London pre-open: Investors waiting patiently for central bank decisions
5th Jul 2012 07:34
City sources predict the FTSE 100 will open up one point from yesterday's close of 5,684 as investors await direction from both the Bank of England (BofE) and the European Central Bank (ECB). The BofE is expected to extend its quantitative easing programme by £50bn to £375bn, while the ECB is widely
Read morePennon expands waste management division with bolt-on acquisition
5th Jul 2012 07:21
Water group Pennon has acquired waste collection and recycling business JWT Holdings in an effort to expand its waste management activities, particularly in the collection, recycling and energy recovery sectors. JWT, based in Atherton, Greater Manchester, was bought from John William Thomasson for
Read moreLondon close: Global stocks surge after EU agreements
29th Jun 2012 16:30
- Major breakthrough at EU summit - Equity markets rocket across the globe - Another banking scandal hits Barclays London blue chips rallied on Friday on the back of developments at the EU summit overnight, as analysts hailed the agreements as a major breakthrough. The agreements include: the Euro
Read moreBroker tips: Water stocks, M and S, Vodafone
29th Jun 2012 12:36
UK water stocks - United Utilities, Pennon and Severn Trent - are in 'a sweet spot in current markets', according to UBS which says they provide safe returns and consistent outperformance. "We believe that the UK water companies will remain in a sweet spot for as long as the current lacklustre macr
Read moreFriday broker round-up
29th Jun 2012 09:13
Barclays: Oriel Securities downgrades to hold, target cut from 285p to 200p. Barratt Developments: JPMorgan Cazenove downgrades to neutral, target raised from 135p to 155p. BG Group: UBS cuts target from 1,785p to 1,730p. Corin: N+1 Brewin upgrades to add. Debenhams: HB Markets downgrades to sel
Read moreLSE boss buys double round of shares
15th Jun 2012 15:56
- Correction: On Wednesday it was incorrectly reported that Wood Group's Chairman had sold shares; it was in fact the Group Chairman who made the sale. Xavier Rolet, the chief executive officer of the London Stock Exchange Group, has had a busy few days, buying two rounds of shares in the same we
Read moreWednesday tips round-up: Brewin Dolphin, Pennon, Scapa
30th May 2012 06:56
The investment manager Brewin Dolphin gets a big push from Questor in the Telegraph. It's fallen 13.5 per cent in the past year but the dividend yield is north of five per cent and funds under management are also growing (up 7.1 per cent at the last count). With a strategy review underway the stock
Read moreLondon open: Miners jump on Chinese growth hopes
29th May 2012 08:25
- Chinese stimulus hopes boost miners - Wolseley drops after third-quarter update - Greek banks receive liquidity injection Just a couple of stocks on the FTSE 100 were in the red in early trading on Tuesday, as the blue chip index jumped on the back of Chinese stimulus hopes. Markets across Europ
Read moreLondon pre-open: FTSE to track Asian stocks higher
29th May 2012 07:28
City sources predict the FTSE 100 will open up 25 points from yesterday's close of 5,356, tracking Asian stocks higher. Sentiment over Greece has been boosted by another poll in the country which showed that the pro-bailout New Democracy party is leading amongst voters as the country prepares for th
Read morePennon turns up the heat
29th May 2012 07:12
Full year profits at Pennon came in ahead of expectations, with growth at South West Water more than offsetting a slow-down at Viridor, the waste management unit. Profit before tax in the year to March 31st was £200.5m, ahead of market expectations of £196.2m and up from £188.5m the year before. S
Read moreLondon close: Stocks slump on global manufacturing data
22nd Mar 2012 16:57
- PMIs disappoint from China and Eurozone - Miners down on demand concerns, Randgold plummets on Malian military coup - Broker downgrades weigh on stocks After a steep fall early on, London's blue chips traded broadly sideways for the remainder of the day as gloomy economic data weighed on senti
Read moreLondon midday: Macro data weighs on stocks
22nd Mar 2012 11:43
- PMIs disappoint from China and Eurozone - Miners down on demand concerns, Randgold plummets on Malian military coup - Broker downgrades weigh on stocks The Footsie was firmly lower by lunchtime as a result of heavy losses in the mining sector on the back of some gloomy economic data from China.
Read moreBroker snap: Nomura lifts targets for utilities after Budget
22nd Mar 2012 10:26
While Nomura has maintained a bearish view on the UK utilities sector, yesterday's Budget did include a cut in corporation tax leading the broker to upgrade its target prices for utilities under its coverage. Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne announced yesterday that the planned sequence o
Read moreBroker tips: Unilever, Regus, Energy stocks
20th Mar 2012 11:19
Investec has cut its recommendation for food and cosmetic goods giant Unilever from buy to hold and cut its target price from 2,170p to 2,100p - the first time it has downgraded the stock in 17 years. While the broker says it is still an admirer of the company, two things are a cause for concern: a
Read moreBroker snap: Uncertainty persists in the energy sector, says Nomura
20th Mar 2012 10:17
Nomura has highlighted National Grid and United Utilities as its key picks in the UK utilities sector, but has warned that uncertainties still remain given the current climate and regulatory intervention. "Energy continues to be a contentious issue in UK politics - the economic downturn, combined w
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