FTSE 100 movers: RBS rises on disposal speculation
14th Jun 2011 15:15
Royal Bank of Scotland is among the best performers after reports suggest that it is in talks to sell its vehicle-leasing business to General Electric, the American super-conglomerate. Heading the other way is commodity trading house Glencore after the group reported its first quarter results this
Read moreRBS seeking to offload vehicle leasing business
14th Jun 2011 11:28
The slow process of weaning the British banking sector off government-backed life-support appears to have taken a new twist. Reports suggest Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) is in talks to sell its vehicle leasing business to General Electric, the American super-conglomerate. The name of the division
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Weir leads engineers higher
9th Jun 2011 15:39
Engineer Weir Group is the highest riser after its earnings estimates were lifted by RBC Capital Markets. There have been reports today that two companies in China have been given fines of £1m after manufacturing illegal duplicates of Weir pumps. Automotive and aerospace engineer GKN, oilfield eng
Read moreRBS wants to rebuild its investment arm in Asia
8th Jun 2011 12:46
RBS plans to expand its business in China and rebuild its investment arm in Asia after reducing headcount last year in its corporate and investment banking divisions, as reported by Bloomberg. Last week the entity set a revenue growth target for itself, in this region of the world, of between 15% to
Read moreTuesday newspaper round-up: Morrisons, executive pay, Northern Ireland
31st May 2011 06:23
Morrisons is aggressively outbidding its rivals to secure new stores, particularly in the southern England, signalling the scale of its ambitions under chief executive Dalton Philips. The Bradford-based grocer is on a mission to grab property for both standard supermarkets and conveniences stores, w
Read moreLondon close: Stocks hold on to gains
27th May 2011 16:46
Stocks held on to gains going into a long weekend, as Wall Street opened up higher. After a sharp rise in early trading, the Footsie maintained its level around the 5,930-40 mark for the rest of the day, helped by strong showings from the miners and the banks. Just seven stocks finished in the red.
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Essar rises over 5% to lead risers
27th May 2011 14:10
Energy firm Essar Energy is topping the risers, making a +5% gain as of Friday afternoon. Meanwhile, Cairn Energy is the heaviest faller, edging just 0.5% lower. Only five stocks are in the red, all recording minor losses. The miners are tracking metals prices higher. Antofagasta, Kazakhmys, Rio Ti
Read moreLondon midday: Banks provide a boost
27th May 2011 12:05
The Footsie is around 1% higher at the midday point, holding on to early gains. The banking sector is performing well today after positive comments from Citigroup. The US bank upped its rating on European banks to 'overweight', saying that the recent decline in the share prices provides a good entr
Read moreLondon open: Miners and banks head a strong start
27th May 2011 08:28
The Footsie has started strongly, rising over 1% as the index climbs above the 5,900 level. The miners are in demand, with Lonmin, Rio Tinto, Xstrata and Kazakhmys heading higher. The latter announced this morning that it's proposed listing on the Hong Kong stock exchange will not involve the issu
Read moreSector movers: Burberry lower ahead of results
25th May 2011 15:52
Burberry, the luxury fashion brand, is dragging the personal goods sector lower. The group is due to report its final results on Thursday, and revealed in April that it expects profits for the year to 31 March to be at the top end of forecasts, after a strong final quarter. Shares have risen by ar
Read moreLondon close: Modest gains for FTSE 100
24th May 2011 16:47
Stocks finished in the blue although off earlier highs and the gains were modest against yesterday's losses. In company news, high street stalwart Marks & Spencer eased even after it said it was winning market share in both clothes and food sales as it posted pre-tax profits in line with expectati
Read moreSector movers: Victrex boosts chemicals sector
24th May 2011 16:42
The chemicals sector was bolstered by gains made by plastics group Victrex on Tuesday after the company reported its half-year results. Victrex said profit surged 57% while sales volumes rose 22% in the last six months after a strong performance in all of its major markets. The group, which manuf
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Miners rise on metals prices
24th May 2011 15:40
The miners are in demand as precious metals prices continue to ascend. Fresnillo is the highest riser, gaining over 4%. Cairn Energy, Antofagasta, Kazakhmys, Randgold Resources, Xstrata and Rio Tinto are also firmer. Oil groups BG and BP are rising higher, along with crude oil prices. Goldman Sa
Read moreLondon midday: FTSE 100 on the ascent
24th May 2011 12:04
Shares are still in positive territory, but the gains are modest compared to yesterday's slide. Higher commodity prices are boosting the likes of South American copper miner Antofagasta and South African platinum miner Lonmin. The banking sector is under pressure though, with Moody's considering d
Read moreMoody's may downgrade UK banks
24th May 2011 08:58
Shares in UK banks took a knock after the ratings agency Moody's said it is considering downgrading Lloyds Banking, Royal Bank of Scotland and 12 other banks in response to the UK regulator appearing less willing to bail out lenders in the future. "The reassessment is not driven by either a deterio
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