Friday newspaper round-up: BAA, Euro, LinkedIn...
7th Jan 2011 06:39
Some of Britain's largest airlines are considering legal action against BAA after snow shut Heathrow airport last month, causing travel misery for thousands of passengers. The demands for compensation from the airports operator come as British Airways revealed that the weather disruption had cost i
Read moreLondon close: FTSE 100 shrugs off weather woes
20th Dec 2010 16:44
Shares held onto gains to close in positive territory despite the bad weather hitting travel and retail stocks. Snow-affected stocks such as British Airways and many of the major retailers fell. Arctic conditions are hurting retailers at their busiest and most crucial time of the year. Next, Marks
Read moreLondon afternoon: Shares stay buoyant despite weather hit
20th Dec 2010 15:25
Footsie is still hovering around 5,900 points following a mixed start on Wall Street. Snow-affected stocks such as British Airways and many of the major retailers have trimmed losses. Arctic conditions are hurting retailers at their busiest and most crucial time of the year. Next, Marks & Spencer,
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Retailers fall on weather worries
20th Dec 2010 12:18
Retailers are in decline over worries that shoppers may not be able to reach the stores to spend money because of the snow. Next is the largest faller with Marks & Spencer also down on the day. British Airways has been hit by cancelled flights and the closure of airports. Oil services provider
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie tops 5,900
20th Dec 2010 12:00
Things turned around dramatically in the hour before lunch as the session came alive after a rather dull start, nudging a 2½-year high by midday. Defensive issues are still going well. National Grid, Scottish & Southern Energy and British Gas owner Centrica are expected to benefit from the cold sn
Read moreNational Grid sells New Hampshire firms
9th Dec 2010 07:44
National Grid has sold Granite State Electric and EnergyNorth businesses in New Hampshire, USA, for $285m (£178m) plus a bit more related to working capital. Today's deal, signed with a subsidiary of Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp, represents a multiple of 11.9x earnings before interest, tax, dep
Read moreSunday newspaper round-up: Glencore, Energy bills, RBS...
5th Dec 2010 10:38
Glencore, the world's biggest commodities trader, is poised for a £31bn float that should be one of the largest ever on the London Stock Exchange. The Switzerland-based group has lined up three investment banks ? Credit Suisse, Citigroup and Morgan Stanley ? to prepare for a stock market debut as e
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Aggreko's US buy
3rd Dec 2010 13:12
Temporary power and temperature control specialist Aggreko is higher following a US acquisition that increases its presence in the oil and gas market. Aggreko is paying $26m for Northland Power Services, a leading provider of power solutions for the oil and gas exploration and production market in
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Cost cutting helps Sage
1st Dec 2010 13:20
Accountancy software provider Sage is the best performer in the Footsie following its full year figures. Sage reported a 14% increase in underlying pre-tax profit thanks to cost-cutting. Profit before tax, adjusted for foreign exchange movements, rose to £355.7m in the year to September 2010, from
Read moreBroker tips: BTG, Halfords, National Grid
19th Nov 2010 13:50
KBC is impressed with BTG's latest acquisition, as it foresees some exposure in emerging markets for the UK drugs group. The acquisition of stent specialist Biocompatibles (BII) is expected to bring in a £36m revenue stream, a significant cash position of £33m and an underlying profitable business
Read moreBroker snap: Nomura sees no upside for National Grid
19th Nov 2010 13:16
Despite generous valuations, Nomura downgrades National Grid (NG) to 'neutral' as the broker fails to see any upside potential to the current share price. The broker has revised its target price to 570p from 525p, still less than the current share price of 575p. NG's recent "outperformance" - whic
Read moreFriday tips round-up: Derwent London, Close Brothers, Centrica...
19th Nov 2010 06:40
Derwent London, the office landlord, joined the chorus of commercial property companies singing the praises of London's buoyant market yesterday. It is encouraged by the continued improvement" of the market in the heart of the capital, despite economic conditions remaining "uncertain". Rentals are
Read moreNational Grid confident after profits rise
18th Nov 2010 07:54
Power and gas grid operator National Grid said it expects to turn in a strong performance for the full year after a sharp rise in profits at the half year stage. Pre-tax profits in the six months to September 30 rose to £971m from £944m over the same period the previous year, driven by strong perfo
Read moreThursday preview: SABMiller, Investec, Halfords
17th Nov 2010 16:41
South Africa-focused investment bank Investec has put in a bit of mixed performance of late, according to broker Charles Stanley. "On the one hand Investec has benefited from a solid recurring income base as well as a strong performance from the Asset Management and Private Wealth businesses. Howe
Read moreLondon close: Footsie rallies to narrow losses
12th Nov 2010 16:47
Footsie recovered from an early slump to close just a few points lower as well-received company updates nearly cancelled out losses in the mining sector. Miners were big fallers on disappointment with the outcome at the G20 meeting and the possibility of a currency free-for-all. Talk that China is
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