London close: Insurers left behind
2nd Mar 2010 17:07
A firm start on Wall Street gave fresh heart to UK equities, with financial stocks to the fore, with the notable exception of insurers. Ahead of results tomorrow Standard Chartered was wanted in a buoyant banking sector while elsewhere in the financial sector property groups such as SEGRO and Hamme
Read moreLondon afternoon: Footsie consolidates gains
2nd Mar 2010 14:13
Leading shares consolidated gains over the lunchtime session though it remains a bad day to be invested in the insurance sector. Insurer Prudential is under the cosh again as investors bale out ahead of an expected monster cash call to finance the group's acquisition of AIG's Asian assets. RSA In
Read moreBroker tips: Persimmon, Informa, Blacks Leisure
2nd Mar 2010 13:06
The wheels have come off the Persimmon revival bandwagon this year with the stock coming down from its January peak of around 500p to dip below 400p at one point but they are back on the rise after Tuesday's results, with good cause, in Panmure Gordon's view. The broker has upgraded its price targe
Read moreLondon midday: Banks bounce back
2nd Mar 2010 12:08
Although base metal miners have reversed course and are now heading south the FTSE 100 index has added to early gains, helped by a surge in interest in banking shares. Ahead of results tomorrow Standard Chartered is leading the banking sector higher. Part-nationalised lenders Royal Bank of Scotland
Read moreBroker snap: Persimmon's margins on the mend
2nd Mar 2010 11:57
The wheels have come off the Persimmon revival bandwagon this year with the stock coming down from its January peak of around 500p to dip below 400p at one point but they are back on the rise after Tuesday's results, with good cause, in Panmure Gordon's view. The broker has upgraded its price targe
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Engineers under pressure
2nd Mar 2010 11:08
Ground engineering specialist Keller is among the heaviest fallers after it suffered a 34% slump in profits in 2009 and is yet to see any sustained upturn in orders. Fellow engineer Rotork posted a rise in profits despite tough conditions in 2009 and said it was seeing an improvement in general mar
Read moreLondon open: Steady start for Footsie
2nd Mar 2010 08:40
Footsie has edge higher in early dealings following a strong showing from Wall Street yesterday. After recent slew of results from the Footsie heavyweights it is the mid-caps day Persimmon completed 8,976 house sales last year and the housebuilder has seen a 7% increase in sales and steady prices s
Read moreLondon pre-open: Footsie to edge up
2nd Mar 2010 07:37
Footsie is expected to edge higher in early dealings following a strong showing from Wall Street yesterday. Persimmon completed 8,976 house sales last year and the housebuilder has seen a 7% increase in sales and steady prices since the start of this year. The number of legal completions was down 1
Read morePersimmon in strong position for 2010
2nd Mar 2010 07:03
Persimmon completed 8,976 house sales last year and the housebuilder has seen a 7% increase in sales and steady prices since the start of this year. The number of legal completions was down 12% on the 10,202 achieved in 2008, but in line with the figure flagged in an update in January. The average
Read moreTuesday preview: Persimmon, Admiral, Jardine Lloyd
1st Mar 2010 16:03
Housebuilder Persimmon is expected to have completed almost 9,000 homes in 2009, raking in £1.4bn of revenue as it benefits from more stable market conditions. It flagged the numbers at the start of the year, so experts don't expect any surprises, but they'll be keen for any news on how things are
Read moreBroker snap: Housebuilders undervalued
23rd Feb 2010 11:24
With the housebuilding sector trading at a 30% discount to projected 2010 net tangible asset value Deutsche Bank thinks there are bargains to be had in the sector and has identified Barratt, Persimmon, Redrow and Taylor Wimpey as its top picks. The German bank is expecting the upcoming results sea
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Chemring on the attack
19th Jan 2010 15:06
Strong demand for military equipment driven by continued conflict in Afghanistan helped the military decoy specialist Chemring post a jump in sales and profits in the year to October 31. The shares are among the best performing in the FTSE 250. Housebuilders are lower the day after Taylor Wimpey ga
Read moreFriday tips round-up: Cineworld, Hays, Prostrakan
8th Jan 2010 06:38
The idea that cinemas boom during a downturn was proved right in 2009, with the annual box office gross takings in the UK breaking through £1bn for the first time. This has had Britain's largest cinema chains rubbing their hands together in glee, with the only listed group, Cineworld Group, publishi
Read moreLondon close: Footsie flatlines
7th Jan 2010 16:46
A late afternoon rally fizzled out to leave London's blue chip index little changed on the day. Banks emerged from a sticky start as the day's best performers led by Barclays and Lloyds Bank, which both received decent write-ups in an otherwise cautious broker note from Keefe, Bruyette & Woods. It
Read moreLondon afternoon: Banks defy broker gloom
7th Jan 2010 14:27
Leading shares are mixed, with the Footsie barely changed now miners have recovered from a weak showing in the morning session to show gains in the afternoon. Kazakhmys and Fresnillo lead the mining sector but their gains are surpassed by two stocks from the banking sector where Barclays and Lloyds
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