Wednesday newspaper round-up: Chinese GDP, Google, HSBC
15th Apr 2015 06:59
Economic growth in China slowed down to just 7% in the first quarter, representing the lowest pace of expansion in six years, according to the Financial Times. This compared with 7.3% growth in the fourth quarter. Europe is set to file formal charges against Google for violating antitrust laws, The
Read moreWednesday broker round-up
14th Apr 2015 18:58
Bunzl: Investec reiterates hold with 2,00p target. Michael Page: JP Morgan Cazenove reiterates neutral and lifts target to 490p from 479p. Vesuvius: JP Morgan Cazenove downgrades to neutral. Next: JP Morgan Cazenove lifts recommendation to overweight with a 7,700p target, up from 7,100p. Greggs:
Read moreTuesday broker round-up
24th Mar 2015 14:42
Legal&General: Canaccord Genuity reiterates hold and raises target to 290p from 240p. Standard Chartered: JP Morgan Cazenove reiterates overweight and lifts target to 1,250p from 1,050p. Vesuvius: Credit Suisse reiterates underperform and hikes target 460p from 405p. Marks&Spencer: Investec reit
Read moreFriday broker round-up
20th Mar 2015 15:33
Asos: Citi reiterates neutral. TSB Banking: Numis reiterates hold and 340p target. Aviva: Nomura reiterates buy and lifts target to 690p from 650p. WPP: Morgan Stanley reiterates buy and raises target to 1,625p from 1,400p. Tullow Oil: Barclays reiterates overweight and 550p target. William Hill
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: CRH higher on merger agreement, Next hit by downgrade
20th Mar 2015 12:53
CRH was the biggest gainer on the Footsie after building materials giants Lafarge and Holcim agreed upon terms for a merger. Shares in Tullow Oil surged after the West Africa-focused exploration outfit announced it had successfully negotiated for access to £450m in fresh financing. Morrison was als
Read moreBroker tips: StanChart, Michael Page, Next
20th Mar 2015 12:32
Standard Chartered's rating on Friday was downgraded to 'sell' from 'hold' at Investec Securities as the scale and pace of the stock's absolute and relative share price recovery "has finally tipped us over the edge." The broker noted that year-to-date, the stock has materially outperformed all other
Read moreCanaccord Genuity downgrades Next to hold, keeps target
20th Mar 2015 11:57
Fashion retailer Next's trading model is still solid but prospects of a reduced profit stream from credit customers, the company's admission that UK Directory may now be ex-growth and lowered guidance on sales, will lead markets to reassess the potential for the stock, analysts at Canaccord Genuity
Read moreLondon close: Stocks higher as focus shifts towards Greece
19th Mar 2015 17:30
UK equities registered slight gains as traders digested the policy announcement issued by the US Federal Reserve overnight and despite the renewed tensions evident in Greek funding markets. The Footsie ended the day 17 points higher at 6,962.32, with some effects from Wednesday's Budget from Chancel
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Next slumps on weak outlook, tobacco stocks lower
19th Mar 2015 13:44
Shares in Next slumped as the fashion retailer took a cautious view of the outlook for the 2015-2016 financial year, saying some of its collections are "not as strong as they were at this point last year". Tobacco stocks such as British American Tobacco and Imperial Tobacco Group were among the wors
Read moreLondon midday: FTSE crawling higher as Fed and Budget digested
19th Mar 2015 11:48
Come midday on Thursday, stocks were registering slight gains as traders digested the policy announcement issued by the US Federal Reserve overnight, but volatility was still evident in other asset classes such as foreign exchange and commodities. At 12.25 the top flight index was 5.8 points higher
Read moreLondon open: Footsie edges higher after Fed decision
19th Mar 2015 08:49
The Footsie began the morning higher as traders digested a surprisingly dovish set of macroeconomic projections from the US Federal Reserve overnight which set off sharp moves in all asset classes. At 09:15 the top flight index was 16 points higher at 6,961.30. As expected, the US central bank omit
Read moreLondon pre-open: FTSE set to edge higher in wake of dovish Fed
19th Mar 2015 07:41
The UK's blue chip index is expected to tack on between 13 and 17 points to yesterday's large gains, financial bookmakers said, as traders digest and react to the surprisingly dovish policy statement from the US Federal Reserve overnight. The US central bank opted to omit any reference to being "pat
Read moreNext reports 2014 profit near top end of range on improving economic fundamentals
19th Mar 2015 07:21
British clothing retailer Next reported 2014 pretax profits up 7.2%, which is at the top end of its range, as the group benefited from improving consumer confidence. Group store and online pre-tax profit rose to £782.2m from £695.2m, which is at the top end of expectations set in December when group
Read moreThursday preview: Next unveils full-year results
18th Mar 2015 15:38
Fashion retailer Next reports its full-year results on Thursday with analysts expecting an increase in earnings, supported by online sales. In December the company increased its full-year profit guidance to "£10m either side of £775m" - £5m ahead of the mid-point of previous guidance - saying that s
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Retailers dominate risers, CRH lower on rejected merger
16th Mar 2015 14:08
Tesco led the FTSE 100 risers on reports that advertising and marketing giant WPP Group could potentially buy a majority stake in the supermarket's consumer behaviour tracker Dunnhumby. The business is valued at around £2bn and would offer WPP with an insight into UK shopping habits, the Sunday Tele
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