London close: More gains for FTSE 100
6th Jan 2010 16:34
It was another day of gains for the FTSE 100 after the leading share index hauled itself into the blue in afternoon trading. Marks & Spencer was among the stocks dragging Footsie lower and finished firmly in the red. It was not the numbers from the fashion and food retailer that upset the market s
Read moreLondon afternoon: Leading shares mixed
6th Jan 2010 13:50
The list of Footsie constituents is now almost evenly split between risers and fallers but the blue-chip index remains in negative territory, weighed down by Marks & Spencer, which remains out of favour after a disappointing trading update. It was not the numbers from Marks & Spencer that upset th
Read moreLondon midday: No sparks from Marks
6th Jan 2010 11:52
Leading shares were attempting their second rally of the morning as the lunchtime session started, but almost two-thirds of FTSE 100 constituents remain in the red. Chief among them is M&S. The cold weather may have seen woolly jumpers and slippers fly off the shelves at Marks & Spencer in the days
Read moreLondon open: Dull start as big freeze bites
6th Jan 2010 08:49
It's all about the retailers in the pre-opening session as the post-Christmas trading update season moves into full swing with Marks & Spencer heading lower after its update. The cold weather may have seen woolly jumpers and slippers fly off the shelves at Marks & Spencer in the days before Christm
Read morePru teams up with Singapore bank
6th Jan 2010 07:45
Life assurance giant Prudential is to sell its products in the branches of United Overseas Bank (UOB) in Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand. In addition to this new partnership, Prudential will buy UOB’s life assurance unit in Singapore for S$428m (£192m) in cash, subject to a post-completion adjust
Read moreADR REPORT: Shares Mostly Higher; Solar, Tech Lead Gainers
21st Dec 2009 22:47
By Aja Carmichael and David Benoit Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--International companies trading in New York closed generally higher Monday as solar and technology stocks led the market. The Bank of New York index rose 0.6% to 133.89. Thomson (TMS) shares rose 21% to
Read moreLondon Close: Footsie posts strong gain
21st Dec 2009 16:54
Footsie ended the day almost 2% higher after a strong performance throughout the day. The positive opening of Wall Street gave a further boost later in the afternoon. The Dow has jumped over 100 points helped by optimism that the $800bn plus Health Care Bill could get approved sooner rather than l
Read moreUK close: FTSE 100 closes higher
16th Dec 2009 16:43
Footsie ended with gains as better than expected UK unemployment figures lifted sentiment. The number of people claiming unemployment benefit fell for the first time since February 2008 in November amid further signs the UK economy is beginning to recover from the economic downturn. The claimant
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Financials push market higher
16th Dec 2009 15:54
Financials and miners have been pushing the FTSE 100 index higher, while investors appear to be deserting the good old solid companies and looking for riskier investments with more potential upside. Rentokil Initial led the way as Deutsche Bank increased its price target for the support services
Read moreLondon afternoon: Stocks lack direction
16th Dec 2009 14:30
Leading shares are mixed, with the Footsie dipping a toe into negative territory despite better than expected UK unemployment figures announced this morning. The number of people claiming unemployment benefit fell for the first time since February 2008 in November amid further signs the UK economy
Read moreThursday tips round-up: Sage, Prudential, Babcock
3rd Dec 2009 06:17
The virtues of Sage ? a strong base of recurring revenues and tight management of costs ? remain intact. The pressure on sales is also likely to ease from here. However, at 221p, or 11 times current year forecasts, and yielding 3.5 per cent, their shares require something more than resilience if the
Read moreBroker tips: HMV, water firms, insurers
27th Nov 2009 11:39
HMV has been benefiting from the demise of competitors and is likely to continue doing so, says the broker Charles Stanley as it keeps its 'buy' rating on the music, film and video game retailer. Charles Stanley is not signed up to the scepticism about HMV's long term prospects expressed by other o
Read moreBroker snap: Nomura bullish on insurers
27th Nov 2009 11:07
Most of the threat from the latest Solvency 2 proposals is unjustified and is unlikely to materialise, says Nomura, leaving it upbeat about prospects for UK insurers. The broker notes growing industry and political opposition to Solvency 2, a fundamental review of the capital adequacy regime for th
Read moreLondon close: Footsie 100 points higher
23rd Nov 2009 16:37
Footsie closed more than 100 points higher on Monday thanks to a record price for gold, an early rally on Wall Street and strength across the financial sector. Gold has hit new highs, and that has led to sharp mark-ups in the price of gold miner Randgold and silver and gold miner Fresnillo. Elsewhe
Read moreLondon afternoon: Rally into three figures
23rd Nov 2009 14:49
A record price for gold, an early rally on Wall Street and strength across the financial sector has sent London to its best levels of the day. Gold has hit new highs, and that has led to sharp mark-ups in the price of gold miner Randgold and silver and gold miner Fresnillo. Elsewhere in the sector
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