Tuesday newspaper round-up: Halifax, Libya, interest rates
22nd Feb 2011 06:28
Hundreds of thousands of Halifax borrowers are set to receive a windfall because of a poorly drafted paragraph in mortgage offer letters that will cost Lloyds Banking Group £500m. The payout announced by the Halifax's new parent yesterday is a record figure for customer redress by a single financial
Read moreFriday tips round-up: Rio Tinto, Rolls-Royce, Diageo...
11th Feb 2011 06:59
Rio Tinto, which in the bad days of spring 2009 had debts of $39bn (£24.2bn) after the badly timed purchase of Alcan in 2007, exited last year with just $4.3bn of borrowings, or gearing of 6%. It generated a record $23.5bn of cash last year, up 70% on 2009. This is by any standards a staggering tu
Read moreLondon close: FTSE 100 in late dive
9th Feb 2011 16:57
Shares finished firmly in the red after a sluggish day's trading that finished with a late dive in line with weakness in the US. Footsie was weighed down by a sharp fall in the price of International Power as the power generating company's shares trade today without the right to receive the recent
Read moreLondon afternoon: Downward drift continues
9th Feb 2011 14:02
The blue-chip index drifted lower still over the lunchtime session after a lacklustre morning session. Footsie is weighed down by a sharp fall in the price of International Power as the power generating company's shares trade today without the right to receive the recent 92p special dividend. Ci
Read moreBroker snap: Mixed picture at Reckitt
9th Feb 2011 13:43
While Panmure Gordon keeps its positive stance on household products group Reckitt Benckiser, it notes that its rating will remain clouded for some time to come. Reckitt, responsible for brands such as Dettol, Cillit Bang and Nurofen headache pills, produced a mixed picture in its 2010 results. Lik
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Ex-dividends dominate
9th Feb 2011 13:07
Footsie is down today but the fallers are dominated by shares going ex-dividend. They include International Power, GlaxoSmithkline, Royal Dutch Shell and Sage. International Power is paying a 92p a share special dividend as part of the merger with GDF Suez. The share price has fallen less than t
Read moreBroker tips: Barclays, C&W Comms, Reckitt Benckiser
9th Feb 2011 12:17
How Barclays' management addresses the group's challenges in its 2010 results will be critical to convince the market of its ability to make attractive returns, according to Japanese broker Nomura. "With a new chief executive officer presenting, any comments made around initiatives to improve group
Read moreLondon midday: LSE a bright spot in dull market
9th Feb 2011 12:10
Sentiment is subdued today despite more M&A excitement, this time generated by London Stock Exchange. LSE is locked in merger talks with Canadian peer TMX that could lead to the creation of the world's largest stock exchange by number of companies listed. The combined group, which jointly would be
Read moreLondon open: Uncertain start for blue chips
9th Feb 2011 08:48
London has paused for breath after a couple of days of decent gains despite LSE's merger plans and a strong finish on Wall Street where the Dow rose for its seventh straight day. London Stock Exchange is locked in merger talks with Canadian peer TMX that could lead to the creation of the world's la
Read moreLondon pre-open: Pause for breath
9th Feb 2011 07:43
London looks set to pause for breath after a couple of days of decent gains. City traders expect the blue-chip index to open around 17 points down from last night's close. London Stock Exchange is locked in merger talks with Canadian peer TMX that could lead to the creation of the world's largest s
Read moreReckitt profit rise falls short of expectations
9th Feb 2011 07:03
Reckitt Benckiser, the maker of household products such as Dettol and Cillit Bang, enjoyed strong profit growth in 2010 as developing markets offset a decline in Europe, but earnings fell short of expectations and the shares fell. The company, also responsible for Nurofen headache pills, posted a p
Read moreWednesday preview: Reckitt Benckiser, Daily Mail, UK trade
8th Feb 2011 16:47
Newspaper publisher and exhibitions organiser Daily Mail and General Trust is expected to show organic growth of around 4% in its first quarter trading period covering the final three months of 2010. Panmure Gordon thinks the business to consumer side will see flat revenues, or even a small decline
Read moreFutura hit by more delays to CSD500
18th Jan 2011 16:37
Erectile dysfunction treatments developer Futura Medical says that there will be further delays in the CSD500 condom getting its CE mark but management believes that the regulator's queries can be addressed in a relatively short period of time. The CSD500 condom helps men to maintain a firm erect
Read moreLondon close: Snow deluge buries Footsie
6th Jan 2011 16:43
Footsie succumbed to the growing list of businesses hit by the snow over the Christmas holidays and closed lower for the first time this week. December's snowfalls cost British Airways about £50m in the third quarter and a little more at the start of January. BA, due to complete its £5.7bn merger w
Read moreLondon afternoon: Winter woes fail to hold back FTSE 100
6th Jan 2011 14:51
It's three out of three days of gains so far this year for the top share index, with the impact of snow on retailers and other businesses over the Christmas failing to hurt overall sentiment. Miners such as gold group Randgold and industrial metals specilists Vedanta Resources and Xstrata are wante
Read more