Sector movers: Persimmon cements housebuilder gains
25th Aug 2009 09:35
Housebuilders are going well after Persimmon reported a drop in first half profits but said selling prices have stabilised in most parts of mainland UK. Persimmon legally completed 4,006 units (H1 2008: 5,501) at an average selling price of £155,524 (H1 2008: £181,485). Total sales revenue for the
Read moreLondon open: Miners lead decline
25th Aug 2009 08:15
Miners are leading London's top stocks lower in early dealing after a poor afternoon session in the US and weaker Asian markets. Kazakhmys is the worst performer, down more than 4%, closely followed by Lonmin, Xstrata, Antofagasta, Eurasian Natural Resources, Rio Tinto, Anglo American, BHP Billito
Read moreLondon pre-open: Early selling on the cards
25th Aug 2009 07:37
A poor afternoon session in the US and weaker Asian markets will set the tone for London this morning, with investors worried about talk of a correction following the recent rally. The FTSE 100 is expected to lose around 40 points in early deals after Wall Street gave up a big lead to finish with j
Read morePersimmon sees selling prices stabilise
25th Aug 2009 07:13
Housebuilder Persimmon reported a drop in first half profits but said selling prices have stabilised in most parts of mainland UK. Pre-tax profit fell to £9.8m during the six months ended 30 June from £36.9m last time. The figure was positive thanks to a £27.9m positive revision of the group's prop
Read moreTuesday preview: Persimmon, Admiral, US house prices
24th Aug 2009 16:18
Though no longer in the FTSE 100, housebuilder Persimmon's results are still eagerly awaited as they give clues to the state of the all-important UK housing market; few things are more guaranteed to boost UK consumer confidence than a rise in UK house prices. Sector peer Bovis announced a sharp fal
Read moreLondon close: US confidence sours sentiment
14th Aug 2009 16:28
Weaker than expected US consumer sentiment data upset the apple cart Friday, giving investors an excuse to bank profits ahead of the weekend. Stockmarkets on both sides of the Atlantic have risen 15% in the past month, so no wonder investors were keen to trim their portfolios. Wall Street headed s
Read moreLondon afternoon: US sentiment data disappoints
14th Aug 2009 15:30
London's stockmarket overcame a technical glitch Friday afternoon only for equities to turn lower following a surprise plunge in US consumer confidence. Wall Street tumbled three figures shortly after the University of Michigan said its consumer sentiment index for August fell to 63.2 rather than t
Read moreLondon midday: Equities still on the REIT track
14th Aug 2009 11:59
Properties, miners and housebuilders were the sectors making the running this morning as London's blue-chip index strives to make it three days of rises in a row. Reports this morning suggested a consortium of some of the world's richest families is plotting a bid for British Land. Liberty Internat
Read moreLondon close: Footsie equals winning streak
27th Jul 2009 16:59
Though it was a close run thing the Footsie ended the day in the blue, equalling its record run of 11 successive days of rises. The blue-chip index was supported by a strong performance from miners and the part-nationalised banks. Lonmin was wanted after Goldman Sachs upgraded the stock to "neutr
Read moreLondon afternoon: Winning streak in danger
27th Jul 2009 14:34
Footsie has dipped back into the red, with sentiment taking a knock from Wall Street's soft opening. Were the Footsie to finish higher today it would equal a record streak of 11 successive days of gains. Pearson remains the best performer on a much better than expected trading update. The publishin
Read moreLondon midday: Pearson beats expectations
27th Jul 2009 12:07
Strong mining stocks are supporting the Footsie's quest to achieve a record breaking 12th successive day of gains today. Lonmin leads the mining sector higher after Goldman Sachs upgraded the stock to "neutral" from "sell". Kazakhmys and Antofagasta are the next best performers. Pearson remains th
Read moreLondon close: Footsie gives up gains
7th Jul 2009 16:29
Footsie managed to shrug off a poor performance on Wall Street until late in the day but gave up the fight just before the close to finish slightly in the red. Miners led the risers. Xstrata was wanted as rumours resurfaced that Brazilian mining titan Vale is contemplating reviving bid talks with
Read moreLondon afternoon: Prices hold steady at higher levels
7th Jul 2009 14:09
Equity prices stagnated over the lunch time trading session. Footsie remains modestly higher but volumes are low. Miners lead the advance, with the top 6 performers among Footsie constituents all mining stocks, Miner Xstrata is wanted, as rumours resurface that Brazilian mining titan Vale is con
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Persimmon leads risers
7th Jul 2009 13:30
Housebuilder Persimmon leads the risers after saying it has seen both volume and revenues improve recently and expects that trend to continue against the weak conditions experienced throughout the second half of 2008. Fellow housebuilders Barratt and Bovis, due to report on Thursday and Friday resp
Read moreBroker snap: Views differ on Persimmon
7th Jul 2009 13:07
Housebuilder Persimmon has seen both volume and revenues improve recently and expects that trend to continue against the weak conditions experienced throughout the second half of 2008, the company said on Tuesday morning. The trading statement was enough to persuade Panmure Gordon to issue a "buy"
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