London close: Footsie makes round trip
14th Sep 2010 16:52
Footsie finished the day as it started it, marginally in positive territory, but for much of the day it languished in the red, as investors turned their attention to gold. The most actively traded contract in the yellow stuff has risen to a record high of $1,269.50 an ounce in New York trading, as
Read moreLondon afternoon: Public sector gloom lifts a little
14th Sep 2010 14:11
The afternoon session has been much like the morning one with Footsie drifting sideways. There has been some focus on companies that rely, in part, on contracts from the public sector, and the feeling is that the worries about the government tap being turned off may have been overdone. Telecoms
Read moreWeek Ahead: Next, Kesa, Kingfisher
10th Sep 2010 12:13
Retailers are to the fore next week with Next, Kingfisher and Kesa Electricals all reporting. Fashion retailer Next brings out interim figures on Wednesday, barely a month after it issued a pre-closing trading update in which it said it had noticed a "cooling" in consumer demand in recent months.
Read moreLondon close: Rally falls short
4th Aug 2010 16:50
The FTSE 100 briefly made it into positive territory in the afternoon session but that only lured out more sellers and the blue-chip index closed slightly down on the day. Shares in Next remained in the doghouse all day, not so much because of the performance in the first half of its financial yea
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Retail fears knock index
4th Aug 2010 15:34
Worries about retail sales are pushing the Footsie down. This is due to fashion retailer Next saying it has noticed a 'cooling' in consumers' demand in recent months. Next still expects profits to rise by between 6-11% this year, in line with its previous forecasts. "We believe that consumer spendi
Read moreSector movers: Investors gobble up food stocks
4th Aug 2010 15:22
Rising wheat prices have given companies that use the commodity plenty of food for thought lately, but Premier Foods, the maker of Hovis bread, is in demand today after first half results. The stock is leading the food producers sector higher. Pre-tax losses for continuing operations widened to £54
Read moreBroker tips: ARM, Next, Drax
4th Aug 2010 12:35
With directors of ARM Holdings cashing in some of their shares KBC Peel Hunt has asked the question whether other holders of the chip designer's shares should do likewise. "Recent performance has been reminiscent of 1999, and the high valuation, combined with limited scope for upgrades and a weaken
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks start to recover
4th Aug 2010 12:08
Leading share prices have come off the bottom but the FTSE 100 remains in arrears, following mixed news on the corporate front. Shares in Next are sharply lower. The fashion retailer has noticed a 'cooling' in consumers' demand in recent months, but still expects profits this year to rise by betwee
Read moreBroker snap: Good time to accumulate Next
4th Aug 2010 11:29
Fashion retailer Next spent most of the morning at the bottom of the FTSE 100 league table after a disappointing trading update, and this could present a buying opportunity, Charles Stanley states. "Given our expectation that the group will deliver at least high single-digit EPS growth in each of
Read moreLondon open: Blue chips lower on mixed results
4th Aug 2010 08:40
London has made a quiet start after a decline on Wall Street overnight and mixed trading statements this morning. Lloyds is very much back in the black after posting a profit of £1.6bn for the first half of 2010, twice as much as some analysts had forecast. The bank, which lost almost £4bn this tim
Read moreNext cautious as demand 'cools'
4th Aug 2010 07:25
Next has noticed a 'cooling' in consumers' demand in recent months, but still expects profits this year to rise by between 6-11%, in line with its previous forecasts. "There has been a noticeable cooling in retail demand in recent months, the mood amongst consumers is best characterised as cautious
Read moreWednesday preview: Lloyds Banking, Legal & General, Next
3rd Aug 2010 15:26
The UK government is showing a paper profit on its 41% stake in high street banking giant Lloyds and should have further cause for celebration when the bank unveils profits for the first half of the year on Wednesday. Expectations are for Lloyds to declare pre-tax profits in excess of £800m, a shar
Read moreMARKET TALK: UK High Street Spending Shows Strength - Capital
27th Jul 2010 11:24
1024 GMT [Dow Jones] July's UK CBI distributive trades survey suggests High Street spending is roaring away, says Capital Economics, with the reported sales balance leaping to +33, its highest level in three years, from -5. CE says the underlying picture is probably a bit weaker than this and it is
Read moreUK MARKET TALK ROUNDUP: SHARES GAINING
21st Jul 2010 11:06
Stocks on the rise in the UK today. Compiled by Dow Jones Newswires Markets Desk, [email protected] Contact us in London. +44-20-7842-9464 [email protected] 1006 GMT [Dow Jones] Investec Securities lifts its full-year earnings per share forecast on Next (NXT.LN) to 218p from 213
Read moreMARKET TALK: Investec Lifts Next FY EPS Forecast
21st Jul 2010 11:06
1006 GMT [Dow Jones] Investec Securities lifts its full-year earnings per share forecast on Next (NXT.LN) to 218p from 213p following a completed share buy-back ahead of the company's first-half trading update on August 4. Expects group to deliver upper end of 1H guidance in retail. Buy rating and 2
Read more