253,735 co
Read moreLondon close: Markets rise despite debt-ceiling uncertainty
14th Oct 2013 16:49
Markets finished at their highest levels in two and a half weeks on Monday despite the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the US debt ceiling, as a deal to raise the borrowing limit still remains elusive. The FTSE 100 finished 20.46 points higher at 6,507.65, its best level since September 27th when i
Read moreSector movers: RBS leads banks lower after BofA downgrade
14th Oct 2013 16:00
UK-listed banks were out of favour on Monday as macro concerns weighed on investor appetite for risk; Royal Bank of Scotland was a heavy faller after being hit with a downgrade by Bank of America Merrill Lynch. The US broker lowered its rating for RBS from 'neutral' to 'underperform', cutting its p
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Johnson Matthey tops leaders after upgrade
14th Oct 2013 14:37
The share price of chemicals group Johnson Matthey jumped on Monday after the stock was upgraded by JPMorgan Cazenove from 'neutral' to 'overweight'. The US bank hiked its target price for the shares from 2,800p to 4,000p, saying that it sees "major potential from a swathe of new global industrial c
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