London afternoon: Reckitt fails to cut the mustard
27th Apr 2010 14:35
Footsie drifted lower over the lunch time session, not helped by disappointing results from household goods maker Reckitt Benckiser. Shares in Reckitt sank to the bottom of the FTSE 100 despite the French's mustard maker posting a rise in earnings and sales for the first quarter. The firm said oper
Read moreReckitt Benckiser slips despite profit hike
27th Apr 2010 13:33
Shares in Reckitt Benckiser sank to the bottom of the FTSE 100 despite the household goods maker posting a rise in earnings and sales for the first quarter. The firmsaid operating profits rose by 14% to £461m. Revenues were up 5% to £2bn. Reckitt said its strong performance was helped by a focus o
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Banks keep Footsie up
15th Apr 2010 11:45
London's leading shares are just above flat as good gains from banks are being offset by weak defensives. Investors are keen on the likes of Barclays, Royal Bank of Scotland and HSBC Holdings but defensives are proving a drag. Reckitt Benckiser, Unilever are lower while G4S, Centrica and Thomas Coo
Read moreThursday paper round-up: Reckitt Benckiser, Citigroup, AA
8th Apr 2010 06:38
Britain's corporate pay league reached new heights yesterday when it was disclosed that Bart Becht earned a £93m pay packet as chief executive of Reckitt Benckiser last year. The bumper payout came only days after the CBI Director-General said that executives risked being viewed as aliens from a d
Read moreDeparting Serco chairman sells most of his stake
18th Mar 2010 16:37
Departing chairman Kevin Beeston has sold nearly all his remaining shares in outsourcing group Serco. Alastair Lyons will take up the chairmanship of the company after the Annual General Meeting on 11 May. Lyons has been non-executive chairman of Admiral Group since 2000. Beeston's departure mark
Read moreLondon close: Carnival provides lift
24th Feb 2010 16:55
Footsie closed slightly higher, with Carnival giving London's blue chips a lift after announcing that it is going to increase the price of its cruises. Carnival was leading the FTSE 100 higher after the cruise operator said it will be lifting ticket prices following strong reservations activity for
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Carnival price increase
24th Feb 2010 15:55
Cruise operator Carnival is the biggest riser in the Footsie after announcing that it is going to increase the price of its cruises. The decision has been taken after strong reservations activity for 2010. The price increases will be up to 5%. They will happen on 22 March but overall cruise prices
Read moreLondon afternoon: Stocks steady at higher levels
24th Feb 2010 14:12
London has moved into consolidation mode in the afternoon session, ahead of a moderately firmer opening on Wall Street. HSBC remains the top performer as reports circulate that the company is preparing to sell its train leasing business for around £2bn. Sentiment towards the bank is also sweetened
Read moreLondon midday: HSBC rolls higher on train sale rumours
24th Feb 2010 12:04
Banks are leading the market's advance today, more than offsetting weakness among miners. HSBC was the morning's top performer as reports circulate that the company is preparing to sell its train leasing business for around £2bn. Sentiment towards the bank is also sweetened by reports that the boar
Read moreLondon open: Early gains for blue chips
24th Feb 2010 08:54
Financials are keeping Footsie moving forward this morning. Standard Life, HSBC and Aviva are all in demand despite the 100-point fall on the Dow overnight. Reckitt Benckiser is lower again on worries over the inquiry into its sales methods for Gaviscon heartburn products. Mining giant BHP Billit
Read moreReckitt gets finance expert Tucker on board
24th Feb 2010 07:49
Anglo-Dutch household goods firm Reckitt Benckiser has hired Cobham's finance chief Warren Tucker as an independent non-executive director. Tucker joins Reckitt, which makes products like Dettol, Cillit Bang, Disprin and Harpic with immediate effect. The 47-year-old has been in the finance hot sea
Read moreLondon close: Footsie suffers lack of confidence
23rd Feb 2010 16:21
A terrible report on US consumer confidence sent Wall Street spiralling lower, dragging London's leading index deep into the red late on. UK shares started well enough, but weakened steadily through the morning and spent much of the afternoon dipping in and out of negative territory until the US da
Read moreLondon afternoon: Stocks drift lower
23rd Feb 2010 15:16
A weak opening on Wall Street has dragged Footsie lower, though the number of fallers among the blue-chip index's constituents barely outnumbers the risers. Wolseley is leading the risers, after surprising the market with an unscheduled trading update. The building supplies group said it expects p
Read moreLondon midday: Leading shares mixed
23rd Feb 2010 12:13
For the second day in succession the FTSE 100 has turned lower after a moderately bright start. Comments on the fragility of the UK economy from Bank of England governor Mervyn King have given investors pause for thought. King, appearing before a parliamentary committee, said: 'There have been some
Read moreLondon open: Shares start strongly
23rd Feb 2010 08:38
Shares have started strongly as company updates are given a warm reception. Shares in Wolseley jumped after the building supplies group said it expects profits for the year to 31 July 2010 to exceed analysts' expectations of £326m. However, it said the better than expected earnings will be due to
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