Broker tips: Energy services sector, IAG, Serco, Aveva
19th Dec 2014 12:11
Shares in the oil and gas services sector were hammered on Friday by comments from US bank Goldman Sachs which repeated its 'cautious' rating on the European sector in light of the recent collapse in crude prices. Goldman said: "Our analysis suggests that the European majors would need to cut capex
Read moreLondon midday: UK stocks extends gains as markets track Wall Street higher
19th Dec 2014 11:07
UK stocks extended their winning streak into the fourth day on Friday as a welcome, albeit late, Santa Rally kicked in following the recent sell-off. The FTSE 100 was trading 0.3% higher at 6,486 by noon and has now gained nearly 5% since Tuesday. "He left it late this year, but Santa finally provi
Read moreOil collapse to result in "painful" 2015/16 for energy services, says Goldman
19th Dec 2014 10:50
Shares in the oil and gas service industry took a battering on Friday from comments by US investment bank Goldman Sachs which repeated its 'cautious' rating on the sector's European players in light of the collapse in crude prices. On UK-listed energy services stocks, Goldman kept a 'buy' rating on
Read moreLondon open: FTSE rises for fourth day as late Santa Rally kicks in
19th Dec 2014 08:27
UK stocks rose for a fourth straight day on Friday following massive gains on Wall Street the night before, with the Dow Jones index registering its biggest one-day gain in three years. London's FTSE 100 was up 0.6% at 6,506 in early deals and has now risen by over 5% since Tuesday. Mike van Dulken
Read moreLondon close: FTSE sinks 2.5%, extends weekly decline to 6.6%
12th Dec 2014 16:38
UK stocks plummeted to levels not seen in nearly two months on Friday as weak global economic data and an ongoing sell-off of crude oil hammered market sentiment. The FTSE 100 settled at just 6,300.63 by the end of trade, down an eye-watering 2.5% on the day, with just four constituents on the index
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Oil stocks track oil price lower
12th Dec 2014 15:15
Petrofac, Tullow Oil, BP, Shell and a host of stocks exposed to the oil price were suffering heavy losses on Friday. Oil and gas engineer Weir, however, was bouncing back after recent declines following an upgrade by Canaccord Genuity from 'hold' to 'buy'. The broker said the stock's valuation now l
Read moreLondon midday: Mining stocks drag markets lower on ECB loan disappointment
11th Dec 2014 12:06
UK stocks retreated into the red after a positive start on Thursday as renewed concerns about the health of the Eurozone pressured mining stocks lower. Markets had edged higher early on after finishing the previous session at a five-week low, but gains were quickly erased after it was revealed that
Read moreLondon open: Stocks rebound from five-week low as energy shares gain
11th Dec 2014 08:21
UK stocks edged higher on Thursday after sinking to a five-week low, though gains were only modest ahead of a data-heavy session. The FTSE 100 was up 0.3% at 6,520 early deals, helped by a small rebound in the energy sector. A three-day sell-off wiped 3.5% off the value of the Footsie and sent the
Read moreLondon close: UK stocks drop to five-week low as oil sinks further
10th Dec 2014 16:40
UK stocks dropped to their lowest levels in five weeks on Wednesday as turmoil in the oil prices intensified with crude prices sinking to a fresh five-year low. The FTSE 100 erased earlier gains to finish down 0.45% at 6,500. It has not closed below this level since 4 November when it settled at 6,4
Read moreSector movers: Energy stocks tank as oil-price plunge intensifies
10th Dec 2014 15:43
Stocks in the oil producing and oil services sectors were hit by renewed selling pressure on Wednesday as crude prices dropped to fresh five-year lows. A weaker demand forecast from OPEC and a surprise increase in US crude inventories were weighing heavily on oil prices in afternoon trade, with Bren
Read moreWednesday newspaper round-up: StanChart, G4S/Serco, Oil services firms
10th Dec 2014 07:00
According to The Guardian, Standard Chartered is under fresh scrutiny from US regulators. The bank's two-year deferred prosecution agreement imposed two years ago for US breaching sanctions towards Iran has been extended for three years. US authorities, who have already fined the bank over £400m, ar
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Unscheduled trading update hits supermarkets
9th Dec 2014 14:37
Tesco surprised the market with another profit warning, causing shares to plummet. The company said trading profit for the financial year ending February 2015 is not expected to exceed £1.4bn, compared with £3.315bn previously and analysts' forecasts, which ranged from £1.8bn to £2.2bn. Supermarket
Read moreSector movers: Oil stocks under pressure as crude continues to slide
8th Dec 2014 15:27
An on-going slide in the price of oil was weighing on the oil and gas sector again on Monday with crude prices falling to their lowest level in five years. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures for January delivery were down 2.4% at $64.27 a barrel by the afternoon in London, while Brent for January
Read moreBarratt Developments and Taylor Wimpey set to join Footsie
4th Dec 2014 08:53
Overnight FTSE announced the results of its quarterly review of the constituents for its UK index series. IMI and Petrofac are to leave the top flight index, with Barratt Developments and Taylor Wimpey set to take their place. Meanwhile, and on the FTSE 250, Barratt Developments, Taylor Wimpey,
Read moreLondon close: Shares drop amid falling oil prices and economic woe
1st Dec 2014 17:11
Falling oil prices and downbeat manufacturing data in continental Europe sent London shares into reverse on Monday. The price of a barrel of Brent crude leaked more than 10% and US light crude was off 11% just after the close in London as Middle East and US oil chiefs continued their stand-off over
Read more