Persimmon sees general improvement
16th Nov 2009 07:26
Leading housebuilder Persimmon has started to buy sizeable parcels of land again as sales have recovered to the point where it is fully sold this year, while orders for 2010 are up 50%. Since August 2009, trading activity levels have continued ahead of last year and the buiilder expects to legally
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Property plays find friends
6th Nov 2009 12:35
Millennium & Copthorne rose again Friday despite yesterday's 27% slump in third quarter pre-tax profit, as investors bet the hotel operator has turned a corner. "Our current bookings are showing some positive momentum in demand," the group said Thursday. "While it is too early to predict with accur
Read moreLondon close: Footsie gleams on commodity strength
4th Nov 2009 16:18
A rush into miners, triple-digit rally on Wall Street and welcome numbers from two of Britain's largest retailers catapulted London higher Wednesday. Fresnillo took the blue chip risers' crown, up sharply as renewed dollar weakness benefited commodity prices. Kazakhmys, Xstrata and Rio Tinto also
Read moreLondon afternoon: Gains extended
4th Nov 2009 14:19
Expectations of a firmer start on Wall Street encouraged UK blue-chip prices to kick on over the lunch-time session, with miners and stores still leading the way, In the head to head battle between M&S and Next, shares in the latter are performing slightly better after the fashion chain upped its g
Read moreLondon midday: London enjoys retail therapy
4th Nov 2009 12:05
Retail news dominated the morning trading session with well received results from two major retailers plus a cautiously upbeat trading update from shopping centre owner Liberty. High street giant Marks & Spencer produced interim results right at the top of expectations, with underlying profits risi
Read moreLondon close: Stocks finish down
2nd Oct 2009 16:33
London's leading shares closed in the red but were off earlier lows as the US recovered somewhat after a poor start. A weaker than expected jobs report had pushed US stocks deep in the red, though by midday the markets had retraced some of the losses. Over here, there was good news for home owners
Read moreLondon afternoon: US jobs data sinks Footsie
2nd Oct 2009 14:05
Footsie has tumbled further below the 5,000 level after a disappointing read on the monthly US jobs numbers. US non-farm payrolls fell a worse than expected 263,000 in September, up from a downwardly revised 201,000 the month before, and compared with the 180,000 expected by economists. The unemp
Read moreLondon midday: Equities nervously lower
2nd Oct 2009 12:05
The Footsie dipped below the 5,000 level this morning as it followed Wall Street lower in the wake of patchy US economic data yesterday. Over here, there was good news for home owners as UK house prices rose for the fifth month in a row in September, according to the Nationwide Building Society. Th
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Media stocks in demand
25th Sep 2009 09:42
An upgrade from Cazenove has given shares in the newspaper publisher Trinity Mirror a lift. Pointing to encouraging advertising trends, the broker upgraded its rating on Trinity, which publishes the Mirror and a host of local titles to 'outperform' from 'in-line'. Elsewhere in media, business publ
Read moreWednesday tips round-up: Aggreko, Persimmon, Admiral
26th Aug 2009 06:41
At the Department of Energy and Climate Change, civil servants are wringing their hands about the looming energy shortage, but at temporary power supplier Aggreko, Rupert Soames, the chief executive, is rubbing his palms in anticipation of windfall profits. Even after the rise, the shares are not to
Read moreLondon close: Footsie rally continues
25th Aug 2009 16:32
After an afternoon of see-sawing between the red and the blue, Footsie finished in positive territory and above the 4,900 point mark, continuing its rally. State-owned lender Royal Bank of Scotland finished with good gains after it said it will cut the level of benefits received by members of its
Read moreLondon afternoon: US data encourages Footsie
25th Aug 2009 15:11
A strong start on Wall Street is keeping London in the blue, just, with investors welcoming a bigger than expected jump in US consumer confidence. The leading index remains on course for a sixth consecutive day of gains after state-owned lender Royal Bank of Scotland said it will cut the level of b
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie still in the red
25th Aug 2009 11:54
Despite threatening to move back into positive territory an hour ago, the Footsie has slid further back down into the red. Miners are still heavily weak with seven out of the top ten losers so far from the sector. Kazakhmys, Xstrata, Antofagasta, Eurasian Natural Resources, Rio Tinto, BHP Billiton
Read moreBroker tips: Persimmon, Punch Taverns, Aggreko
25th Aug 2009 11:29
Results from housebuilder Persimmon were ahead of Panmure Gordon's expectations on most measures, prompting the broker to lift its price target. Panmure Gordon reiterates its 'hold' recommendation but ups its price target to 500p from 428p on the basis that write-downs are likely to be lower than i
Read moreBroker snap: Cash call question divides Persimmon watchers
25th Aug 2009 11:26
Results from housebuilder Persimmon were ahead of Panmure Gordon's expectations on most measures, prompting the broker to lift its price target. Panmure Gordon reiterates its 'hold' recommendation but ups its price target to 500p from 428p on the basis that write-downs are likely to be lower than i
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