London close: Footsie lower as results disappoint
10th Feb 2011 16:29
Footsie staged a late rally to climb back over 6,000, but still ended the day lower amid a very mixed bag of company results. It was a day for corporates to keep their head down as even those companies posting good numbers got whacked. Miner Rio Tinto fell after record full-year profits, a $5bn sha
Read moreLondon afternoon: Footsie hovers around 6,000
10th Feb 2011 15:18
Footsie has slumped below 6,000 with insurers and miners featuring prominently among the laggards. Miner Rio Tinto is lower even though it had plenty to please shareholders, with record full-year profits, a $5bn share buyback and 20% increase in the dividend. The Anglo-Australian group made a net
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Ex-dividends dominate
9th Feb 2011 13:07
Footsie is down today but the fallers are dominated by shares going ex-dividend. They include International Power, GlaxoSmithkline, Royal Dutch Shell and Sage. International Power is paying a 92p a share special dividend as part of the merger with GDF Suez. The share price has fallen less than t
Read moreLondon close: Footsie fades late
27th Jan 2011 16:32
Footsie closed lower after an afternoon rally, following a downgrade of Japan's credit weighting by ratings agency Standard & Poors, fizzled out. Life insurers moved to the top of the pile led by Old Mutual, Prudential and Aviva. Mining stocks did well after the US Federal Reserve indicated yesterd
Read moreLondon close: More gains for FTSE 100
12th Jan 2011 16:43
Strong financial and mining stocks helped to drive the top share index higher Wednesday, while M&A activity and company updates had some FTSE 250 constituents soaring. HSBC went well, helped by a "buy" recommendation from Barclays Capital, but fellow banks Standard Chartered and Barclays were also
Read moreLondon afternoon: Miners and banks lead the advance
12th Jan 2011 14:35
Footsie is continuing to keep its head above water, not to mention 6,000, but it is largely thanks to the strength of miners and financial stocks, with the latter in demand after Portugal's bond auction proved relatively successful. HSBC is the best performing financial, helped by a "buy" recommend
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks add more gains
12th Jan 2011 12:07
Miners continue to keep the FTSE 100 in the blue, adding to yesterday's gains, while three stocks in the FTSE 250 are posting triple-digit gains. Supermarket giant J Sainsbury had its best Christmas ever, with better than expected sales, a growing market share and a record number of customers desp
Read moreLondon open: Early gains for blue chips
12th Jan 2011 08:50
London has pushed on again in early dealings with miners leading the way and a mixed morning so far for retailers. Supermarket giant J Sainsbury had its best Christmas ever, with better than expected sales, a growing market share and a record number of customers despite the snow. Like for like sa
Read moreSunday newspaper round-up: Bank of England, Prudential, ITV...
12th Dec 2010 13:55
The Bank Of England is forcing high street lenders to repay £185 bn of emergency loans in an attempt to avert a new market meltdown next year. Bank officials have held meetings with Royal Bank of Scotland, Lloyds Banking Group, Barclays, HSBC and the biggest building societies demanding that the lo
Read moreLondon close: Higher finish for sluggish Footsie
10th Dec 2010 16:40
Footsie limped into the blue heading into the weekend after a day in which foreign economic news was the main point of interest. Miners were the centre of attention after strong Chinese import figures demonstrated the Asian economic powerhouse's thirst for commodities. Imports jumped to 37.7% from
Read moreLondon afternoon: Footsie still sluggish after mixed US start
10th Dec 2010 15:18
A mixed start on Wall Street has failed to lift Footsie out of its early sluggishness. Miners are going well though, after strong Chinese import figures demonstrated the Asian economic powerhouse's thirst for commodities. Imports jumped to 37.7% from 24.2%. Vedanta, Fresnillo and ENRC are among th
Read moreLondon midday: Miners advance after China export data
10th Dec 2010 12:09
Traders will be looking ahead to the US open for guidance now on a sluggish day on the equity markets. The mining sector is a strong performer, after strong Chinese import figures demonstrated the Asian economic powerhouse's thirst for commodities, sending metals prices higher. Imports jumped to 37
Read moreLondon open: Footsie struggles for direction
10th Dec 2010 08:56
It's been a very quiet morning so far with little company news and even the eurozone front calming down a little. Standard Chartered is the worst performer with investors still a little unsettled by its admission yesterday that costs are rising faster than revenues. Rolls-Royce is another faller o
Read moreLondon close: Footsie slips back on sluggish day
8th Dec 2010 16:56
Shares struggled to snap out of their earlier sluggishness all day, closing just a few points in the red. Bid-related activity was the main source of excitement. Medical devices group Smith & Nephew was swept more than 9% higher by talk of a possible acquisition. US private equity firms are though
Read moreLondon afternoon: Footsie loses grip
8th Dec 2010 15:19
The 5,800 level is under pressure as a weak start on Wall Street begins to drag London back into negative territory. Insurers Prudential, Aviva and Resolution are doing their best to keep the market's head above water, but losses in the mining sector - Rio Tinto, Randgold and Anglo American have fa
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