London open: Footsie starts flat
3rd Sep 2009 08:17
Footsie is flat in early deals with miners pushing the markets in one direction and financials and defensives dragging it the other. Amongst the major risers so far are miners Randgold Resources, Lonmin, Xstrata, Kazakhmys, Rio Tinto, Fresnillo and Vedanta Resources. the big fallers are RSA Insuran
Read moreLondon close: Fed optimism bolsters Footsie gains
21st Aug 2009 16:31
Footsie finished with strong gains going into the weekend after US Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke said prospects for a return to global growth look good. 'After contracting sharply over the past year, economic activity appears to be levelling out, both in the United States and abroad, and th
Read moreLondon afternoon: Footsie bursts through 4800
21st Aug 2009 14:15
Trading remains very thin in London but that has not stopped the Footsie from moving above the 4,800 level for the first time since October of last year. Insurance companies, with their huge investment portfolios, are naturally big beneficiaries of the continued market revival and they lead today
Read moreLondon midday: London's streak continues
21st Aug 2009 12:04
The wobble by global stock markets on Monday following last Friday's dismal US consumer sentiment figures seems a long time ago now as London looks well set to advance for the fourth day in a row. Insurance companies lead the advance in the wake of yesterday's surge by fallen US insurance giant AI
Read moreWednesday preview: BoE minutes provide focus
18th Aug 2009 17:27
All eyes will be on the Bank of England midweek as economists study minutes from the Monetary Policy Committee's meeting earlier this month. They'll be keen for more information on why the central bank made its surprise decision to extend its quantitative easing programme by £50bn. In an otherwise
Read moreLondon close: Shares plunge as sell-off continues
17th Aug 2009 16:09
The global sell-off triggered by weak consumer confidence figures from the US on Friday continued, sending Footsie deep into the red. US stocks are also trading deep in the red as traders worry that nervous consumers will dampen the economic recovery. Asian markets were down overnight despite Jap
Read moreLondon afternoon: Equities pare losses
17th Aug 2009 14:46
The FTSE 100 had a good lunch-time session, trimming the morning's losses, but it remains firmly in the red, with miners leading the way down. Concerns grow about the health of the US economy are weighing on mining companies. With consumers reticent to play their part in a demand-led recovery inves
Read moreSunday tips round-up: James Fisher, Diploma, Prudential
16th Aug 2009 14:26
James Fisher is a well-run company with significant technical expertise operating in high-margin specialties. Shares in James Fisher are a buy for their secure niche revenues and cyclical upside when markets improve, says the Sunday Telegraph. Questor advised making a purchase in Diploma in The Sun
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Bid talk lifts British Land
14th Aug 2009 15:28
Shares in British Land continued to rise today on reports the property firm could get a bid worth £10bn. Indian steel giant Lakshmi Mittal and Abu Dhabi's ruling family have approached Credit Suisse to prepare a possible bid, according to the Telegraph. The investors from Abu Dhabi and a group of I
Read moreSector movers: Bid talk boosts property stocks
14th Aug 2009 11:59
Shares in British Land are lifting the real estate sector on reports the property firm could get a bid worth £10bn. Large cap peers Hammerson, Land Securities and Liberty International are also higher. Indian steel giant Lakshmi Mittal and Abu Dhabi's ruling family have approached Credit Suisse t
Read moreLondon close: US optimism lifts blue chips
13th Aug 2009 16:32
Optimism over the state of the US economy, fuelled by yesterday's statement from the Federal Reserve helped Footsie post good gains. Miners were in demand. Kazakhmys led the mining sector higher, with Xstrata, Lonmin, ENRC, Rio Tinto, Vedanta, and Antofagasta also going well. Anglo American is
Read moreLondon afternoon: Advance slowed by US retail sales data
13th Aug 2009 14:15
Optimism over the state of the US economy, fuelled by yesterday's statement from the Federal Reserve that the US economy may have seen the worse of the recession, took a knock from the release of US retail sales figures which unexpectedly showed a fall in July. The news took the shine off some of th
Read moreSector movers: Pru profit rise lifts insurers
13th Aug 2009 14:15
Life insurance is one of the best performing sectors as investors flock to Prudential after it said its half-year results show continued "strong performance" in what are still challenging market conditions. Shares in the Pru are up nearly 40% over the last month but after the release of strong resu
Read moreBroker tips: Prudential, Thomas Cook, Carclo,
13th Aug 2009 12:49
Shares in life assurance giant Prudential are up nearly 40% over the last month but after the release of strong results on Thursday morning Panmure Gordon believes the shares are still worth buying. The interim results came in "well above the top end of the range of expectations" and according to t
Read moreBroker snap: Pru still a buy despite rally
13th Aug 2009 12:46
Shares in life assurance giant Prudential are up nearly 40% over the last month but after the release of strong results on Thursday morning Panmure Gordon believes the shares are still worth buying. The interim results came in "well above the top end of the range of expectations" and according to t
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