London close: Santa Rally continues as UK stocks rise for sixth straight day
23rd Dec 2014 16:51
UK stocks rose again on Tuesday as the Santa Rally continued into its sixth straight day, with markets boosted by some upbeat economic data from the States. Third-quarter US annualised gross domestic product (GDP) growth was revised to 5% from an initial estimate of 3.9%, representing the strongest
Read moreLondon open: UK stocks rise ahead of data, but Thorntons plummets
23rd Dec 2014 08:58
UK stocks jumped again on Tuesday as the pre-Christmas rally continued, with markets extending a two-week high ahead of a barrage of economic data. London's FTSE 100 was up 0.6% at 6,618 early on, rising for the sixth straight session. The index closed at 6,576.74 on Monday, its highest finish since
Read moreSector movers: Grocers fall as Tesco faces fresh inquiry
22nd Dec 2014 15:44
Tesco dampened the food and drug retail sector on Monday as news of a fresh investigation into the struggling supermarket chain weighed on investor confidence. Accounting watchdog, the Financial Reporting Council (FRC), said that it has launched an inquiry into the "preparation, approval and audit"
Read moreSector movers: Tesco leads grocers higher on customer-service push, strong data
18th Dec 2014 16:06
A surge in the share price of supermarket giant Tesco gave the UK food and drug retail sector a big boost on Thursday, as investors reacted to upbeat economic data and showed optimism about the company's turnaround efforts. Figures released on Thursday showed that the annual rate of retail sales gro
Read moreLondon close: Shares soar on upbeat Eurozone and bank news
16th Dec 2014 16:26
London shares bounced back on Tuesday in the wake of some long-awaited upbeat economic data in the Eurozone and positive news for UK banks. The FTSE 100 Index climbed 149.11 points to 6331.83 as Markit's purchasing managers' index (PMI) for euro-area manufacturing rose to 50.8 in December from 50.1
Read moreSector movers: Grocery stocks tank after yet another profit warning from Tesco
9th Dec 2014 15:20
Another profit warning from Tesco shattered already-fragile sentiment in the supermarket sector on Tuesday with grocery stocks falling sharply. Tesco's shares were down 7.4% at 173.4p in afternoon trade, having dropped as much as 16% early on, after the retail giant surprised the market with an unsc
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Unscheduled trading update hits supermarkets
9th Dec 2014 14:37
Tesco surprised the market with another profit warning, causing shares to plummet. The company said trading profit for the financial year ending February 2015 is not expected to exceed £1.4bn, compared with £3.315bn previously and analysts' forecasts, which ranged from £1.8bn to £2.2bn. Supermarket
Read moreLondon open: Stocks sideswiped by oil plunge, growth concerns, Tesco profit warning
9th Dec 2014 09:24
UK stocks dropped sharply for the second straight session on Tuesday as plummeting oil prices, macro concerns and a profit warning from retail giant Tesco hammered market sentiment. After losing 1% of its value the previous session, London's FTSE 100 was down a further 1.3% at 6,584 in early deals.
Read moreSunday newspaper round-up: BP, Sainsbury, Premier Foods
7th Dec 2014 17:59
BP will shed middle managers and put projects on hold as it deals with the falling price of oil, the Sunday Times reported. Finance Director Brian Gilvary told the paper headcounts were falling across all operations and that it would cut the estimated price of oil it uses for budgeting. Gilvary said
Read moreSector movers: Sainsbury leads grocery stocks higher
2nd Dec 2014 14:28
Food and drug retailers were the best-performing stocks on Tuesday, with supermarkets leading the charge. The wider retail sector has performed well over recent sessions on the back of the recent plunge in oil prices, with shops hoping that less pressure on customers' wallets will lead to a pick-up
Read moreSunday newspaper round-up: Balfour Beatty, Canary Wharf, Vodafone
30th Nov 2014 15:25
Balfour Beatty could be broken up as John Laing Infrastructure Fund considers a billion-pound bid for the company's investment arm, the Sunday Times reported. John Laing is interested in bidding for Balfour's 60 private finance initiative (PFI) contracts. It would leave Balfour with a business worth
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Supermarkets fall amid Campylobacter outrage, energy stocks drop
27th Nov 2014 15:24
The share price of UK supermarket chain Sainsbury was under pressure on Thursday after Shore Capital downgraded its rating from 'hold' to 'sell', saying investors should expect a "material contraction in profitability". The broker said it sees "few attractions in holding Sainsbury's shares". It expe
Read moreLondon close: UK stocks finish flat as retailers fall, data comes in mixed
25th Nov 2014 16:33
London's FTSE 100 ended Tuesday's session more or less where it started with stocks in the retail sector limiting gains while investors digested a string of important economic data. A disappointing third-quarter update from Kingfisher saw shares in the DIY retailer slump, while the supermarket secto
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Kingfisher slides after French sales drag
25th Nov 2014 15:26
Shares in Kingfisher declined after the B&Q and Screwfix owner saw like-for-like (LFL) sales fall in the third quarter as decent growth in the UK and Ireland was offset by falling sales in its largest market, France. LFL sales declined 0.9%, compared with 1.8% growth in the first half. The supermark
Read moreSector movers: Supermarkets decline as Tesco angers shareholders
25th Nov 2014 14:35
The supermarket sector was under pressure on Tuesday as Tesco felt the heat from its indignant shareholders in response to a recent accounting scandal that left a £263m black hole in its accounts. Tesco's shares were down 2.1% at 189.25p in afternoon trade after a law firm claimed that shareholders
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