London close: Late rally leaves Footsie little changed
19th Aug 2009 17:14
Share prices of London's leading stocks closed mixed, thanks to a late rally, after the market had spent most of the day in retreat. ENRC was the day's star performer despite reporting a 63% slide in pre-tax profits for the first half of 2009. The dividend has been cut in half but investors were e
Read moreLondon afternoon: Lloyds provides some cheer
19th Aug 2009 14:14
The bears are back in command today with the blue-chip index in the red, though the size of the decline has been exacerbated by a number of index constituents trading in ex-dividend form. Former Bank of Ireland governor Richard Burrows is to be the new chairman of Lucky Strike maker British Americ
Read moreLondon midday: Shares stable at lower levels
19th Aug 2009 11:54
Equities are back on the slide again today with little hope of a boost from the other side of the Atlantic where the Dow Jones 30 is expected to open around 80 points lower. ENRC is a bright spot despite reporting a 63% slide in pre-tax profits for the first half of 2009. The dividend has been cut
Read moreLondon open: Ex-divs weigh
19th Aug 2009 08:20
Footsie is in the red following yesterday's good gains and despite decent performance on Wall Street overnight. Former Bank of Ireland governor Richard Burrows is to be the new chairman of Lucky Strike maker British American Tobacco when Jan du Plessis steps down from the position on 1 November. B
Read moreLondon pre-open: Weak open predicted
19th Aug 2009 07:37
Sellers are set to win out early Wednesday despite last night's strong performance on Wall Street. Futures prices indicate London's FTSE 100 will lose about 27 points at the start of trade. Former Bank of Ireland governor Richard Burrows is to be the new chairman of Lucky Strike maker British Ame
Read moreJohn Menzies upbeat for FY
19th Aug 2009 07:18
Aviation and distribution group John Menzies posted a decline in half year pre-tax profit and scrapped its interim dividend but says full year results are expected to be ahead of markets forecasts. The group said tough trading at its aviation business and restructuring costs overshadowed a good pe
Read moreSmiths and Menzies pick Dawson assets
3rd Aug 2009 14:34
Newspapers and magazine wholesalers Smiths News and John Menzies have acquired assets from Surridge Dawson Limited, which was put into administration by Dawson Holdings. Smiths News acquired assets worth £1.5m from Surridge Dawson Limited, which includes the leasing of 20 depots from Dawson as wel
Read moreFriday tips round-up: Costain, Diageo, Menzies
26th Jun 2009 06:44
Costain shares are pricey and each time the contractor puts out one of its impressive updates, the share price increases by a little less than last time. The truth is that everyone expects Costain to keep churning out the good results and the stock has become stymied. The Independent, though, argue
Read moreLondon close: Late rally not enough
25th Jun 2009 17:01
A late rally by UK equities was not enough to prevent the blue-chip index closing in negative territory, largely as a result of weak miners, which were weighted down by softer metals prices. Lonmin, Vedanta, Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton were all stuck in the red. Elsewhere in the sector, Anglo Americ
Read moreLondon afternoon: Banks and miners retreat
25th Jun 2009 14:27
Leading equities drift lower in the afternoon session, led by banks and miners. Asia-focused bank Standard Chartered eases back, despite enjoying record income and operating profit in the first five months of this year. Some of this success has been offset by weakness in consumer banking, however,
Read moreLondon midday: Prices drift lower
25th Jun 2009 12:13
Shares continue to drift lower despite expectations of a firm start on Wall Street. Asia-focused bank Standard Chartered eases back, despite enjoying record income and operating profit in the first five months of this year. Some of this success has been offset by weakness in consumer banking, howe
Read moreLondon open: Miners drop early on
25th Jun 2009 08:10
London's top stocks are lower in early dealings Thursday following a weak finish in the US last night, with miners among the main fallers. Lonmin, Antofagasta and Eurasian Natural Resources are all stuck in the red. Elsewhere in the sector, the Times is reporting that Xstrata has stepped up its cam
Read moreCost-cutting boosts John Menzies
25th Jun 2009 07:31
Aviation and distribution group John Menzies said it is continuing to benefit from cost-cutting actions and expects profits for the first half to be better than the previous year. It said its aviation division's performance will be marginally lower than that of the same period last year, with a poo
Read moreBrendan Murtagh cuts Kingspan stake
10th Jun 2009 16:53
A surge in the share price to a seven-month high has convinced Kingspan Group co-founder and director Brendan Murtagh to cash in part of his stake. Murtagh, who along with elder brother Eugene set up the Irish insulation board maker in 1972, sold 500,000 shares at €4.75 each, netting €2.4m. The sh
Read moreSmiths takes Mirror contract from Dawson
29th May 2009 07:27
Smiths News has negotiated a new five year distribution contract with newspaper publisher Trinity Mirror. The total value of the contract is circa £183m per annum. The previous incumbent was Dawson News. It has lost a strong of distribution contracts recently. It said the contract loss was "not une
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