London open: Miners give markets a boost
9th Jul 2013 08:29
Strong gains from mining and banking stocks ensured a strong open for the FTSE 100 on Tuesday morning as sentiment was lifted by improving hopes for the US economy and a bailout deal in Greece. London's benchmark index opened over one per cent higher early on advancing past 6,500, a level not seen
Read moreTuesday broker round-up UPDATE
9th Jul 2013 07:53
Adept Telecom: Northland Capital revises target price from 108p to 115p and maintains a buy recommendation. AG Barr: Panmure Gordon raises target price from 500p to 600p and retains a hold recommendation. Aquarius Platinum: Westhouse Securities shifts target price from 35p to 40p upgrading from se
Read moreLondon close: Economists wax optimistic on UK
8th Jul 2013 17:08
Stocks registered a solid gain on Monday on the back of an advance in the banking sector. That came on the heels of what some economists termed a solid jobs report last Friday Stateside and upwards revisions to growth forecasts for the UK. Leading gains were shares of Royal Bank of Scotland, as Ch
Read moreLloyds stake to receive bid from group led by Mervyn Davies
8th Jul 2013 11:38
Former Standard Chartered Chairman Mervyn Davies plans to form a consortium of investors to bid for part of the UK government's 39 per cent stake in Lloyds Banking Group, according to reports on Monday. Davies has approached Standard Life and sovereign wealth funds about assembling a group to make
Read moreMonday newspaper round-up: Co-op , BP, EU-US free trade
8th Jul 2013 06:28
Former Audit Committee Chairman of Britannia Building Society, Bridget Rosewell, has raised questions about The Co-operative Bank, as the mystery over its sudden 1.5bn pound black hole worsens, The Times reported. BP will on Monday attempt to block what it describes as "inflated" compensation payme
Read moreSunday newspaper round-up: Lloyds, Bumi, Gulf Keystone
7th Jul 2013 22:40
Singapore´s giant sovereign wealth fund has made a preliminary approach to the government about buying a 4.5bn pound stake in Lloyds Banking Group. Temasek, one of the biggest investors in the financial services sector, is believed to be willing to buy about 10 per cent of the bank's shares. An init
Read moreLevene accuses Lloyds bosses of misleading MPs
4th Jul 2013 17:20
Lord Levene, the City heavyweight who tried to buy more than 600 Lloyds Banking Group branches, has attacked the bank's bosses for misleading MPs over the failed sale. In evidence to the Treasury Select Committee, Levene accuses Lloyds' chiefs of being "at best, disingenuous" in their description o
Read moreSector movers: RBS leads banks higher as markets surge
4th Jul 2013 14:51
Every sector in London was trading in positive territory on Thursday as dovish comments by central banks in the UK and Europe sparked a market-wide surge with the FTSE 100 up around three per cent by late afternoon. The Bank of England and European Central Bank both dampened expectations of potenti
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks rise as BoE holds fire, markets eye ECB
4th Jul 2013 11:28
The FTSE 100 issued decent gains on Thursday morning, taking advantage of expected low volumes on the back of the Independence Day holiday in the States, with all eyes on central banks in the UK and Europe in the absence of any major economic data today. As expected, the Bank of England (BoE) stood
Read moreBroker tips: Lloyds, ASOS, Dunelm
4th Jul 2013 10:49
An improving picture of the housing market should start to rub off on UK banks, according to Nomura, which is viewing the the sector with 'guarded optimism'. Nomura has upgraded its rating for Lloyds from 'reduce' to 'neutral', saying that the company is now its top pick in the domestic UK banking
Read moreBroker snap: Nomura upgrades Lloyds on housing recovery
4th Jul 2013 09:49
An improving picture of the housing market should start to rub off on UK banks, according to Nomura, which is viewing the the sector with 'guarded optimism'. In a research report released on July 3rd, the broker said that UK house prices are 10% too low and could rise by 15% by the end of 2015 (up
Read moreLondon open: Stocks rise as eyes turn to BoE, ECB
4th Jul 2013 08:25
The FTSE 100 rebounded strongly on Thursday morning after a sell-off the day before, as traders took advantage of thin volumes with markets in the States shut for Independence Day. The Bank of England (BoE) and European Central Bank (ECB) policy decisions will be in focus today with little economic
Read moreThursday broker round-up UPDATE
4th Jul 2013 08:17
Aberdeen Asset Management: JP Morgan reduces target price from 573p to 476p and reiterates its overweight rating. Ashmore Group: JP Morgan cuts target price from 410p to 339p maintaining a neutral rating. ASOS: Jefferies raises target price from 2199p to 6200p and upgrades from underperform to buy
Read moreBanks asked to tender for role in Lloyds, RBS share sale process
28th Jun 2013 14:11
The UK government took the first step in the eventual reprivatisation of Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds Banking Group by asking investment banks to tender for a role in the share sales. UK Financial Investments, which manages the stakes on behalf of the government, has told bank advisers to regi
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Serco gains on growth forecast
28th Jun 2013 12:59
Public services outsourcing company Serco Group led the FTSE 100 race on Friday after saying it expects to report strong revenue growth in its full-year results. Schroders edged higher as the asset manager was upgraded by analysts at BNP Paribas to an 'outperform' rating in a research report on Fr
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