FTSE 250 movers: National Express shrugs off chairman loss
22nd Jan 2010 18:00
National Express sped higher despite the rail and bus group losing itschairman John Devaney to defence and aerospace group Cobham. Shares in Petropavlovsk are lower. A day after it said it was resuming dividend payouts the Russia-focused miner has launched a $300m bond issue. Finance stocks have b
Read moreLondon close: RBS leads the charge
4th Jan 2010 17:12
A strong start to the year on Wall Street gave London a boost, prompting the blue-chip index to finish at its highest point for the day. Part-nationalised lender Royal Bank of Scotland's led the advance after Exane BNP Paribas suggested that 'fundamental (rather than purely speculative) investor in
Read moreLondon afternoon: Buoyant Wall St. lifts London
4th Jan 2010 14:38
Shares added to the morning's gains over the lunchtime session, as investors correctly predicted a firm opening on Wall Street. The sale of Royal Bank of Scotland's Pakistan unit has fallen through after the deal failed to get the necessary regulatory approvals and complete before the 31 December d
Read moreLondon midday: Broker tip lifts RBS
4th Jan 2010 12:10
Leading shares moved into consolidation mode late in the morning session, with resource stocks the best performers. Cairn Energy remains the top gainer on news that the oil explorer has secured a second drilling rig to assist its exploration programme in the Disko West area offshore Greenland in th
Read moreLondon close: FTSE 100 closes 32 points lower
24th Nov 2009 16:48
London ended the day in the red as the FTSE 100 lost its earlier gains after Wall Street opened sharply lower. London did not sustain a short-lived rally in the late afternoon. The market seemed to initially ignore Bank of England governor Mervyn King's cautious comments to the House of Commons Tr
Read moreLondon afternoon: Shares still drifting
24th Nov 2009 14:31
London continues to lack direction, with Bank of England governor Mervyn King's comments to the House of Commons Treasury select committee on the state of the economy having more of an effect on sterling than on share prices. With sterling dipping after King's comments, package holiday firms Thomas
Read moreLondon midday: Leading shares mixed
24th Nov 2009 12:10
Footsie has fought its way into positive territory after a dull opening, helped by a recovery by some mining stocks. Anglo American, ENRC and Lonmin are the brightest features of a mining sector that initially opened lower on softer copper prices. Lloyds Banking Group is firmer after it priced i
Read moreLondon open: Lloyds unveils record cash call
24th Nov 2009 08:52
London's blue chips have fallen back after yesterday's strong gains, with Lloyds Banking getting most of the attention. Lloyds Banking Group priced its world record £13.5bn rights issue at 37p a share, a discount of 59.5% to last night's closing price. Britain's third-largest lender will offer s
Read moreParagon mulls lending again as arrears stabilise
24th Nov 2009 07:31
Specialist mortgage lender Paragon is considering increasing its lending book again after bad debts stabilised in the second half and wholesale funding markets picked up. "Whilst these are early days, recent improvements in funding markets will encourage us to look more confidently to reinstating t
Read moreUpdate: FSA to protect borrowers from themselves
19th Oct 2009 13:48
City watchdog the Financial Services Authority (FSA) has unveiled a range of proposed changes to mortgage regulation designed to 'protect consumers more from themselves.' The headline-grabbing change proposed by the FSA is the scrapping of self-certification mortgages, with the regulatory body taci
Read moreFSA to outlaw self-certification mortgages
19th Oct 2009 09:17
Self-certification mortgages are for the scrap-heap, the Financial Services Authority said Monday, as it proposed a shake-up of mortgage regulations. The Financial Services Authority (FSA) said the onus of verifying affordability when a mortgage application is considered should be on the lender, wi
Read moreTrio take place in top index
18th Sep 2009 17:33
Balfour Beatty, Pennon and Foreign & Colonial Investment Trust spent their last day in London's premier league Friday as demotion to the FTSE 250 comes into effect tonight. The latest quarterly reshuffle, based on closing share prices two weeks ago, sees pest control firm Rentokil Initial, hotel an
Read moreLondon close: Footsie ends winning streak
28th Jul 2009 16:33
Footsie looked set to continue its 11-day winning streak but soon started a steady downward slide that saw it close sharply in the red. Software giant Sage led Footsie higher in early dealings, staging a relief rally on results that were in line with market expectations though it warned that market
Read moreLondon afternoon: Slide accelerates
28th Jul 2009 14:19
With wall Street expected to open lower, London moved further into the red over the lunchtime session, leaving the Footsie a sizeable deficit to make up if it is to set a new record for consecutive days of rises. Software giant Sage is doing its bit for Footsie, staging a relief rally on results th
Read moreLondon midday: Miners threaten Footsie streak
28th Jul 2009 12:14
If the Footsie is to rise for a record breaking 12th day in succession it looks like it is going to do so without the assistance of the mining stocks which are in retreat today. Software giant Sage is doing its bit for Footsie, staging a relief rally on results that were in line with market expect
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