London midday: Markets rangebound with focus on central banks
6th Jun 2013 11:39
Markets were rangebound on Thursday morning as traders awaited announcements from the Bank of England (BoE) and European Central Bank (ECB) on monetary policy. There were just 16 points separating the index's intraday low (6,416) and high (6,432), as markets paused for breath following a heavy sell
Read moreLondon open: Markets pause ahead of BoE and ECB decisions
6th Jun 2013 08:34
Markets opened broadly flat on Thursday morning as traders paused for breath following the heavy sell-off the day before, with all eyes on the Bank of England (BoE) and European Central Bank (ECB) as they prepare to announce their latest monetary policy decisions this afternoon. The FTSE 100 lost 2
Read moreWednesday broker round-up UPDATE
5th Jun 2013 09:34
Aberdeen Asset Mangement: UBS cuts target price from 520p to 505p, while maintaining its buy recommendation. Alternative Networks: Investec revises target price from 350p to 390p keeping a buy recommendation. API Group: Numis upgrades to add with a target price of 75p. Ashmore Group: UBS lowers t
Read moreWednesday newspaper round-up: Apple, HSBC, Home Retail...
5th Jun 2013 06:46
Financial Times reports that tech giant Apple is facing an import ban in the US on certain models of its iPhone 4 and iPad 2 (as well as some older devices) after the International Trade Commission said that the devices infringed Samsung's patents. "HSBC failed to comply with New York state laws th
Read moreMPs call on Lloyds to provide evidence on failed Co-op deal
4th Jun 2013 13:49
Lloyds Banking Group's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer have been summoned to provide evidence on its failed deal to sell more than 630 branches to The Co-operative Group, according to Sky News on Tuesday. The Treasury Select Committee has invited Sir Win Bischoff and Antonio Horta-Osorio to sh
Read moreLondon midday: FTSE 100 down one per cent as volatility continues
31st May 2013 11:26
The volatile trade seen over the past week continued on Friday with investors turning nervous ahead of another raft of economic indicators from the US later on. "European markets have taken a leg lower this morning as traders look to scale back risk heading into the month's end, with the central ba
Read moreLondon open: Markets down as traders await economic data
31st May 2013 08:21
Stocks sank sharply on Friday morning, continuing the volatile pattern seen over the past week, as traders cautiously awaited more economic figures from the States. Stocks gained slightly yesterday as a worse-than-expected second reading of US gross domestic product growth and a rise in jobless cla
Read moreLondon pre-open: Stocks to pull back ahead of data
31st May 2013 07:44
Markets are expected to open slightly lower this morning as traders take caution ahead of the weekend as they await a number of leading economic indicators from the US. City sources predict the FTSE 100 will open down 13 points from yesterday's close of 6,657. Stocks gained slightly yesterday des
Read moreLloyds sells US mortgage-backed securities for 3.3bn pounds
31st May 2013 07:06
UK banking group Lloyds is to sell a portfolio of US residential mortgage backed securities (RMBS) for 3.3bn pounds as it continues to dispose of non-core assets to boost capital. The portfolio has a book value of £2.7bn so the bank will pocket a gain of £540m before tax on the sale which will be u
Read moreThursday broker round-up UPDATE
30th May 2013 08:19
AMEC: Morgan Stanley reduces target price from 1220p to 1100p and retains an underweight rating. Amlin: JP Morgan takes target price from 360p to 400p maintaining an underweight rating. Brewin Dolphin: Canaccord Genuity raises target price from 230p to 285p and reiterates a buy recommendation. C
Read moreThursday newspaper round-up: Capita, Google, Mark Carney...
30th May 2013 06:48
The Telegraph says that outsourcing group Capita has secretly planned to shut down two O2 call centres and cut up to 1,200 jobs as part of the big deal it signed with the network provider last week. Financial Times says that Google is to launch a new gadget called the MotoX through its Motorola sub
Read moreWednesday newspaper round-up: Darty, UK banks, German banks...
29th May 2013 06:40
Electricals retailer Darty could slash jobs in an effort to cut costs in its core French region as it copes with a weaker economy, The Independent reports. The Guardian says that Britain's 'Big Four' banks - comprised of Lloyds, HSBC, RBS and Barclays - will have cut 189,000 jobs worldwide in just
Read moreLondon close: Stimulus hopes drive triple-digit gains for FTSE 100
28th May 2013 16:49
While hopes have now faded for a long-term continuation of stimulus measures in the US, speculation surrounding continued monetary easing in Europe and Japan sparked a huge surge on equity markets on Tuesday. After reaching a 13-year high on Wednesday, the FTSE 100 dropped sharply in the latter par
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks bounce back after recent sell-off
28th May 2013 11:20
UK markets were registering impressive gains on Tuesday morning with hopes of continued monetary easing in the Eurozone lifting sentiment as stocks bounced back following last week's sharp sell-off. After reaching a 13-year high on Wednesday, the FTSE 100 dropped sharply in the latter part of last
Read moreLondon open: Stocks surge as markets play catch up after long weekend
28th May 2013 08:30
UK markets surged in early trading on Tuesday with traders wasting no time in playing catch up as they returned to their desks following the three-day weekend. After reaching a 13-year high on Wednesday, the FTSE 100 dropped sharply in the latter part of last week on fears of a scaling back of stim
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