Broker snap: Rapid growth expected for Prudential
10th Nov 2010 11:46
Panmure Gordon has retained its 'buy' rating for insurance giant Prudential, with the third quarter statement pointing to "fast and profitable growth". The results for the third quarter show "a strong performance across the board", says analyst Barrie Cornes, with nine-month sales at £2.46bn annual
Read moreLondon open: Slow start after mixed results
10th Nov 2010 08:54
London has made a slow start with miners running into profit taking after their good run and a mixed response to the latest slug of trading updates. Sainsbury's made enough money to keep analysts happy during the first half though and sales were pretty much as expected given the supermarket giant u
Read moreLondon pre-open: Footsie to fall
10th Nov 2010 07:34
It's looking like another dreary start Wednesday, with last night's surrender on Wall Street dampening the mood in the City. Futures prices point to an early 15-point drop for London's leading index. Sainsbury's made enough money to keep analysts happy during the first half though and sales were p
Read moreAsia momentum drives Prudential
10th Nov 2010 07:11
Another strong performance from its Asian operations helped Prudential's sales jump 17% over the last three months, though the US and UK also went well. Third quarter sales rose to £809m, up from £689m, to take the year-to-date total to £2.46bn, up 24%. Operating profits in the year so far are up 2
Read moreLondon afternoon: Footsie returns to blue
29th Oct 2010 15:15
London has finally pulled itself back into the blue helped by a solid start on Wall Street after GDP numbers disappointed slightly. Over here, GfK NOP's consumer confidence index improved to -19 in October, confounding economists' expectations of a slide to -22 or even lower. The survey was taken b
Read moreLondon open: Slow progress for blue chips
29th Oct 2010 08:42
London has made modest early gains despite a poor session in Asia and unconvincing display on Wall Street overnight. British Airways is lower even though it swung to a profit in the first half as the airline improved yields and cut costs. It made a pre-tax profit of £158m in the six months ended 30
Read moreLondon close: Footsie struggles
26th Oct 2010 16:24
Investors pocketed gains after an impressive autumn rally, though the decision was made easier by some disappointing corporate news, weak miners and negative broker comment on the insurance sector. The top 100 index fell back sharply from six-month highs, dropping below 5,680 at one point although
Read moreLondon afternoon: Bleak mid-winter for Cairn
26th Oct 2010 14:27
With Wall Street tipped to open lower London's leading shares fell back further over the lunch time period, resulting in the Footsie subsiding below 5700. Cairn Energy tops the list of fallers after it failed to find a commercial discovery at either the T8-1 or T4-1 wells offshore Greenland. The c
Read moreLondon midday: UK growth cuts little ice
26th Oct 2010 12:08
Better than expected UK third quarter growth has cut little ice with investors this morning, who are firmly focused on weak miners, negative corporate news and broker downgrades. Britain's economy grew twice as fast as expected in the three months to September, according to preliminary estimates by
Read moreLondon open: Blue chips lower as IPOs roll-out
22nd Oct 2010 08:46
London has opened lower, with attention distracted by the huge AIA float in Hong Kong and Betfair's listing in London. AIA is raising $20.5bn from the float, which it priced at HK$19.68, at the top of the indicated range. The price values AIA at $30.5bn - exactly matching the price Prudential event
Read moreLondon close: Footsie limps higher
11th Oct 2010 16:38
Footsie closed just a few points higher Monday after a sluggish day's trading that saw the leading share index fluctuating in a narrow range just above the zero mark. Oil services group Petrofac firmed on the back of a lucrative contract win. The government of Sharjah has appointed the company t
Read moreLondon afternoon: Stocks tread water
11th Oct 2010 14:34
The blue-chip index trod water over the lunchtime session with the majority of leading stocks consolidating the morning's gains. Oil services group Petrofac is firmer on the back of a lucrative contract win. The government of Sharjah has appointed the company to take over operational responsibilit
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie crawls higher
11th Oct 2010 12:06
Footsie traded in a narrow range throughout the morning session and started the afternoon in marginally in positive territory, boosted by expectations of a moderately firm opening on Wall Street. Oil services group Petrofac is leading the market's far from vigorous advance. The government of Sharja
Read moreMonday newspaper round-up: George Osborne, Entertainment One, Prudential...
11th Oct 2010 06:22
Nearly 500,000 people on long-term sickness benefit will have to take up jobs or have their welfare payments cut by a third, the Times reports. The move, expected to save up to £4bn, is part of the Government's plan to find economies of at least £16 bin from the £195bn welfare budget by 2014-15. In
Read moreSunday newspaper round-up: Premier Foods, Prudential, Tesco
3rd Oct 2010 11:34
Shareholders have opened fire on Premier Foods for failing to cut debts of £1.4bn and are calling for a shake-up at the company that produces brands such as Hovis, Mr Kipling, Bisto, Sharwoods and Homepride, the Observer reports. The calls come as Premier Foods's share price has crashed to 16p - cl
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