FTSE 100 movers: Cairn results well received
22nd Mar 2011 13:55
Cairn Energy is higher following its 2010 results, even though there was no news on the Cairn India stake sale to Vedanta Resources. Cairn posted a net profit of $1.08bn in 2010. An update on the oil explorer's plans for Greenland was generally well received. RBS analyst Phil Corbett said that Gre
Read moreBroker tips: Pru, Punch, Regus
22nd Mar 2011 13:17
Prudential is "firing on all cylinders", with its final results beating consensus expectations on all key performance measures, according to UBS. "The Asian growth story remains very much intact, while super-normal US profits are likely to take longer than we previously thought to be competed away
Read moreLondon midday: Inflation shock spoils the party
22nd Mar 2011 11:39
Disappointing inflation data seems to have put paid to Footsie's attempts to continue its recent revival. The inflation rate, as measured by the consumer prices index, rose to 4.4% in February from 4.0% in January. The rate topped market expectations of a figure of 4.2% and will pile on the pressur
Read moreBroker snap: Pru making progress across the board
22nd Mar 2011 11:15
Prudential is "firing on all cylinders", with its final results beating consensus expectations on all key performance measures, according to UBS. "The Asian growth story remains very much intact, while super-normal US profits are likely to take longer than we previously thought to be competed away,
Read moreLondon open: Healthy early gains
22nd Mar 2011 08:55
A bit of momentum is building behind Footsie now, with fund managers and life groups going well. Schroders and Prudential are two of the best performers after the Dow rose again overnight to climb back through the 12,000 mark. Cairn Energy has yet to reach an agreement with the Indian authoritie
Read moreLondon close: Strong end to a strong day
17th Mar 2011 16:49
London's blue chips were strong all day and boosted late on by a strong start in the US where the Dow notched up a triple-digit gain in quick time. For once, investors overlooked the ongoing bad news on the Japanese earthquake and turmoil in the Arab world to hunt out a few bargains. Heritage Oi
Read moreLondon afternoon: Shares kick on as US opens higher
17th Mar 2011 13:57
Share prices kicked on over the lunchtime session, boosted by a firm start on Wall Street, where the Dow has notched up a triple-digit gain in quick time. Though the focus remains on the aftermath of the Japanese earthquake and any response to the turbulence it has caused in the financial markets
Read moreBramson vehicle buys more shares in F&C
15th Mar 2011 17:05
F&C Asset Management chairman Edward Bramson's investment vehicle SIGA LP has acquired more shares in the asset management company. Bramson was appointed chairman of F&C last month after a shareholder coup removed the previous incumbent, along with another non-executive, and appointed three new di
Read moreLondon close: Heavy losses despite recovery
15th Mar 2011 16:42
The FTSE 100 closed deep in the red Tuesday amid continuing worries over the situation in Japan, though losses were more than halved following a slide in the morning as nerves calmed. A third explosion at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan has raised concerns of a major radiation le
Read moreSector movers: Nuclear fears boost alternative energy stocks
15th Mar 2011 16:23
The alternative energy sector is over 7% higher Tuesday, as fears over a nuclear disaster in Japan have buoyed sentiment in renewable energy stocks. Wind turbine gearbox manufacturer Hansen Transmissions and fuel cell developer Proton Power Systems are providing a lift. The life insurance sector i
Read moreLondon afternoon: Stocks stabilise
15th Mar 2011 14:27
Leading shares remain deep in the red and the best that can be said is that the situation did not get materially worse over the lunch time session. A third explosion at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan has raised concerns of a major radiation leak and sparked panic selling on the
Read moreBoss' s wife splashes out on Standard Life shares
11th Mar 2011 17:18
The wife of Standard Life's chief executive has spent nearly £300,000 on a stake in the insurer, the day after the company announced it had a "good" 2010. Caroline Nish, wife of David, bought 125,000 shares at 2,24p a time, taking the couple's stake to about 550,000 shares. The UK's fourth-largest
Read moreLondon close: Japan gloom stifles rally
11th Mar 2011 16:41
The devastating earthquake in Japan this morning overshadowed today's trading but shares struggled to climb into the blue and finished just a few points short. The tsunami resulting from the earthquake has already killed a large number of people in Japan, with police in the port of Sendai reporting
Read moreLondon afternoon: Rally runs out of steam
11th Mar 2011 14:29
An attempt at continuing the late-morning rally fizzled out over the lunch time session, but prices are not as soft as might be expected given the array of bad news out there, such as the Japanese earthquake, the Libyan situation and the continuing concerns about European sovereign debt. The insura
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: BP's ethanol buy
11th Mar 2011 12:49
BP is lower after it announced the $680m (£421m) acquisition of a Brazilian ethanol producer. BP has moved to improve its green credentials with the purchase of Companhia Nacional de Açúcar e Álcool (CNAA). The acquisition is the oil giant's biggest ever in the alternative energy sector. Insurer P
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