London open: Sun comes out for Thomas Cook
28th Nov 2011 08:45
Banks are leading London higher, buoyed by reports that the Eurozone finance ministers are set to do them a favour when they meet in Brussels tomorrow. Reports say the finance chiefs are discussing the possibility that the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) could insure the bonds of debt
Read moreMarkets welcome £200m lifeline for Thomas Cook
28th Nov 2011 07:44
Shares in troubled tour-operator Thomas Cook shot up on Monday morning in reaction news issued late on Friday that the cash-strapped firm has reached an agreement with its bankers to provide the company with a new lending facility. Shares were nearly 50^ in the first half-hour of trading to 27p.
Read moreLondon close: Banks lead rally
25th Nov 2011 17:12
Every day this week and last the Footsie has been stuck in reverse gear but today it jolted forward, thanks to a little help from Wall Street, which opened higher. Banks led the advance on hopes that there is truth in the rumours that European policy makers are set to drop the requirement for priva
Read moreElektron chairman swoops after profit warning
22nd Nov 2011 14:30
Shares in instrumentation and electronics supplier Elektron took a tumble last Thursday following a profts warning, and have continued falling since, prompting company chairman Keith Daley to whip out his cheque-book and snap up some cut-price shares. Daley, who has been a shareholder in Elektron s
Read moreLondon close: London falls for sixth successive day
21st Nov 2011 17:02
Stocks fell out of a bed with a bump this morning and then in the afternoon session rolled down the stairs all the way to the cellar, as US lawmakers reprised their tiresome wrangling over budget cuts, as previously seen back in July. NO PROGRESS IN CONGRESS With the clock ticking down towards a W
Read moreFD to quit RSA for Lloyds Banking
21st Nov 2011 14:42
General insurance group RSA is on the look-out for a new chief financial officer after the current incumbent, George Culmer, announced his intention to jump ship to Lloyds Banking Group. Culmer, who has a 12-month notice period, and RSA are still wrangling over an exact leaving date. "I would lik
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Lloyds lower on board room developments
21st Nov 2011 11:41
Doubts have been cast on whether ailing Lloyds Banking boss António Horta-Osório will return from sick leave before the end of this year, after the company said non-executive director David Roberts would sit in as interim chief executive officer if Horta-Osório's return is delayed. Chief financial
Read moreLloyds makes interim CEO contingency plans
21st Nov 2011 11:35
Though Lloyds Banking says that its chief executive, António Horta-Osório, is making good progress after being ordered by his medical advisors to take a rest, the part-nationalised lender has made contingency plans just in case he does not return to the role by the end of the year as originally plan
Read moreRoyal Bank of Scotland Director buys 300,000 shares
16th Nov 2011 20:03
Royal Bank of Scotland Director Tony Di Iorio has today bought a total of 300,000 shares in the bank for a total sum of £2,032,560. On November 4th the bank announced that it had made a profit before tax of £2,004m in the third quarter of 2011, compared to a £1,560m loss at the same point in 2010.
Read moreBroker tips: RBS, Lonmin, easyJet
16th Nov 2011 12:05
AlphaValue downgraded its rating on part-nationalised lender Royal Bank of Scotland on Tuesday from buy to add. "All revenue lines were below expectations, while costs were in line and impairment charges slightly above," the broker said. As such, AlphaValue has cut its underlying earnings projecti
Read moreBroker snap: AlphaValue downgrades RBS to add
16th Nov 2011 10:26
AlphaValue downgraded its rating on part-nationalised lender Royal Bank of Scotland on Tuesday from buy to add. The broker said that while third quarter net attributable profit came in at £1,226m -helped by a £2,357m pre-tax gain on own debt and a £791m tax credit - the underlying pre-tax profit fi
Read moreWednesday broker round-up - UPDATE
16th Nov 2011 09:44
Michael Page: HSBC upgrades to overweight from neutral. Reckitt Banckiser: Citi reiterates buy. Cairn Energy: Societe Generale initiates at buy. Royal Bank of Scotland: AlphaValue downgraded to add from buy yesterday and lowered the price target to £24.60from £29.80. ARM Holdings: UBS raises t
Read moreLondon close: Footsie stages late recovery
15th Nov 2011 16:38
London's FTSE 100 index bucked the trend in global markets on Tuesday to trade broadly flat by the close despite some heavy falls for Burberry and the banks. Some slightly better-than-expected domestic economic news seemed to lift sentiment in the UK during the day. Worth noting, UBS has set its ye
Read moreFTSE 100 Movers: Surpise fall for Burberry
15th Nov 2011 13:43
It was a surprise fall for Burberry, the luxury fashion retailer, which has seen profits before tax rise 26% to £162m on revenues of £830m, while the interim dividend has been raised by 40% to 7p per share. Even after Nomura upped its full-year numbers, saying it sees "significant growth potential
Read moreLondon midday: Euro concerns dampen sentiment, Burberry falls
15th Nov 2011 12:05
Just six stocks were in the blue by midday, as reports of political difficulties for the Italy's Prime Minister-in-waiting shook investors' nerves. London's blue chip index remains firmly in negative territory, registering a fall of 1.35% by 12:05. ITALIAN, SPANISH YIELDS ON THE RISE Former EU Com
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