London close: FTSE ends higher ahead of Fed meeting result
29th Oct 2014 16:40
Investors showed a degree of confidence in the Wednesday session as markets awaited the outcome of the latest Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting. Steady gains were seen throughout much of the session, with a slight weakening towards the close, although the Footsie ultimately closed up 51.7
Read moreBroker tips: Intertek, Next, StanChart
29th Oct 2014 16:13
JP Morgan on Wednesday analysts Robert Plant, Chris Gallagher and Jolyon Wellington reiterated their 'overweight' recommendation on shares of testing services firm Intertek. That followed a meeting with the company's chief executive officer, Wolfhart Hauser, on Tuesday afternoon. "It was an interes
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: JP Morgan comments lift Intertek
29th Oct 2014 16:12
JP Morgan analysts Robert Plant, Chris Gallagher and Jolyon Wellington on Wednesday reiterated their 'overweight' recommendation on shares of testing services firm Intertek following a sales meeting with the company's chief executive officer, Wolfhart Hauser, on Tuesday afternoon. "It was an interes
Read moreBrewin Dolphin worried about sustainability of growth at Next
29th Oct 2014 11:39
Unfortunately, fashion retailer Next is not due to hold a press conference call following Wednesday's disappointing figures, writes Brewin Dolphin's Nicla di Palma. The company reported sales for the third quarter which were higher by 5.4%, well below the 10% which management had been expecting. Exe
Read moreLondon open: Stocks move higher ahead of US FOMC
29th Oct 2014 09:26
Wednesday's session is expected to see a continuation of the previous day's gains, ahead of the latest policy decision announcement by the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), this evening. As of 09:20 the FTSE 100 was trading around 23 points higher than Tuesday's close at 6,432. The gains were b
Read moreLondon pre-open: FTSE to rise ahead of Fed decision
29th Oct 2014 07:44
Wednesday's session is expected to see a continuation of the previous day's gains, ahead of the latest policy decision announcement by the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC). City sources predict the FTSE 100 will open around 29 points higher than Tuesday's close of 6,402.17. The gains were being
Read moreWednesday preview: Federal Reserve policy decision, Next and Antofagasta report
28th Oct 2014 15:51
The Federal Reserve is expected to announce on Wednesday the end of its bond purchase programme as part of its latest policy decision. The US central bank is also forecast to keep interest rates unchanged at 0.25%. "I think any major surprises tomorrow is very unlikely simply because there is no pr
Read moreUK retail sales slow in September, ONS says
23rd Oct 2014 08:37
UK retail sales fell 0.3% last month against August, although they still racked up their 18th month in a row of year-on-year growth, official data showed. Month-on-month sales fell 0.3% but year-on-year sales rose 2.7%, according to the data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The underl
Read moreWoodford sells stake in Reckitt Benckiser
7th Oct 2014 18:12
Woodford Investment Management has added to its core holdings in British American Tobacco and G4S in its portfolio but announced it had sold down its stake in Reckitt Benckiser. Speaking about its decision to sell stakes in the multinational consumer goods company, which had been part of the fund fo
Read moreSector movers: Next weighs on retailers, while broker commentary buoys miners
6th Oct 2014 14:19
Retailers were the weakest performing sector on Tuesday, dragged down by the negative news-flow around ex-market darling Next. The fashion retailer warned investors that third quarter sales would be coming in below analysts' expectations and that a continuation of the cold weather could reduce full-
Read moreLondon close: Stocks end lower after data-heavy day, retailers drag
30th Sep 2014 16:39
London's blue chips ended Tuesday on a weaker note, as investors responded to a data-heavy session against a backdrop of the on-going protests in Hong Kong. With retailers dragging the way lower, the FTSE 100 closed 23.88 points lower at 6,622.72. Much of the day's focus was on the Eurozone, where
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Broker comment lifts Associated British Foods
30th Sep 2014 15:57
Associated British Foods climbed after Credit Suisse upgraded the stock to 'outperform' with a target price of 3,000p. Product testing group Intertek was a strong riser after investors learned it has appointed André Lacroix as chief executive. Lacroix has spent close to a decade in charge of automot
Read moreLondon open: Stocks start the day slightly lower, but RBS jumps
30th Sep 2014 09:18
Stocks started the Tuesday session slightly lower, weighed down by weakness overnight in Asian markets, although Wall Street did manage to finish off its intra-session lows. That comes as investors keep a close bead on US interest rate expectations and the strength of the US dollar. No less importan
Read moreLondon pre-open: FTSE awaits direction ahead of data-heavy day
30th Sep 2014 07:47
Little change is expected at Tuesday's opening bell as investors await direction from the numerous pieces of economic data due out both at home and across the Channel. City sources predict the FTSE 100 will open around three points higher than Monday's close of 6,646.60. Asian markets were knocked
Read moreNext maintains guidance despite lower Q3 sales
30th Sep 2014 07:08
Clothes retailer Next warned that third quarter sales were lower than its previous expectations and a continuation of the unseasonably warm weather could reduce full year profits. However, the FTSE 100 group was confident enough to maintain its full year guidance of £795m, saying "our experience sug
Read more