London midday: Stocks at lowest in a month as Greek fears intensify
10th Mar 2015 12:16
UK stocks dropped sharply on Tuesday morning with the Footsie on track for its lowest close in over a month as investors scaled back their appetite for risk amid ongoing tensions between Greece and its creditors. London's FTSE 100 was down 1.2% at 6,793.01 by midday. It has not closed below the 6,80
Read moreLondon open: Mining stocks and Prudential drag markets lower
10th Mar 2015 08:52
Equity markets declined on Tuesday morning on the back of mixed data from China, with mining stocks bearing the brunt of the selling pressure as metal prices weakened. The FTSE 100, which set a three-week closing low of 6,876.47 on Monday, was down a further 0.22% at 6,861.50 early on with Prudentia
Read morePrudential's profit growth slows ahead of Thiam exit
10th Mar 2015 07:37
As it confirmed overnight stories of the departure of chief executive Tidjane Thiam, insurer Prudential released results showing growth in operating profits slowed to 14%, though this was better than the City expected. Prudential, which said it had already identified an internal successor as part of
Read moreLondon pre-open: Declines expected early on, Chinese inflation in focus
10th Mar 2015 07:36
UK stocks were set to fall for the third straight day on Tuesday after setting a three-week low the previous session on the back of renewed concerns about Greece. City sources predict the FTSE 100 will open 14 points lower than Monday's close of 6,876.47, its lowest close since 16 February. Economi
Read moreTuesday newspaper round-up: Prudential CEO, BBC scandal, Conservatives
10th Mar 2015 06:24
Present chief executive of Britain's Prudential Insurance Group has been lined up to replace Brady Dougan as leader of Credit Suisse, the Financial Times reported. BBC Trust chair Rona Fairhead has been told she should resign after her involvement in the HSBC tax avoidance scandal was revealed to th
Read moreCredit Suisse poaches Prudential's Tidjane Thiam as new CEO
9th Mar 2015 23:19
Credit Suisse has poached Prudential'sboss Tidjane Thiam to replace long-standing chief executive Brady Dougan as chief executive. Prudential, which also released final results on Tuesday that showed operating profits growth slowed to 14% for the full year, said it had already had identified a succe
Read moreCredit Suisse upgrades RSA Insurance on capital return potential
22nd Jan 2015 09:07
RSA Insurance's shares were given a boost on Thursday by an upgrade by Credit Suisse from 'neutral' to 'outperform', as the bank delivered an upbeat outlook for the UK insurance sector. Credit Suisse said that RSA's delivery on cost and operating return targets will "provide capacity for a sharp imp
Read moreSunday newspaper round-up: Tesco, Flotations, ECB
5th Jan 2015 02:29
Tesco will scrap the system of rebates and penalty fees it uses to extract money from suppliers, the Sunday Times said. In a trading statement due on January 8th, Chief Executive Dave Lewis will replace the complex arrangements with a simple scheme based on sales volumes. The change will put pressur
Read moreMonday broker round-up
15th Dec 2014 09:29
Ashtead Group: Berenberg raises target price from 1170p to 1345p and keeps its 'buy' recommendation. Aviva: Citi increases target price from 590p to 620p and maintains a 'buy' recommendation. Bellway: Deutsche Bank ups target price from 1760p to 1778p and reiterates its 'hold' recommendation. Berk
Read moreTuesday broker round-up
9th Dec 2014 09:23
Aberdeen: Cantor Fitzgerald initiates with a target price of 520p and a 'buy' recommendation. Aggreko: Jefferies reduces target price from 1810p to 1350p, downgrading to 'underperform'. Ashcourt Rowan: Cantor Fitzgerald initiates with a target price of 270p and a 'buy' recommendation. Ashmore: Can
Read moreLondon close: Upbeat company and economic news buoys stocks
18th Nov 2014 17:06
London shares closed comfortably in positive territory on Tuesday on upbeat economic news and strong corporate results. The FTSE 100 Index closed 37.16 points ahead at 6709.13 as UK house prices reached a new high in September, according to data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS). The ONS
Read morePrudential third quarter well ahead of expectations
18th Nov 2014 08:23
Boosted by a strongly improved performance in the UK life business in the third quarter, Prudential's new business profits were well ahead of expectations for the year-to-date. In the nine months to 30 September, group new business profits rose 17% at constant exchange rates to £1.5bn, or up 6% on a
Read morePrudential subsidiary to sell stake in joint venture
10th Nov 2014 11:34
Prudential's UK subsidiary has reached an agreement to sell its 25% equity stake in the Pruhealth and Pruprotect joint venture to Discovery Group Europe. The Prudential Assurance Company (PAC) made the sale for £155m in cash. The transaction will enable Prudential UK to realise its investment at at
Read moreLondon open: UK stocks rise, but Lloyds and StanChart fall
28th Oct 2014 08:54
Despite some heavy falls from banking heavyweights Lloyds and Standard Chartered, UK stocks advanced on Tuesday morning as the FTSE 100 rebounded from a one-week low. London's benchmark index was up 0.6% at 6,404 in early deals, helped by decent gains from oil major BP. The Footsie closed at 6,363.
Read moreTuesday broker round-up UPDATE
14th Oct 2014 09:17
Anglo Pacific: FinnCap upgrades to buy with a target price of 158p. Peel Hunt shifts target price from 196p to 198p retaining its buy recommendation. Ashmore: Canaccord Genuity upgrades from sell to hold with a target price of 300p. Numis cuts target price from 369p to 355p retaining an add rating.
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