FTSE 250 movers: Carillion falls after fine
22nd Sep 2009 11:21
Engineering and construction contractor Carillion is among the heaviest fallers in the mid-cap index after it was fined £5.3m by the Office for Fair Trading (OFT) after a four-year investigation into collusion and price-fixing in the building industry. Carillion pointed out that the fine relates to
Read moreSector movers: Miners resume rally
22nd Sep 2009 09:29
Mining stocks are going well as metals prices resume their rally after a pause yesterday. Among the risers is the FTSE 100 giant Rio Tinto, which said today that it is to continue its selling spree by selling Alcan Composites, part of its Alcan Engineered Products division. Selling news also boo
Read moreLondon close: Blue chips surge continues
30th Jul 2009 16:42
Corporate newsflow and resurgent miners sent Footsie to within a whisker of its highest close this year. Investors piled into blue chips after a string of household names reported earnings this morning. Triple-digit gains for the Dow added to the upward momentum in the afternoon. Telecoms giant
Read moreLondon afternoon: Miners push Footsie higher
30th Jul 2009 14:48
Corporate news-flow and resurgent miners are driving Footsie higher today, with the benchmark index adding to its gains over the lunch-time session. Telecoms giant BT racked up a double-digit percentage gain in the morning after quarterly figures that were not as bad as feared. EBITDA (earnings b
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie tops 4600
30th Jul 2009 11:54
Footsie has broken through the 4,600 barrier, helped by well received results from index heavyweight BT and strong demand for miners. Telecoms giant BT racked up a double-digit percentage gain in the morning after quarterly figures that were not as bad as feared. EBITDA (earnings before interest, t
Read moreSector movers: Better than expected BT results lift telecom sector
30th Jul 2009 10:52
The telecommunications sector jumps ahead after BT's results, while still fairly grim, were ahead of expectations. The firm saw profits slump in the first quarter, held back by BT Global Services, while its pension deficit surged. The group said net pension position at 30 June 2009 was a deficit o
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Travis Perkins builds on gains
30th Jul 2009 10:50
Travis Perkins is the best performer in the FTSE 250, adding to recent gains, after the buildings materials supplier posted a 27% drop in half year pre-tax profit but in recent months has has seen evidence that some of its markets are beginning to stabilise. Engineer Charter saw profits slump 62% i
Read moreNorthumbrian Water revenues hold up
30th Jul 2009 09:01
Northumbrian Water will raise its full-year dividend by 6% after increased water and sewerage charges helped the group maintain revenues at previous levels. The firm, which operates in the Northeast of England, has increased charges by 3%, in line with inflation. It said non-household revenue conti
Read moreLondon close: Ten out of ten for Footsie
24th Jul 2009 17:13
The FTSE 100 index made it ten days of rises in a row, despite tailing off towards the close as investors looked to bank profits ahead of the week-end. It capped the best rally by the blue-chip index in five years. The rise was achieved despite dismal gross domestic product data. UK output contract
Read moreTechnical Analysis: Water stocks get a soaking
24th Jul 2009 16:06
This week's decision by Ofwat to propose cuts in water bills between 2010 and 2015 has seen the publicly quoted shares in the water sector take a hit. The fear is that the companies' profitability will be hit as the regulator has stipulated that the planned £21bn of investment will not be affected
Read moreLondon afternoon: Financials find favour
24th Jul 2009 14:11
Footsie eased back a little over the lunchtime session but thanks to firm financials the blue-chip index continues to shrug off this morning's gloomy data on gross domestic product (GDP). UK output contracted 0.8% between April and June after a 2.4% decline in the first quarter, according to the Of
Read moreLondon midday: London shrugs off GDP shock
24th Jul 2009 11:54
After a shaky opening the market is moving steadily ahead, despite receiving a jolt from much worse than expected gross domestic product (GDP) figures. Output contracted 0.8% between April and June after a 2.4% decline in the first quarter, according to the Office for National Statistics' flash est
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Bid talk boosts National Express
24th Jul 2009 10:37
National Express sped ahead after the rail group's main shareholder Spain's Cosmen family, was today linked with a bid for the troubled rail and bus group in conjunction with CVC, the private equity group. Shares in Yell are up again after the directories group said yesterday that revenue in the th
Read moreFriday newspaper round-up: FSA, Lloyds/RBS, National Express
24th Jul 2009 06:11
The world's biggest banks could be penalised with onerous surcharges, forcing them to set aside proportionately far more capital than smaller rivals, Lord Turner of Ecchinswell, chairman of the Financial Services Authority, suggested yesterday. Lord Turner, speaking after the FSA's annual meeting,
Read moreLondon close: US surge extends Footsie's winning streak
23rd Jul 2009 16:32
Footsie's winning streak extended to nine days as US markets surged ahead on better than expected June home sales and forecast-busting results from a number of US household names. Trading had been quiet up until mid-afternoon, but as soon as the US markets started to pick up buyers returned in earn
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