BoA Merrill lifts Persimmon price target on first-half results
18th Aug 2015 11:05
(ShareCast News) - Bank of America Merill Lynch has lifted its price target on Persimmon to 2,300p from 2,110p following the company's first-half results. The bank said 2015 has been a good trading period for the company and despite high land investment, has resulted in a very strong net cash positi
Read moreLondon open: Stocks open flat ahead of UK inflation figures
18th Aug 2015 08:32
(ShareCast News) - London stocks opened flat on Tuesday ahead of the release of UK inflation data which is expected to show a pick-up in growth. Analysts predict consumer prices rose 0.9% in July compared to a year ago, after a 0.8% gain a month ago. While the Bank of England is targeting 2% inflat
Read morePersimmon first half profits up 31%
18th Aug 2015 07:20
(ShareCast News) - London open City sources predict the FTSE 100 will open 17 points higher than Monday's close of 6,550.30. Stocks to watch Housebuilder Persimmon posted a 31% rise in first-half pre-tax profit on the back of solid revenue growth, continued improvement in operating profitability a
Read moreLondon pre-open: FTSE picked to climb ahead of inflation figures release
18th Aug 2015 07:16
(ShareCast News) - City sources predict the FTSE 100 will open 17 points higher than Monday's close of 6,550.30. European stocks were expected to open slightly higher as investors await the release of UK inflation figures. UK inflation has been near zero for most of this year and dipped into deflat
Read morePersimmon interim profits jump as revenue, prices rise
18th Aug 2015 07:05
(ShareCast News) - Housebuilder Persimmon posted a 31% rise in first-half pre-tax profit on the back of solid revenue growth, continued improvement in operating profitability and a strengthening of the company's financial position. Pre-tax profit for the six months ended 30 June came in at £272.8m,
Read moreWeek ahead: UK, US inflation reports to add fuel to hike debate
14th Aug 2015 11:34
(ShareCast News) - Several data prints during the coming will add more fuel to debates about interest rates hikes in the UK and US, with inflation figures and Federal Reserve meeting minutes keenly viewed around the world. There will also be a focus on Japan as it begins the week with second quarter
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Meggitt surges on merger mumbles, Carney chat hits housebuilders
14th Jul 2015 14:29
(ShareCast News) - London markets edged lower on Tuesday, as losses from housebuilders, engineers and financials eclipsed gains made by industrial metals. As of 14:00 BST, the FTSE 100 was trading 0.2% lower at 6,727. Shares in defence and aerospace engineer Meggitt rose following a report in the F
Read moreLondon midday: Homebuilders knocked lower by remarks from Carney
14th Jul 2015 13:09
(ShareCast News) - Bank of England Governor Mark Carney told the Treasury Select Committee Bank Rate may be headed higher a little bit sooner than markets anticipated, sending stocks - especially homebuilders - listed on the second tier index promptly lower. As of 12:13 the top flight index was off
Read moreUK house price growth accelerates in May, confirms ONS
14th Jul 2015 10:34
(ShareCast News) - UK house price growth bounced back in May, according to official figures, with average house prices increasing by 0.9% over the month after a fall the month before. While simultaneously released data showed the country's core inflation sank back to 0%, house price inflation increa
Read moreLondon-listed housebuilders boosted by Osborne's planning reforms
10th Jul 2015 09:12
UK housebuilders got a boost on Friday on news that Chancellor George Osborne is set to unveil planning reforms that will speed up housebuilding. Osborne is expected to announce changes that will give automatic planning permission on all brownfield sites so it will be easier for people to build exte
Read moreHousing and property stocks hurt by Osborne's Budget buy-to-let and non-dom crackdowns
8th Jul 2015 15:57
London's housebuilders were hit by several measures unveiled by George Osborne in his Budget statement, with shares across the sector down in Wednesday afternoon trading. The Chancellor revealed measures to cut tax relief on mortgage interest for buy-to-let landlords, which was expected to take some
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks rise after UK construction data, but gains limited
2nd Jul 2015 12:10
The FTSE 100 edged higher on Thursday after a strong reading of UK construction activity, though gains were limited amid ongoing uncertainty in Greece and ahead of a closely-followed report on the US labour market. The UK construction sector bounced back in June, according to a higher-than-expected
Read moreUBS still sees "room to run" in UK housebuilding sector
2nd Jul 2015 10:54
In spite of a strong performance from UK housebuilding stocks year-to-date and over the past five years, UBS has retained a bullish stance on sector, saying there's "still room to run". The bank has hiked target prices for most stocks across the sector by around 20-25% on average. It reiterated its
Read moreLondon open: Stocks open flat on uncertainty ahead of Greek referendum
2nd Jul 2015 09:11
UK stocks opened broadly flat on Thursday morning as fading optimism about a Greek debt deal and an upcoming US jobs report gave investors reasons to be cautious. The FTSE 100 was down 0.07% at 6,603.96 early on. After showing signs of conceding ground on Wednesday and offering to meet most of the
Read moreLondon pre-open: Stocks to fall as Greek hopes fade, US jobs data ahead
2nd Jul 2015 07:57
UK stocks are expected to slip in early trading on Thursday after the Greek government confirmed it would be pushing ahead with a referendum on Sunday, dashing hopes of an imminent debt deal with creditors. Investors were also likely to tread cautiously ahead of the all-important US employment repor
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