London midday: No sparks from Marks
6th Jan 2010 11:52
Leading shares were attempting their second rally of the morning as the lunchtime session started, but almost two-thirds of FTSE 100 constituents remain in the red. Chief among them is M&S. The cold weather may have seen woolly jumpers and slippers fly off the shelves at Marks & Spencer in the days
Read moreLondon open: Dull start as big freeze bites
6th Jan 2010 08:49
It's all about the retailers in the pre-opening session as the post-Christmas trading update season moves into full swing with Marks & Spencer heading lower after its update. The cold weather may have seen woolly jumpers and slippers fly off the shelves at Marks & Spencer in the days before Christm
Read moreLondon pre-open: Retailers hog the limelight
6th Jan 2010 07:38
It's all about the retailers in the pre-opening session as the post-Christmas trading update season moves into full swing. Despite some solid numbers from the stores, the FTSE 100 is expected to open down about 4 points at 5,518. The cold weather saw woolly jumpers and slippers fly off the shelves
Read moreMenzies ahead of the game
6th Jan 2010 07:05
John Menzies delivered a belated Christmas present to shareholders by saying that results for 2009 are expected to be ahead of expectations. The aviation and distribution group said its aviation division has continued to put in a strong showing despite difficult market conditions, with a modest imp
Read moreThursday tips round-up: International Power, Micro Focus, Balfour Beatty
12th Nov 2009 06:04
International Power is one of those companies that is a staple of the FTSE100 and yet somehow manages to be largely unknown. Yesterday's bullish statement sent the shares up sharply. Possible new projects in North Africa, Asia and the Gulf, make for strong growth prospects when world economies pick
Read moreLondon close: Profit taking trims gains
11th Nov 2009 17:12
Better than expected unemployment figures and some relatively upbeat comments from Bank of England governor Mervyn King propelled Footsie to a new intra-day high for 2009 in the morning session, but stocks came off the top in the afternoon session. The UK unemployment rate, as measured by the Inter
Read moreLondon afternoon: Share prices froth over
11th Nov 2009 14:12
Share prices are coming off the top, though Footsie remains comfortably in positive territory thanks to strong demand for miners and insurers. Miners are wanted as metal prices pick up following news that Chinese industrial output rose to a 19-month high in October. BHP Billiton, Kazakhmys, Rio Ti
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie hits intra-day high for 2009
11th Nov 2009 12:15
The Footsie is hovering around its high for the year of 5300, after better than expected UK unemployment figures. Sentiment was little affected by Bank of England governor Mervyn King saying he thinks inflation will rise above the 2% target set by the government as the impact of quantitative easi
Read moreLondon open: Stocks advance early on
11th Nov 2009 08:34
Buyers have piled into mining heavyweights again as metal prices continue to surge, while trading updates and results give International Power and Sainsbury's a boost. Sainsbury's has posted a healthy rise in profits in the 28 weeks to October 3, but repeated a warning that lower food price inflati
Read moreJohn Menzies sees FY 'well ahead' of forecasts
11th Nov 2009 08:02
Aviation and distribution group John Menzies said it expects full-year results to now be "well above" current market expectations. The upbeat statement comes despite continued tough trading conditions for the group. Menzies Distribution has 'encountered a transformational change to its business i
Read moreMichael Page's Dumon sells more shares
14th Oct 2009 17:11
Charles-Henri Dumon, managing director for continental Europe and the Americas at the recruitment giant Michael Page, has offloaded a big chunk of his stake in the firm. He sold 60,000 shares at 371p a time and now has a personal holding of about 1.23m. Dumon may be wishing he had waited a while
Read moreKofax directors take stakes
13th Oct 2009 17:27
Two directors at the scanning software specialist Kofax have bought large stakes in the firm. Chief executive Reynolds Bish, who was appointed in November 2007, took 22,300 shares at 159p, 1,000 at 157p and 2,850 at 162p and now has 26,150. Non-executive director Joe Rose took 2,000 shares at 162
Read moreUpdate: No CC referral for newspaper distributors
24th Sep 2009 08:10
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) said it will not refer the newspaper and distribution sector to the Competition Commission (CC) following the exit of Dawson Holdings from the sector. Dawson went into administration in August 2009 following a period which saw it continuously lose contracts to Smith
Read moreMenzies man sells after rally
20th Aug 2009 16:28
Ian Harrison, non-executive director at John Menzies, has trousered £173,520 from the sale of a stake in the aviation and distribution group. The 52-year-old, who's held his post since 1987, sold 60,000 shares at 289.17p each, near an 11-month high. The shares were trading beneath 50p in March and
Read moreThursday's tips round-up: Hochschild, FirstGroup, ENRC
20th Aug 2009 06:31
The mining sector has become something of a dangerous place to put your money in recent months, with the industry having to contend with volatile prices, merger speculation and grumpy Chinese buyers. With Hochschild, at least punters avoid some of these hazards. Further cost savings are expected, an
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