London close: Footsie clings to lead
9th Dec 2010 16:40
A weak morning session on Wall Street did London no favours Thursday, although the big banks helped the leading index to only its second close above 5,800 in over three weeks. Barclays, Lloyds and Royal Bank of Scotland were top of the pile. HSBC also did well, but fellow Asia-focused player Stand
Read moreLondon afternoon: Banks help index advance
9th Dec 2010 14:42
A mostly better banking sector, gains for some of the mining heavyweights and a decent start on Wall Street are offsetting losses among the big retailers. Lloyds, Royal Bank of Scotland and Barclays are going well following a good session in overseas markets, though Asia-focused Standard Chartered
Read moreSunday newspaper round-up: Ireland, United Utilities, Tesco
21st Nov 2010 11:51
The Irish government has been given a stark warning from some of the biggest American companies in Ireland on the risk of a mass exodus if the country's low corporation tax rate is raised. The warning - from executives at Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard (HP), Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Intel - spo
Read moreLondon close: Late recovery not quite enough
19th Nov 2010 16:57
Shares recovered heading into the weekend but not enough to haul the leading share index into the blue. Outsourcing giant Capita, which yesterday said revenue growth in the second half of 2010 had been subdued due to government cuts in public spending, suffered more falls today. Miners continue to
Read moreLondon afternoon: Stocks still struggling
19th Nov 2010 15:31
A poor start on Wall Street has done nothing to help a recovery in London where the leading index is stuck near 5,700. Outsourcing giant Capita, which yesterday said revenue growth in the second half of 2010 had been subdued due to government cuts in public spending, is suffering more falls today.
Read moreLondon close: Company news stream fails to budge Footsie
3rd Nov 2010 16:37
There was plenty of company news for traders to digest but also uncertainty ahead of the US Federal Reserve's decision on whether to embark on more quantitative easing, resulting in a flat performance from Footsie. The leading share index slipped in line with the US ahead of the close and finished
Read moreLondon afternoon: Footsie treads water
3rd Nov 2010 14:13
London is not short of corporate newsflow to generate share price movements among the blue-chips but the net effect has been to leave the Footsie little changed. Car insurer Admiral said not much has changed since August's interim results, but that simple affirmation of recent trends was enough to
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie little changed despite excitement
3rd Nov 2010 12:12
There is plenty of movement in share prices today, but with stocks moving in both directions, Footsie is little changed. Lloyds Banking's announcement of its new chief executive has attracted investor excitement. It has appointed Antonio Horta-Osorio, the head of Spanish bank Santander's UK busine
Read moreShop prices rise as wheat and cotton soar
3rd Nov 2010 11:29
Soaring commodity prices helped push shop price inflation to its highest level since January, new data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) shows. Overall shop price inflation increased to 2.2% in October from 1.9% in September. Food inflation increased to 4.4% in October from 4.0% in Septembe
Read moreLondon open: Markets waits on Fed decision
3rd Nov 2010 08:50
Leading shares are mixed in London as traders get to grips with the implications of yesterday's US mid-term election results. The Republicans took control of the House of Representatives, but not the Senate, raising the prospect of the next two years of President Obama's tenure in the White House
Read moreLondon pre-open: Inching higher
3rd Nov 2010 07:36
City forecasters are predicting juts a small gain for London when trading begins as the dust settles after last night's election results in the US. The FTSE 100 is expected to add around 5 points at the start. The Republicans took control of the House of Representatives, but not the Senate. Next
Read moreNext prices to rise 8% due to cotton 'bubble'
3rd Nov 2010 07:08
High street fashion giant Next will raise its prices by 8% early next year due to soaring cotton prices. "As a result of further rises in the price of cotton, retail price rises are likely to be at the top end of our previously stated 5% to 8% range for the first quarter of next year," the firm com
Read moreWednesday preview: Next, FirstGroup, 888, Service PMI
2nd Nov 2010 16:29
Fashion chain Next is scheduled to make an interim management statement on Wednesday. Panmure Gordon is forecasting a year on year decline of 1.0% in like for like retail sales in the third quarter, but the Next Directory should see a rise of about 8.0%. The Next Directory projection "compares w
Read moreWeek Ahead: US elections, US & UK QE, BP
29th Oct 2010 13:14
The first week of November is a very busy one for UK corporate activity but, even so, activity may be eclipsed by events in the USA where the Democratic party is expected to get a battering in mid-term elections on Tuesday, while the Federal Open Market Committee of the US Federal Reserve will annou
Read moreLondon close: Blue chips can't sustain early gains
28th Oct 2010 16:30
After going into a slump just ahead of midday, Footsie picked up over the lunch time session, helped by expectations of a firm start on Wall Street. The Anglo-Dutch oil giant Royal Dutch Shell grew earnings by 18% in the third quarter compared with a year ago, while the underlying figure rocketed
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