FTSE 100 movers: Compass marches north, grocers retreat on consumer crunch
12th May 2016 14:53
(ShareCast News) - The FTSE 100 index started weakly, built up steam and then lost it again on Thursday, sitting 0.8% lower at 6,113.32 late in session. Despite gold losing some of its lustre, Randgold Resources topped the pile while precious metals giant Fresnillio was another on the leaderb
Read moreWednesday newspaper round-up: Saudi expansion, o2, Heathrow, Amazon
11th May 2016 07:23
(ShareCast News) - The boss of Saudi Arabia's state oil producer set out plans for expansion yesterday as he prepares for a potential $2 trillion flotation that will create the world's largest quoted company. Saudi Aramco, which has a monopoly on the country's vast oil reserves, is set to further bo
Read moreRetail sales fall in April as cold hits footwear and fashion, says BRC-KPMG
10th May 2016 10:27
(ShareCast News) - British retail sales in April fell on a like-for-like basis compared to last year, with non-food sales outweighing positive food sales. The monthly Retail Sales Monitor (RSM) from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and KPMG showed total sales were flat for a second month in a row
Read moreLondon pre-open: Stocks seen higher amid raft of earnings
5th May 2016 07:36
(ShareCast News) - London stocks were expected open higher on Thursday following declines in the previous session. The FTSE 100 was seen opening 18 points higher than Wednesday's close at 6,130. On the data front, UK services PMI is at 0930 BST while US initial jobless claims are at 1330 BST. "Giv
Read moreMorrisons sales continue moving up in first quarter
5th May 2016 07:25
(ShareCast News) - Morrisons increased like-for-like sales 0.7% in the first quarter, or by 1.2% including fuel, at the top end of market expectations Online gains led to the second consecutive quarter of positive like-for-like sales growth for the FTSE 100 supermarket group, which had been flagging
Read moreBroker tips: Next, Morrisons
4th May 2016 14:21
(ShareCast News) - Numis reiterated an 'add' rating and target price of 5,750p for Next after the retailer reported its first quarter trading update. Next reported total sales in the three months to 2 May fell 0.2% from a year earlier, while full price sales were 0.9% lower, reflecting colder weathe
Read moreBernstein downgrades Morrisons on structural problems
4th May 2016 11:09
(ShareCast News) - Bernstein downgraded Morrisons to 'underperform' from 'market perform' and cut the price target to 160p from 170p, saying the valuation has run ahead of itself and structural problems remain. "The City has been excited by Morrisons' positive Q4 2015 LFL sales growth and the deal w
Read moreMorrisons gains and Tesco loses as UK supermarket sales slow, Kantar says
4th May 2016 09:47
(ShareCast News) - Sales at all four of the big four UK supermarkets fell in recent weeks as grocery growth slowed markedly post-Easter, according to data from Kantar Worldpanel. Although Sainsbury's was stronger than its rivals, sales fell for the first time since last July, losing 0.4% in the 12 w
Read moreMorrisons rolls out further price 'Crunch' cuts
3rd May 2016 08:06
(ShareCast News) - Morrisons has expanded its 'Price Crunch' programme as it seeks to win back customers from discounters. The Yorkshire-hedquartered supermarket group said it was cutting the price of 847 products, with an average cut of 20% focused on grocery items such as bags of sugar, rice, a
Read moreCMA forces supermarkets to change price promotion tactics
27th Apr 2016 07:17
(ShareCast News) - The UK competition regulator has demanded several large supermarket groups to review their promotions and has been forced to arrange specific changes with US-owned Asda, with a government consultation set to begin into legislation and guidance on unit pricing. The Competition and
Read moreWednesday broker round-up
6th Apr 2016 14:37
(ShareCast News) - Electrocomponents: Credit Suisse upgrades to neutral with a target price of 250p. Telecom Plus: Berenberg Bank downgrades to hold, 250p target. Informa: Berenberg Bank maintains hold with a target price of 725p. ITV: Credit Suisse reiterates outperform with a target price of 310
Read moreTesco nears growth as supermarkets sales speed up, says Kantar
5th Apr 2016 08:26
(ShareCast News) - The rot is stopping at Tesco and an imminent return to growth is on the cards, according to supermarket industry data, though both the market leader and Sainsbury's have lost ground to rivals. Overall UK supermarkets are enjoying increasingly rapid growth as the year goes on, acco
Read moreDirector dealings: Bob Morley stirs it up at Quarto
31st Mar 2016 12:43
(ShareCast News) - Illustrated book publisher Quarto's been informed that co-founder Bob Morley, currently a non-executive director, sold 1m shares at 246p per share and announced he was stepping down as non-executive director with immediate effect. Following Morley's sale he retains an interest in
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Antofagasta descends, Shire rebounds
21st Mar 2016 14:57
(ShareCast News) - In a largely quiet day, the FTSE 100 was dragged lower after losing momentum towards the end of the day, while the London Stock Exchange launched the first of its new daily intra-day auctions. At noon, the LSE stopped automated trading of stocks traded on the SETS system, the larg
Read moreFriday newspaper share tips: Aviva, Morrisons
11th Mar 2016 17:48
(ShareCast News) - Prudential is not the only insurer that has set aside a hefty stash of capital to deal with unexpected troubles. According to Aviva's full-year figures the company's solvency capital ratio, the difference between its reserves and what it might need, was at 180% by year-end, with a
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