London open: UK markets pause at two-month high, but Petrofac plummets
24th Nov 2014 08:24
UK stocks opened broadly flat on Monday with markets pausing for breath after hitting a two-month high last week. The FTSE 100 was trading down just 0.04% at 6,748 in early deals, with oilfield services group Petrofac providing a drag after a profit warning. The index finished Friday at 6,750.76, a
Read moreLondon pre-open: FTSE to open higher early on
24th Nov 2014 07:41
A small gain is predicted for UK stocks at Monday's opening bell, with City sources predicting the FTSE 100 will open around 10 points higher than Friday's close of 6,750.76. Markets jumped on Friday after a surprise interest-rate cut from the People's Bank of China in an attempt to avert a sharp sl
Read morePetrofac cuts profit outlook on weak oil prices, project timing
24th Nov 2014 07:07
Oilfield services group Petrofac has scaled back its profit assumptions for next year, saying that depressed oil prices and the timing of deliveries will result in a weaker bottom line. Chief executive Ayman Asfari said it has been a "difficult period for Petrofac and the industry" and that the comp
Read moreLondon close: Stocks end marginally higher after Eurozone data
14th Nov 2014 16:40
UK stocks ended the final session of the week with modest gains, but struggled against weakness among the mining and energy sectors. The FTSE ended the week at 6,648.13, a gain of 12.68 points on the day and 80.89 on the week. "A combination of mining and energy company weakness has seen the FTSE s
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Aggreko pleases with trading update
14th Nov 2014 16:29
Temporary power and temperature control group Aggreko rose strongly after it gave an in-line trading update and said it continued to expect 2014 underlying trading profits to resemble those of 2013. Tesco traded higher after HSBC analysts upgraded their rating to 'overweight' from 'neutral'. This fo
Read moreMarket overview: US data boosts stocks
14th Nov 2014 09:14
1630:Close Shares of Aggreko led gains on the top flight index after pleasing investors with its trading update. Tesco and Sainsbury also did well, with the former having received an upgrade out of HSBC. Large gains were also to be seen in Petrofac and Aberdeen Asset Management. Boosting stocks on F
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: London Stock Exchange climbs after strong first half
13th Nov 2014 16:01
London Stock Exchange was a strong riser after it revealed first-half growth across all its business areas as it moved ahead of schedule to complete the acquisition of US index compiler and asset manager Russell Investments. Peroni and Grolsch maker SABMiller moved higher despite missing analysts' f
Read moreLondon close: Miners lead shares higher on gold price rise
7th Nov 2014 17:11
Miners and oil stocks led the London market modestly higher on Friday as gold and oil prices jumped on a weaker dollar and German trade data improved. Silver miner Fresnillo gleamed 34.5p to 734p and Randgold Resources glittered 58p to 4132p as gold prices rose about 2% and a barrel of US crude boun
Read moreFriday broker round-up UPDATE
7th Nov 2014 09:44
AstraZeneca: Deutsche Bank increases target price from 4100p to 4350p and reiterates its hold recommendation. AVEVA: Societe Generale reduces target price from 2250p to 2000p, while keeping its buy recommendation. Big Yellow Group: Citi raises target price from 470p to 540p and maintains its neutra
Read moreLondon close: Markets spring leak as oil prices tumble
4th Nov 2014 16:13
The falling price of crude oil and precious metals left markets struggling to get a grip on Tuesday. The price of a barrel of US light crude fell nearly 3% to about $76.5 a barrel and Brent crude dipped below the $83 mark, dragging the FTSE 100 Index down 34 points at 6453.97. World gold prices are
Read moreSector movers: Oil stocks tank as crude prices drop to three-year low
4th Nov 2014 13:26
Sinking crude prices were pressuring oil producers and oil services stocks lower on Tuesday, with West Texas Intermediate (WTI) dropping to a three-year low. Oil dropped sharply after the world's largest exporter, Saudi Arabia, lowered prices for crude exports to US customers in an attempt to suppor
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks erase gains after UK construction data, Eurozone growth forecasts
4th Nov 2014 11:25
A slowdown in UK construction expansion and downgrades to Eurozone growth forecasts hit UK stocks on Tuesday morning, with the FTSE 100 having erased early gains by lunchtime. Well-received results from Imperial Tobacco, Associated British Foods and Legal & General weren't enough to prop up the benc
Read moreLondon close: FTSE ends higher as markets rebound
17th Oct 2014 16:50
The FTSE ended Friday's session on a positive note after a week of volatile and largely negative trading. The top tier index settled 114.38 points higher at 6,310.29, limiting the week's losses to 32.63, or 0.51%. "In London equities are finishing the week on a positive note as Greek bond yields re
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Oil stocks rise as Rolls-Royce falls into last place
17th Oct 2014 15:58
Tullow Oil, Shell and a number of other oil companies were all trading in positive territory on Friday afternoon thanks to a continued rebound in crude prices. Fears about an oversupply of oil saw West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude drop below $80 a barrel this week, while Brent futures sank to a fo
Read moreSector movers: Petrofac leads oil services higher as crude prices rebound
17th Oct 2014 14:00
A continued rebound in crude prices on Friday saw firms in the oil services sector rise after the price of the commodity collapsed over the past few weeks. Fears about an oversupply of oil saw West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude drop below $80 a barrel this week, while Brent futures sank to four-yea
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