London afternoon: Losses pared
26th Jan 2010 14:19
Leading shares cut back their losses over the lunch time session but resource stocks remain under the cosh on fears that the Chinese authorities will step up its campaign to cool down its overheating economy and lift interest rates. Fresnillo, Xstrata and Kazakhmys lead the mining sector lower, wh
Read moreLondon close: Banks and miners drag Footsie lower
21st Jan 2010 16:30
Leading UK shares lurched lower in the afternoon as US shares weakened and investors waited nervously for President Obama's new bank reforms. The US President's proposals prohibit commercial banks from owning or investing in hedge funds or owning, investing or advising private equity funds, while a
Read moreLondon afternoon: Banks face 'tsunami' of pressure
21st Jan 2010 14:44
Leading shares traded sideways over the lunchtime session, albeit with a small dip at 1:30pm when the US market opened a tad lower. Banks and miners are impeding Footsie's progress, with the latter still friendless on concerns about demand from China. Pundits are predicting that the Chinese authori
Read moreBroker tips: Tullow, Morrisons, NCC
21st Jan 2010 12:44
Brokers are holding fire on updating their net asset valuations on Tullow Oil until they have more information on the Irish oil company's 'significant' oil and gas find at its Tweneboa-2 exploratory appraisal well in Ghana. 'Although further appraisal is needed, today's news is positive for Tullow
Read moreBroker snap: Morrisons' valuation 'looking reasonable'
21st Jan 2010 12:16
Supermarket chain Morrisons like for like sales growth over the Christmas period may have been the envy of rivals Tesco andSainsbury but it was broadly in line with expectations, according to Charles Stanley. Like for like sales excluding VAT and petrol in the six weeks to 3 January were up 6.5% ve
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie ahead after mixed morning
21st Jan 2010 12:01
Footsie can't make up its mind this morning and after dropping into the red after miners gave up early gains the index is making good progress again. Xstrata, Rio Tinto, Anglo American, Fresnillo, Kazakhmys and Vedanta Resources remain the main blue chip fallers on concerns about demand from China.
Read moreLondon open: Footsie fights back
21st Jan 2010 08:17
United Utilities, Tullow Oil and a bunch of miners are leading London's blue chips higher in early dealings following yesterday's sharp losses. Water company United Utilities is to cut its dividend to 30p in fiscal 2010/11 from 34.3p as it seeks to conserve cash to meet the requirements of the indu
Read moreLondon pre-open: Stocks set to bounce back
21st Jan 2010 07:16
Despite the shake out on Wall Street overnight, leading shares in London look set to open firmer, with the Footsie tipped to open 20 points or so to the good. Supermarket giant Morrisons reported a 6.5% rise in like-for-like sales over the Christmas period, beating comparable figures from rivals Te
Read moreMorrisons 6.5% lfl sales growth beats rivals
21st Jan 2010 07:03
Supermarket giant Morrisons reported a 6.5% rise in like-for-like sales over the Christmas period, beating comparable figures from rivals Tesco and Sainsbury. In the 6 weeks to 3 January, like for like sales grew by 6.5% (6.8% including fuel), while total sales excluding fuel were up by 11.2% (10.8
Read moreThursday preview: Morrisons, SSL, Begbies Traynor
20th Jan 2010 15:30
The Christmas trading statement from supermarket giant Morrisons could give investors a reason to cheer, with analysts expecting increased like-for-like sales and a rise in market share. UBS forecasts like-for-like sales growth of 6.8%, better than comparable figures from Tesco and Sainsbury, both
Read moreLondon close: Footsie finishes below 5,500
12th Jan 2010 17:17
Equities staged a rally in the afternoon session but it was not enough to push the Footsie back into the black, largely because of weak miners, which took fright at moves by the Chinese central bank to cool down the economy by increasing the reserves ratio for Chinese commercial banks. Fresnillo, L
Read moreLondon afternoon: Chinese banking move sparks selling
12th Jan 2010 14:47
News that China has raised the reserve requirements for its banks in an attempt to choke growth in the economy has spooked global markets, including London. The prospect of China slowing down economic expansion does not sit well with miners such as Fresnillo, Lonmin, Kazakhmys, Vedanta and Xstrata,
Read moreSector movers: Tesco lifts food retail sector
12th Jan 2010 14:37
A strong Christmas trading update from Tesco has given the food retail sector a lift. The supermarket giant said it enjoyed its best Christmas in three years as shoppers braved the winter weather to stock up on festive treats. In the six weeks to January 9, the firm posted a 5.1% year-on-year ris
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Miners head lower
12th Jan 2010 12:18
Footsie is well down on the day as world economic concerns take the spotlight. The fallers are dominated by mining companies. News that China is trying to dampen down the growth in its economy hit commodities. Disappointing results from aluminium producer Alcoa didn't help, either. Fresnillo, Lo
Read moreLondon midday: Retreat picks up pace
12th Jan 2010 12:11
The market's retreat is picking up pace, as the losses suffered by miners lengthen in the wake of disappointing results from Alcoa, the US aluminium producer. Alcoa, which kicked off the fourth quarter earnings reporting season in the US, declared a slightly worse than expected loss from continuing
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