Sector movers: Banks jump, defensives sold
2nd Dec 2011 15:55
The banking sector, a category typically sensitive to the outlook for the global economy - and more recently, developments in the Eurozone - was the best performing sector today, after comments from European leaders over 'fiscal union' helped to ease fears over the sovereign debt crisis. German Cha
Read moreLondon midday: Banks lead risers ahead of US jobs data
2nd Dec 2011 11:52
The Footsie was trading close to its highest levels of the day at midday as markets await a key jobs report from the US, which some are expecting to beat consensus forecasts. ALL EYES ON THE JOBS REPORT The US Labor Department will release its monthly employment report at 13:30, in which analysts
Read moreLondon close: Footsie at two-week high after central bank action
30th Nov 2011 16:32
Benchmark indices across Europe and the US were making gains of between 3-5% on Wednesday afternoon after a united move by central banks to ease conditions in the global financial system. The FTSE 100 in London finished over the 5,500 mark, a closing level it has not reached since 16 November. CENT
Read moreFTSE 100 Movers: Banks and miners soar on central bank moves
30th Nov 2011 15:08
Miners and banks have jumped on the actions taken by China and a host of central banks to improve liquidity conditions across the globe. News that the People's Bank of China had lowered the legal reserve requirement for Chinese banks by 50 basis points sent equities soaring back into positive terri
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks rocket on Chinese move
30th Nov 2011 12:09
With China acting to ease fears of a 'hard landing', European stock markets - and US futures - swung back into positive territory after sharp falls early on. Banks and miners roared into the lead in London, despite being the worst performers early on. The Footsie stood at 5,390 just after the midday
Read moreSector movers: Pharmaceuticals fall, GKN drives autos higher
24th Nov 2011 15:44
Pharmaceutical companies, typically defensive stocks, were the worst performers of the day on Thursday. With an increase in risk appetite benefiting the banking and mining sectors today - after some well-received growth data from Britain and Germany - stocks such as Shire, AstraZeneca and GlaxoSmit
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Miners recover, Vedanta tops the risers
24th Nov 2011 13:41
With metals prices recovering on Thursday after yesterday's falls - on the back of ongoing worries in the Eurozone and some disappointing Chinese manufacturing data - the miners were in demand. Vedanta Resources, Fresnillo, Kazakhmys and Xstrata were all performing well. The sector was making an av
Read moreLondon open: Thomas Cook, Dixons jump higher
24th Nov 2011 08:34
The Footsie was trading broadly flat early on, swinging between small gains and losses in the opening minutes. Weighing on sentiment was a poll by Reuters/Ipsos MORI which showed that the majority of Britons (58%) believe the economy will get worse over the next year. That is the highest figure sin
Read moreLondon close: Footsie drops 1.6% as miners take a tumble
17th Nov 2011 16:39
The Footsie may have finished 50 points off its intraday low of 5,370, but the blue chip index still recorded a loss of 1.6% as the Euro-crisis showed no signs of abating. Positive economic data from the US provided a little lift in the afternoon, but the steep decline seen from the outset proved to
Read moreSector movers: Falling copper price hits industrial metals stocks
17th Nov 2011 16:15
With metals prices taking a hit on euro fears, the industrial metals and mining sector was the worst performer of the day. Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange fell to $7,584 a tonne in the afternoon, down from $7,730 at yesterday's close, as investors showed concerns that the escalating
Read moreFTSE 100 Movers: Miners drag index lower
17th Nov 2011 14:34
The second half has been a mixed bag for top riser Rexam, with out-performance by its Beverage Cans business more or less cancelled out by continued weakness on the Plastic Packaging business. As a result, the performance of the packaging firm overall has been in line with the board's expectations.
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks weighed down by euro fears
17th Nov 2011 12:03
The Footsie was trading nearly 2% lower by midday, with early high riser Glencore even falling into the red, as concerns over the Eurozone continue to dampen market sentiment. SKY-HIGH YIELDS; CITI WARNS OF DEFAULT RISKS Markets turned sharply lower after the results of Spain's latest debt auction
Read moreLondon open: Retailers dip as consumer confidence dives
17th Nov 2011 09:07
After yesterday's shake-out on Wall Street, London's blue-chips are mostly lower, though trading updates have generated some bright spots. Centrica, which trades under the British Gas brand, is not one of the those bright spots, after it warned that full-year earnings will be a bit lower than the m
Read moreNational Grid set for good year
17th Nov 2011 07:50
Power grid operator National Grid said it is well placed to deliver another good year after posting a small improvement in underlying profit at the half-year stage. Underlying profit before tax for the six months ended 30 September rose 2% to £953m from £938m; that was below the £985m the market ha
Read moreUPDATE: Wednesday broker round-up
19th Oct 2011 09:25
GlaxoSmithKline: Credit Suisse ups target from 1,310p to 1,340p, neutral rating kept. BHP Billiton: Credit Suisse reiterates outperform recommendation and 2,800p target. Standard Chartered: Credit Suisse keeps underperform rating and 1,400p target. Diageo: Nomura maintains neutral stance and 1,32
Read more