London open: Slow start for Footsie
8th Feb 2011 08:56
As expected, London has made a slow start, with the leading index giving back a handful of points after closing at its highest in almost three weeks last night. In company news, BG Group grew fourth quarter profits by 3% thanks to higher energy prices and a lower exploration charge. Operating profi
Read moreMcBride H1 profit slides as material costs bite
8th Feb 2011 07:19
McBride, maker of own label products for retailers, met forecasts with a 29.6% drop in first half profit as it battles with rising raw materials prices and a difficult retail environment, particularly in the UK. The group, which supplies supermarkets such as France's Carrefour and Tesco, said reven
Read moreTuesday preview: BG, Thomas Cook, McBride
7th Feb 2011 15:14
Results from the two giants of the UK oil sector, BP and Royal Dutch Shell, met with lukewarm responses last week which may fill BG Group shareholders with a frisson of foreboding ahead of the oil and gas group's fourth quarter figures on Tuesday. Broker Charles Stanley is expecting fourth quarter
Read moreWeek Ahead: BG Group, McBride, BoE rate decision
4th Feb 2011 11:27
Results from the two giants of the UK oil sector, BP and Royal Dutch Shell, met with lukewarm responses this week which may fill BG Group shareholders with a frisson of foreboding ahead of the oil and gas group's fourth quarter figures on Tuesday. Broker Charles Stanley is expecting fourth quarter
Read moreLondon close: Snow deluge buries Footsie
6th Jan 2011 16:43
Footsie succumbed to the growing list of businesses hit by the snow over the Christmas holidays and closed lower for the first time this week. December's snowfalls cost British Airways about £50m in the third quarter and a little more at the start of January. BA, due to complete its £5.7bn merger w
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Retailers feel the effects of the cold
6th Jan 2011 16:38
Retailers are dragging the FTSE 250 lower Thursday after disappointing trading updates following bad weather disruption. Mother and baby retailer Mothercare is the worst hit after warning that it now expects full year underlying pre-tax profit to be below current market expectations after disappoin
Read moreLondon afternoon: Winter woes fail to hold back FTSE 100
6th Jan 2011 14:51
It's three out of three days of gains so far this year for the top share index, with the impact of snow on retailers and other businesses over the Christmas failing to hurt overall sentiment. Miners such as gold group Randgold and industrial metals specilists Vedanta Resources and Xstrata are wante
Read moreLondon midday: New highs for FTSE 100
6th Jan 2011 12:12
The top share index is posting gains for the third day in a row and is trading at levels not seen since May 2008. Gold miner Randgold leads the mining sector higher as the price of gold stabilises. Vedanta Resources and Xstrata are the other stand-out stocks in the sector. It is chip designer ARM
Read moreLondon open: Flat start for FTSE 100
6th Jan 2011 08:32
The top share index is little changed in early dealings but a raft of trading updates from retail and other sectors has given traders plenty to ponder. Mother and baby retailer Mothercare today warned that it now expects full year underlying pre-tax profit to be below current market expectations af
Read moreLondon pre-open: Flat start on cards
6th Jan 2011 07:37
London is expected to start little changed after last night's gains on Wall Street and a mixed session in Asia. Futures are currently pointing to a drop of 2 points when trading gets underway, keeping the FTSE 100 in touch with its highest levels in 2½ years. Greetings card specialist Clinton Car
Read moreMcBride warns on full year amid retail uncertainty
6th Jan 2011 07:05
Uncertainty in the retail sector has prompted McBride, which makes toothpaste and other household items for supermarkets to sell under their own labels, to warn that its full-year performance could be at the lower end of its expectations. Growth in Central and Eastern Europe has been driving revenu
Read moreWednesday tips round-up: Arm, Pearson, Braemar Shipping...
27th Oct 2010 06:43
When your shares are trading on more than 45 times' this year's earnings, a degree of investor nervousness is inevitable. So yesterday's plunge in ARM Holdings was more a case of the market trying to find reasons to sell and take some profits. ARM investors have had to live with sky-high valuations
Read moreSector movers: ARM slump dents tech index
26th Oct 2010 12:43
Big losses at ARM Holdings savaged Technology Hardware & Equipment on Tuesday. ARM shares slumped 7% despite a big increase in both sales and income as brokers think the share price has got ahead of itself and is due a correction. KBC Peel Hunt told its clients take profits and Panmure Gordon keep
Read moreLondon close: Miners keep Footsie in the blue
25th Oct 2010 17:04
Were it not for the strength of miners today Footsie would undoubtedly have ended in the red, as many share prices experienced a late swoon. Miners were wanted on expectations that the US dollar will suffer a relapse after the G20 agreement over the week-end that should, if adhered to, bring an end
Read moreLondon afternoon: Miners retain most of their gains
25th Oct 2010 14:28
London has lost some of its gains in the early afternoon but it is showing signs of a renewed upturn. Miners remain the best performers on expectations that the US dollar will suffer a relapse after the G20 agreement over the week-end that should, if adhered to, bring an end to so-called currency w
Read more