FTSE 100 movers: GlaxoSmithKline leads risers after pleasing with Q3 results
22nd Oct 2014 16:05
Drug giant Glaxosmithkline (GSK) rose after the pharmaceutical giant said core operating profit fell by just 6% to £1.89bn, compared with the £1.71bn forecast. Figures out from AA Insurance lifted shares in car insurers on Wednesday, with Direct Line and Admiral both parking themselves in the top 10
Read moreSupermarkets face dismal Christmas unless they shape up, says Begbies Traynor
22nd Oct 2014 14:12
The UK's big supermarkets are facing a miserable Christmas and potential financial problems unless they sort out issues stopping them fighting off competition from discounters, insolvency experts Begbies Traynor said. The likes of Tesco, Sainsbury's, Morrisons and Wal-Mart's Asda need to eliminat
Read moreLondon midday: UK stocks flat amid central-bank speculation
22nd Oct 2014 11:42
UK stocks were broadly flat on Wednesday morning after jumping to a one-week high the previous session, as investors reacted to ongoing central-bank speculation and digested mixed corporate earnings. The FTSE 100 was down 0.05% at 6,369 by midday, with results from the likes of British American Toba
Read moreSupermarkets are out of date, says Waitrose boss
22nd Oct 2014 11:19
The 'big four' supermarkets have been accused of being out of date by the head of upmarket grocer Waitrose. Speaking at the launch of the retailer's Food and Drink report, Mark Price said that public's shopping habits have changed much more radically than simply favouring discount retailers. The cu
Read moreSector movers: Grocery stocks rise as Kantar data shows improving trends
21st Oct 2014 13:58
Kantar Worldpanel grocery-market data showing Tesco's best sales performance since June helped fragile sentiment in the battered supermarket industry to improve slightly on Tuesday. Shares of the three listed UK supermarket chains, Tesco, J Sainsbury and Wm Morrison, were all on the rise in afternoo
Read moreTesco market share falls again but decline slows, Kantar Worldpanel says
21st Oct 2014 09:50
Beleaguered supermarket group Tesco's market share fell again in the last three months, although it is showing signs of improvement, according to industry figures on Tuesday. Its market share fell 3.6% in the 12 weeks to 12 October against the equivalent period last year, its best performance since
Read moreLondon midday: Ebola fears, macro concerns hit UK stocks
8th Oct 2014 11:34
Fears about a possible Ebola outbreak in Europe and continued concerns about the global economy were weighing on UK stocks on Wednesday. The FTSE 100 was down 0.3% at 6,475 by around midday with cyclical stocks and airlines providing a drag. Risk appetite was also being held back by nervousness ahe
Read moreLondon open: Macro concerns hit stocks ahead of earnings, Fed minutes
8th Oct 2014 08:36
UK stocks fell for a second day on Wednesday as concerns about global growth and nervousness ahead of the start of US earnings season eroded risk appetite. Heavy falls from industrial stocks and travel companies saw the FTSE 100 fall 0.3% to 6,475 in early trading. European stocks fell on Tuesday a
Read moreWednesday newspaper round-up: Tesco, Morrisons, Ebola
7th Oct 2014 19:49
Several large investors have signaled to Tesco that they would be willing to support a rights issue, of between £1-2bn, to strengthen the retailer's hand. Nevertheless, that does not mean that they are pleased by the company's performance, one of them told The Times, but there is a general acceptanc
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Tesco leads risers, but travel stocks slide on Ebola fears
7th Oct 2014 15:40
Supermarkets were continuing to claw their way back after a string of profit warnings and an accounting scandal at Tesco hammered sentiment last month. Shares in the UK's largest retailer were trading nearly 5% higher after the news that the company has asked another senior manager to step down and
Read moreSector movers: Tensions in HK weigh on financials
6th Oct 2014 14:09
Financial stocks were the Achilles Heel of the market on the first day of the week following reports that the authorities in Hong Kong had used "brutal force", including tear-gas and pepper spray, to quell pro-democracy protesters in the ex-British colony. The protestors had gathered in Hong Kong to
Read moreSector movers: Grocers down as analysts warn of price war
6th Oct 2014 14:01
Retailers led to the downside on Friday and were clearly the main focus for traders as the negative news surrounding the sector continued to pour in, even as the share price losses continued to snow-ball. The fundamental force behind the above would seem to be the heightened competitive pressures in
Read moreSector movers: Tesco leads supermarkets higher but sentiment still fragile
6th Oct 2014 14:01
Supermarket stocks were attempting to claw their way back on Monday after an accounting error and a string of profit warnings at Tesco crushed sentiment in the sector. Tesco's shares have lost 25% of their value since the company revealed on 22 September that it had overstated its profit guidance fo
Read moreSector movers: Kantar data weighs on grocers
6th Oct 2014 13:33
Supermarket operators were clearly at the bottom of the pile on Tuesday after market researcher Kantar published new figures showing a stagnating food retail environment. Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Kantar, said: "For the first time ever we've seen the average basket of e
Read moreLondon midday: UK stocks rise despite weak economic data
6th Oct 2014 11:37
Weak economic data from Germany and the wider Eurozone failed to deter bullish investors on Monday as UK stocks continued to bounce off a 10-month low reached last week. London's FTSE 100, spurred by gains in the banking, airline and supermarket sectors, was trading nearly 0.4% higher at 6,550 by mi
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