London open: Ireland gives market a lift
22nd Nov 2010 08:42
Markets opened strongly on hopes that Ireland's decision to accept a bail-out will mean some stability for the battered eurozone. Miners are leading the market higher with banks also in demand. Xstrata, Kazakhmys and Vedanta are the best of the metals-focused firms, while Lloyds and Barclays have p
Read moreQintetiq wins $2bn NASA deal
22nd Nov 2010 07:26
Defence group Qinetiq has nabbed a $2bn five-year deal to provide engineering services to the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. The contract, with US space agency NASA, is a cost-plus-award-fee contract to begin next March and will run for five years. The maximum potential value of the award is app
Read moreNewly appointed QinetiQ non-exec buys
18th Nov 2010 17:22
Recently appointed non-executive director Paul Murray has invested nearly £50,000 in defence group QinetiQ following the release of its interim figures. Murray bought 44,377 shares at 112.08p a share. This is his total holding in QinetiQ. He was appointed to the board on 25 October. Murray is al
Read moreLondon close: Good day for blue chips
18th Nov 2010 16:36
Blue chips had a good day buoyed by the response to General Motor's record breaking US float and hopes for a deal in Ireland. Patrick Honohan, the head of Ireland's central bank, confirmed a loan is likely, with brokers suggesting it could be as much as €85bn, including €20bn to provide support for
Read moreLondon afternoon: Stocks extend gains
18th Nov 2010 15:28
A positive start by Wall Street has given renewed impetus to Footsie's rise this afternoon. As in Europe, stocks are rising in the US on the hope that a package to take the steam out of the Irish debt crisis is imminent. Patrick Honohan, the head of Ireland's central bank, has confirmed a loan is
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: QinetiQ on the attack
18th Nov 2010 13:50
Shares in QinetiQ rocketed as the high-tech defence group shrugged off the squeeze in defence spending to lift underlying interim profits and promise a return to dividends at the year-end. Bike and car parts retailer Halfords pedals forward after it reported a healthy rise in sales and profits in t
Read moreTechMARK movers: Qinetiq promises return to dividends
18th Nov 2010 13:08
Shares in defence group Qinetiq jumped on improved underlying interim figures and the promise of a full year dividend. Qinetiq cancelled its dividend last year and there was no interim this time either, but the firm says it expects to make a payment at the end of this year. Qinetiq reported a los
Read moreLondon midday: Shares buoyant as updates impress
18th Nov 2010 12:05
With some kind of resolution to the Irish crisis in sight and many of today's updates impressing the market, shares have moved sharply higher. The Bank of Ireland chief has confirmed a loan is likely with brokers suggesting it could be as much as €85bn, including €20bn to provide support for the co
Read moreQinetiq soars on dividend promise
18th Nov 2010 11:02
Shares in Qinetiq rocketed as the high-tech defence group shrugged off the squeeze in defence spending to lift underlying interim profits and promise a return to dividends at the year-end. But there were scars from the recent round of defence costs, as losses rose to £37.6m in the half-year to Sept
Read moreLondon open: Strong start for FTSE 100
18th Nov 2010 08:25
Shares have got off to a strong start as traders avert their eyes from the ongoing Irish debt saga and pay attention to today's stream of company updates. SABMiller is fizzing after a strong performance in all regions but Europe helped the brewing giant post a rise in profits in the half year to Se
Read moreCoalition torpedoes defence budget
19th Oct 2010 15:40
Britain has "punched above its weight" militarily, Prime Minister David Cameron told parliament today as he axed a number of high profile defence projects to help slash the record budget deficit. In the first government strategic defence and security review for a dozen years, the Lib-Con coalition
Read moreWednesday tips round-up: Unilever, Centrica, Thomas Cook...
29th Sep 2010 06:45
Unilever shares have underperformed of late, although they have started to bounce from recent lows. However, they are still more than £2 below their recent high of £20.15 seen in December. They hit a low of £16.88 at the end of August. The long-term growth will come from emerging markets, where mor
Read moreLondon close: Footsie rebounds as Wall Street recovers
28th Sep 2010 16:53
An upturn in the US buoyed sentiment on this side of the Atlantic too, helping Footsie to finish in the blue after a choppy day. The day started badly for London's leading share index but it. gradually recovered throughout the morning only to fall back after a poor start on Wall Street then rebound
Read moreLondon afternoon: Footsie becalmed
28th Sep 2010 14:12
Expectations of a firm start on Wall Street have lured buyers back into the market in London and the blue-chip index ended the lunch time session barely changed on the day. Hedge fund manager Man has been usurped as worst performing FTSE 100 stock by weapons systems developer BAE Systems. Defence f
Read moreBroker tips: Game, QinetiQ, Albemarle and Bond
28th Sep 2010 12:52
KBC Peel Hunt was braced for bad news from Game Group but the video game retailer's interim figures were worse than feared, prompting the broker to cut its full year forecasts. "Game Group has announced interim losses of £18.8m, worse than our £14.1m forecast, driven by LFL [like for like] declines
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