London close: Good end to the day and week
13th Nov 2009 16:44
London headed into the weekend in an upbeat mood as Wall Street started the day strongly and investors took a shine to property giants as the close neared. British Land, shopping centre owner Liberty and Hammerson finished in the top five risers by the end of the day. A modest rally in the dollar
Read moreLondon afternoon: Footsie flat
13th Nov 2009 14:54
Stocks are trading little changed as weak miners cancel optimism elsewhere. A modest rally in the dollar has caused traders to pocket profits ahead of the weekend. ENRC, Vedanta, Xstrata and Antofagasta have fallen. British Airways has turned tail as the market assesses terms of its proposed merg
Read moreLondon open: BT turns Footsie blue
12th Nov 2009 08:32
Shares are inching higher in early deals as investors welcome second quarter results from BT, offsetting losses among insurers following results from Friends Provident owner Resolution. Telecoms giant BT reported second quarter revenue was in line with expectations and thinks it can cut costs by at
Read moreLondon close: Miners power Footsie gains
9th Nov 2009 16:31
Mining stocks were at the vanguard of a strong advance from FTSE 100 as commodity prices were boosted by plans outlined by world leaders over the weekend to continue with stimulus measures. Kazakhmys, Fresnillo, Rio Tinto and Vedanta were some of the best performers in the mining sector. Mining g
Read moreLondon afternoon: Cadbury rejects Kraft bid
9th Nov 2009 14:23
After all the waiting and speculation, the formal bid for Cadbury from US group Kraft Foods proved a disappointment, but it has not dampened sentiment in a buoyant London market. Kraft formally announced a bid for Cadbury on the same terms as the indicative offer announced at the beginning of Septe
Read moreSector movers: Insurers in demand
9th Nov 2009 13:56
Insurance stocks are going well after a strong performance from German insurer Allianz over the third quarter. Allianz was helped by strong performances from life insurance and asset management and saw operating profit climb by 23%. The best performer in the sector here is Prudential, which may be
Read moreBroker tips: RBS, Prudential, Cadbury
9th Nov 2009 13:18
Insurance giant Prudential was one of the major risers on Monday morning after a price target upgrade from Dutch broking group ING. ING has upped its target price for the Pru from 392p to 584p, but maintains its 'hold' rating for the shares. The broker is not sold on all insurers, however. 'The re
Read moreBroker snap: Emerging markets to rescue insurers
9th Nov 2009 13:17
Insurance giant Prudential was one of the major risers on Monday morning after a price target upgrade from Dutch broking group ING. ING has upped its target price for the Pru from 392p to 584p, but maintains its 'hold' rating for the shares. The broker is not sold on all insurers, however. 'The re
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie bursts through 5200
9th Nov 2009 11:58
With the price of gold crashing through the $1,100 and other metal prices on the up, miners are leading a strong advance by Footsie. Demand for mining stocks has been spurred by comments at the close of the G20 summit pledging a continuing commitment to providing economic stimulation to the world e
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Axa's Asia move lights up life sector
9th Nov 2009 10:57
Life insurers lead the way forward this morning, excited by Axa and AMP's joint $10bn bid for their associate and Far East focused fund manager Axa Asia Pacific. Prudential is the best performer. It too has a significant and fast growing Asian operation and analysts are drawing a line through the p
Read moreLondon open: Miners and insurers lead the charge
9th Nov 2009 08:55
Leading shares have made a confident start to the week following the latest G20 meeting, with insurers and miners leading the way higher. A statement issued after this weekend’s G20 summit reassured marlkets that there would be no premature withdrawal of economic stimulus packages. “The recovery
Read moreLondon close: Footsie down but above 5,000
3rd Nov 2009 16:24
London's blue chips ended off session lows and back above the 5,000 level, helped by positive reaction to announcements from Lloyds Banking and Legal & General. Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) remained resolutely out of favour, however, as the market reacted negatively to the revised terms of its part
Read moreLondon afternoon: Market licking its wounds
3rd Nov 2009 14:11
The FTSE 100 index clawed its way back above the 5,000 level over the lunch-time session, helped by positive reaction to announcements from Lloyds Banking and Legal & General. Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) remains resolutely out of favour, however, as the market reacted negatively to the revised ter
Read moreSector movers: Media stocks in demand
30th Oct 2009 12:26
Media stocks are in demand following announcements from advertising group WPP and the directories company Yell. WPP said it expects the second half to show a marked improvement in profitability and said overall conditions are "less worse". Yellow Pages owner Yell, which yesterday extended the dead
Read moreLondon close: Shares end near session high
29th Oct 2009 16:23
London's top stocks closed near its session high on news that the US economy grew faster than expected in the third quarter. Traders loved news that the US economy grew 3.5% annually in the last quarter, more than expected and the fastest rate of increase in two years. Part-nationalised bank Lloyd
Read more