London open: Miners in demand ahead of rate decisions
6th Oct 2011 08:35
Strong gains were made on the Footsie in early trade as investors await key policy rate decisions from the Bank of England (BoE) and the European Central Bank (ECB). Meanwhile, the market extended Wednesday's gains on hopes that the European Union is planning for a co-ordinated recapitalisation of
Read moreLondon close: Footsie jumps over 3% to finish above 5,100
5th Oct 2011 16:37
The Footsie finished near its intraday highs, as it jumped back towards the 5,100 level, after a modest start on Wall Street. Global sentiment was lifted last night after on the back of comments from the European commissioner for economic and monetary affairs. In an interview with the Financial Ti
Read moreFTSE 250 Movers: Mothercare plunges
5th Oct 2011 15:28
Mothercare, which also operates the Early Learning Centre brand, has seen its share price plummet 35.84% on news of a 9.6% decline in like-for-like sales in the UK in the last quarter. Investors seem unimpressed at a 4.9% boost in total group sales, including its fast growing international division
Read moreLondon midday: Retailers in focus, markets shrug off Italian downgrade
5th Oct 2011 12:09
Outweighing concerns over Italy's credit rating were hopes that the Europe will strengthen its struggling banks as stock markets across the continent extended their gains at lunchtime on Wednesday. In London, the Footsie was trading well over 2% higher, following on from a dramatic rally on Wall St
Read moreMothercare shares plummet on weak UK performance
5th Oct 2011 10:35
Mothercare, the FTSE 250 retailer which also operates the Early Learning Centre brand, has seen its share price plummet 30.6% on news of a 9.6% decline in like-for-like sales in the UK in the last quarter. Investors seem unimpressed at a 4.9% boost in total group sales, including its fast growing i
Read moreLondon close: Greek worries continue as Footsie drops 1%
3rd Oct 2011 16:48
Losses in London were trimmed by the end of trade on Monday after a relatively better start on Wall Street, as US benchmarks fell by just a few points. Nevertheless, concerns over the Greek deficit continued to weigh on sentiment in Europe, with major markets across the continent suffering falls of
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks off intraday lows after manufacturing data
3rd Oct 2011 12:13
While losses have been trimmed since the open, Greek deficit fears continued to weigh on stocks at midday, with the banking peers Standard Chartered, Barclays and Royal Bank of Scotland among the heaviest fallers. Banks across Europe joined in with the sell-off, with French lenders BNP Paribas and
Read moreTVC Holdings founder invests
9th Sep 2011 16:33
The chairman and founder of TVC Holdings, an investment firm focused on Irish companies, has upped his stake in the company, spending about £300,000. Shane Reihill took 500,000 shares at €0.70 a time and now has 21,668,322, which is about 21.4% of the company. Reihill founded TVC in 1997. He also
Read moreMothercare bosses buy into weakness
7th Sep 2011 14:24
Recent falls in baby products retailer Mothercare's share price have tempted bosses into the stock. Chairman Alan Parker bought 60,000 shares at 346p a time, spending more than £200,000, his first purchase of shares in the company. Non-executive director Amanda Mackenzie bought 6,000 shares at the
Read moreNew chairman for Mothercare
2nd Aug 2011 12:22
Mothercare has announced former Whitbread chief executive, Alan Parker, is to join the company as non-executive chairman. He will replace Ian Peacock, who will step down from the role after nine years as chairman. In May the retailer of children's and parenting products revealed a 23.4% drop in an
Read moreLondon close: Thomas Cook leads the decline
14th Jul 2011 16:47
Stocks closed firmly in the red on a day that saw stocks moving sharply in both directions after a raft of updates. Investors had a keen appetite for shares in Premier Foods. The Hovis bread and Sharwood ready-meals maker unveiled industry veteran Mike Clarke as its new head honcho. Clarke, current
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Kraft's exec takes helm at Premier Foods
14th Jul 2011 15:12
Premier Foods unveiled industry veteran Mike Clarke as its new head honcho, which pleased the investors as shares shot up 10%. Premier Foods, which has lost about 15% of its value since the company's announcement of a profit fall, was the top flyer on the index. Clarke, currently President of Kraft
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks move lower
14th Jul 2011 12:10
Stocks are deep in the red following this morning's slide. Associated British Foods is bucking the downward trend. It said its outlook for the full year is in line with expectations as its food arm and budget clothing retail chain Primark continue to perform well. Silver producer Fresnillo is spa
Read moreMothercare suffers growing pains at home
14th Jul 2011 10:21
FTSE 250 retailer Mothercare has seen total sales rise but the performance of the UK operation continues to disappoint. What the firm calls "group network sales" or the combination of international and domestic trading was up 6.7% although this includes franchisees and joint ventures. The company
Read moreLondon open: ABF and Fresnillo buck the downward trend
14th Jul 2011 08:29
Stocks have taken a dive following a swoon on Wall Street last night, with worries over the Eurozone crisis continuing to cast a shadow. In the latest twist in that saga, ratings agency Fitch lowered its rating on Greece's long-term debt to CCC. Turning to stocks, Associated British Foods is bucki
Read more