London midday: Markets pause on US stalemate, mixed Chinese data
14th Oct 2013 11:28
Markets paused at a two-week high on Monday as investors refrained from building as concerns over the US debt ceiling and mixed data from China weighed on risk appetite. London's benchmark FTSE 100 was trading with small gains by midday after finishing Friday's session at 6,483.79, its highest clos
Read moreHelp to Buy boosts mortgage applications at RBS
14th Oct 2013 09:47
Royal Bank of Scotland has experienced high demand for mortgages after the government launched the second phase of its Help to Buy scheme last week. The lender booked up 5,000 mortgage appointments with customers within just three hours of the scheme going live and received 10,000 calls in the firs
Read moreLondon open: Stocks flat as US political deadlock continues
14th Oct 2013 08:38
A political stalemate in Washington over the debt ceiling weighed on risk appetite on Monday morning, with the FTSE 100 holding steady in early trading after hitting two-week highs the previous session. London's benchmark index finished at 6,483.79 on Friday, its highest close since September 27th,
Read moreLondon pre-open: FTSE to continue to climb higher
11th Oct 2013 07:25
City sources predict the FTSE 100 will open around 28 points higher than Thursday's close of 6,430.49, as investors begin to rebuild their confidence on hopes that lawmakers can come to a deal over the debt ceiling to stave off a default. Both US and Asian markets put it a strong performance overn
Read moreLloyds sells Australian assets to Westpac for 0.9bn pounds
11th Oct 2013 07:05
Lloyds Banking Group is to bid farewell to Australia after agreeing the sale of its assets there for 0.9bn pounds to Westpac Banking Corp. The disposal is in line with Lloyds' strategy of rationalising its international business and concentrating on the UK. The deal includes Capital Finance Austr
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks rebound strongly from three-month low
10th Oct 2013 11:16
UK markets jumped strongly on Thursday morning following three straight days of losses as hopes build over a resolution to the political deadlock in Washington and the continuation of monetary stimulus by the Federal Reserve. After hitting a three-month low yesterday, the FTSE 100 rebounded strong
Read moreLondon open: Stocks rise on hopes over US deal, taper delay
10th Oct 2013 08:22
Stocks gained strongly on Thursday morning as signs of progress in Washington and hopes over a continuation of US monetary stimulus prompted bargain hunters to step in following three straight days of losses. The FTSE 100 set a fresh three-month low of 6,337.91 on Wednesday afternoon, its worst lev
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Vedanta hit by downgrade
9th Oct 2013 15:01
Vedanta Resources delivered record oil and gas production and a rise in the output of refined zinc, lead and silver in the second quarter. However, the stock was among the worst performers today after reportedly being downgraded by Morgan Stanley to 'underweight'. ARM Holdings also took a hit, trac
Read moreLondon midday: Markets pause at three-month low as UK data disappoints
9th Oct 2013 11:19
Disappointing UK production figures and the ongoing political deadlock in the US weighed on market sentiment on Wednesday morning, with the FTSE 100 subdued after hitting a three-month low the day before. London's benchmark FTSE 100 index was trading broadly flat by midday, erasing earlier losses,
Read moreLondon open: Stocks under pressure as debt ceiling looms
9th Oct 2013 08:22
Markets dropped sharply once again on Wednesday as investors' appetite for risk continues to be eroded by the ongoing government shutdown in the US. Not even the news that well-known dove Janet Yellen will be nominated as the next chair of the Federal Reserve lifted stocks this morning, with the FT
Read moreLondon close: FTSE 100 at three-month low as IMF cuts global outlook
8th Oct 2013 16:39
Disappointing economic data and the ongoing US government shutdown sparked a sell-off on London's FTSE 100 on Tuesday, with the index falling to levels not seen in over three months. Meanwhile, as the budget impasse continues in Washington, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) today cut its outloo
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Retailers hit by BRC figures
8th Oct 2013 15:09
Blue-chip retailers Marks & Spencer, Next and Kingfisher were among the worst performers of the day after data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) showed that UK retail sales growth slowed for the second straight month in September. According to the BRC, like-for-like sales growth fell to an
Read moreLondon midday: Retailers, miners drag FTSE 100 into the red
8th Oct 2013 11:20
Markets were sharply lower on Tuesday with retailers and miners providing a drag as investors digested a barrage of gloomy economic data and the ongoing government shutdown in the States. The FTSE 100 dipped below the 6,400 mark in morning trade, a level seen as support for London's benchmark index
Read moreLloyds Bank returns to bond market
7th Oct 2013 14:49
Lloyds Bank returned to the bond market on Monday after a two-year break. The retail division of Lloyds Banking Group was due to price a €1bn five-year bond on Monday, Reuters reported. Books were opened by the issuer in early trading. Today´s benchmark trade is only the second senior unsecured is
Read moreLondon open: M&S, Burberry lead FTSE 100 lower as US shutdown persists
7th Oct 2013 08:29
An ongoing government shutdown Stateside continued to weigh on market sentiment on Monday with London's FTSE 100 registering losses in morning trade. US lawmakers failed to reach an agreement on either the budget or the debt-ceiling over the weekend, heightening fears that the US could run out of t
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