Persimmon revenues lifted 12% by post-election confidence
2nd Jul 2015 07:03
In a half-year trading update, housebuilder Persimmon said interim revenues increased by 12% to £1.34bn, in line with expectations, thanks to selling prices and volumes boosted by post-election confidence and an increasingly competitive mortgage market. Volumes increased 7% to 6,855 units and the av
Read morePersimmon appoints new non-executive director
24th Jun 2015 09:48
Rachel Kentleton has been appointed as Persimmon's non-executive director, the housebuilding group said on Wednesday. In a short statement, the FTSE 250 group said Kentleton, who has held investor relations and finance roles at Unilever, Natwest, Diageo and SABMiller before joining easyJet, where sh
Read moreWednesday broker round-up
3rd Jun 2015 08:41
Tesco: JP Morgan retains underweight, lowers price target to 175p from 185p. Amec Foster Wheeler: JP Morgan maintains overweight and 905p target. Bellway: JP Morgan raises target to 2,575p from 1,150p and reiterates overweight. Barratt Developments: JP Morgan lifts target to 650p from 550p and ove
Read moreLondon close: Market recoups previous session's losses
27th May 2015 15:47
UK stocks closed higher on Wednesday, rebounding from heavy losses in the previous session, buoyed by strength in the construction, electricity and tobacco sectors. The FTSE 100 experienced few surprises and gained steadily throughout the day, closing 1.24% higher at 7,034.9. The index had plunged 1
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: CRH surges on Holcim offer, Weir Group hit by downgrade
27th May 2015 12:33
UK stocks rebounded from the previous session's sell-off as gains made by tobacco, construction, electronics and utilities stocks outweighed weakness in mining and industrial metals. As of 13:45, the FTSE 100 was trading points 47.1 points higher at 6,996. Shares in building materials group CRH sur
Read moreLondon midday: Imperial and CRH lead the rebound before Queen's Speech
27th May 2015 11:39
Investors managed to take advantage of a quiet morning to push UK stocks higher on Wednesday following a sell-off the previous day. The FTSE 100 was up 0.57% at 6,988.37 by midday, with blue chips Imperial Tobacco and CRH leading the rise, along with a host of other construction and building materia
Read moreDeutsche Bank hails top-ranking dividend yields of UK housebuilders
26th May 2015 10:04
Deutsche Bank has named Taylor Wimpey, Barratt Developments and Bovis Homes as its top picks in the UK housebuilding sector, highlighting the attractive dividend yields across the industry. In its review of the sector, the bank hiked target prices for a host of stocks, including Taylor Wimpey, Barra
Read moreSector movers: Oilfield services, mining and housebuilers lead market higher
13th May 2015 12:46
Oilfield services, mining and housebuilding stocks took the London market back into the green on Wednesday. At 15:18 BST, the FTSE 100 was trading at 6,966.21 up 0.47% or 32.41 points with housebuilders edging the blue chip index higher as they continued to benefit from buoyancy in the wider propert
Read moreSector movers: Royal Mail, food reatilers edge higher while property stocks extend gains
11th May 2015 14:19
Spikes in Royal Mail shares, food retail, mining and property companies provided market momentum on Monday, with the FTSE 100 trading marginally down. At 16:33 BST, the blue chip index was down 0.18% or 12.41 points at 7,034.41 points as shares in Royal Mail topped the risers after rival postal f
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Royal Mail surges on Whistl funding crisis
11th May 2015 13:32
Royal Mail topped the risers after rival postal firm Whistl revealed it has halted deliveries because private equity backer LDC had pulled out of funding to help expansion efforts. Whistl said it was reviewing the viability of its London, Manchester and Liverpool due to challenging market conditions
Read moreLondon open: Miners lead stocks higher after China rate cut
11th May 2015 09:14
UK stocks extended gains on Monday with the Footsie once again nearing record highs, as mining stocks reacted positively to another rate cut in China. After surging 2.3% on Friday in the aftermath of the Conservative's election victory, the FTSE 100 was up a further 0.37% on Monday morning at 7,073.
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: energy, property and banks towering after Tory triumph
8th May 2015 13:26
British Gas owner Centrica topped the risers after Labour's defeat eliminated the possibility of an energy price freeze and tighter regulation, with SSE also making making substantial gains. Broker SocGen highlighted the opportinuty, noting utilities have underperformed the UK market by 9% and the E
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks power ahead as market cheers surprise Tory election win
8th May 2015 11:23
London stocks posted healthy gains on Friday as investors welcomed news that Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservative party is on track for a second term in power. The FTSE 100 was up 1.7% at 7,004.23 by midday, with banks, utility stocks and housebuilders pacing the advance. Lloyds Banking Grou
Read moreLondon close: Stocks retreat further from record on weak US data, Greece
29th Apr 2015 16:30
Stocks dropped sharply again on Wednesday as gloomy US economic data and ongoing uncertainty in Greece hammered sentiment. London's FTSE 100 finished 1.2% lower at 6,946.28, with investors extra cautious ahead of a policy statement at the Federal Reserve after the close. This was the second straigh
Read moreUtilities, rail operators most exposed to UK election, Fitch says
17th Apr 2015 10:27
Utilities and rail companies are among the corporate sectors most at risk from regulatory or government policy shifts following the upcoming UK general election on 7 May, according to Fitch Ratings. With the Conservative Party having frozen rail fares, and Labour pledging to freeze energy prices if
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