Thursday preview: RBS, Centrica, Capita ...
23rd Feb 2011 16:36
Thursday is the big day for results, as usual, with the likes of British American Tobacco, Barratt Developments, Capita, Centrica, National Express, Royal Bank of Scotland, RSA Insurance and St. James's Place all updating the market. Nomura Securities is predicting total 2010 operating profit for R
Read moreLondon afternoon: Oil lubricates slippery slope
23rd Feb 2011 14:22
An attempted rally in the morning was already fizzling out as the afternoon started, and prices continued to drift lower over the lunchtime trading session, as investors continue to fret about the higher oil price. Brent crude for April delivery surged to more than $109 per barrel shortly after 2pm
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Miners lead the fall
23rd Feb 2011 14:20
Declining metals prices have pushed Antofagasta, Xstrata and Fresnillo lower. Consumer packaging giant Rexam has been hit by profit-taking even though it grew underlying profit by a bigger than expected 45% in 2010 and expects further progress this year. Profit before tax and exceptional items jum
Read moreLondon midday: Shares stuck lower amid Libya worries
23rd Feb 2011 12:02
The higher oil price amid continuing turmoil in Libya is helping to keep shares in the red, though company updates have been given a mixed reception. Brent crude hit over $107 per barrel, up 1% today, as the violence and rhetoric in Libya increased. Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi vowed to fight a gr
Read moreLondon open: Libya casts pall over blue chips
23rd Feb 2011 08:51
London has opened with Libya on its mind amid fears that the unrest sweeping through the country and the Middle East could destabilise Bahrain as well. Brent crude hit over $107 per barrel, up 1% today, as the violence and rhetoric in Libya increased. Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi vowed to fight a
Read moreLondon close: Shares fall as Libya crisis intensifies
21st Feb 2011 16:53
The top share index was nursing big losses at trading's close as worries over the turmoil in Libya sent the oil price soaring and continued high usage of the European Central Bank's marginal lending facility stoked nervousness over banks. Banks are granted the right to seek overnight loans from th
Read moreLondon afternoon: ECB emergency loans give banks jitters
21st Feb 2011 14:26
Concerns about rising oil prices should Libya descend into civil war are nagging away at investors, while continued high usage of the European Central Bank's marginal lending facility is making traders nervous about banks. Banks are granted the right to seek overnight loans from the European Centr
Read moreLondon midday: Banks hold back FTSE 100
21st Feb 2011 12:12
Shares are in the red as banking stocks fall back and the turmoil in the Arab world casts a shadow. Banks are the main drag, with RBS, Lloyds and Barclays nursing losses following gains last week. RBS and Lloyds are due to release results later this week. The oil price has topped $104 a barrel as
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Banks head lower
21st Feb 2011 11:58
RBS and Lloyds are lower ahead of their results later this week. On top of that, Lloyds has announced a voluntary agreement with the FSA about certain Halifax mortgage contracts. This relates to the wording of the mortgage contracts. Barclays is also lower. Invensys is higher because of press spec
Read moreMonday newspaper round-up: Osborne, Libya, RBS...
21st Feb 2011 06:50
George Osborne expects the Bank of England's interest rate committee to disregard last week's VAT-induced jump in prices, arguing that his Budget cuts would allow rates to be kept "lower for longer". Asked whether the decision to raise VAT to 20% had made the Bank's fight against inflation more di
Read moreSunday newspaper round-up: RBS, Women executives, Rio Tinto...
20th Feb 2011 11:00
Stephen Hester, Royal Bank of Scotland chief executive, is poised to indicate this week that the government could start to offload its 83% stake in the bank before the end of the year. RBS is expected to reveal it is still in the red, posting a bottom-line loss of about £700m ? down from £3.6bn las
Read moreWeek Ahead: BoE meeting minutes, RBS, Lloyds
18th Feb 2011 10:53
With each month that passes the release of the minutes of the meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) become more eagerly anticipated, as the consensus view of the rate-setting committee starts to fragment. The Bank of England's quarterly inflation report on Wednesday conceded that the cent
Read moreLondon close: Blue chips close flat
17th Feb 2011 16:51
Footsie closed the day a shade higher having traded in a very narrow range all day as both buyers and sellers seem preoccupied with other things. Life insurance consolidator Resolution closed as top performer saying it is unlikely to make any further acquisitions this year. Instead, it will focus
Read moreLondon afternoon: Footsie stumbles after US CPI data
17th Feb 2011 14:43
Footsie fell back over the lunchtime session with sentiment taking a knock from a bigger than expected increase in US consumer prices. The US Consumer Price Index rose 0.4% in January, as it did in December, on the back of higher fuel and food prices. Economists had pencilled in a 0.3% rise. On th
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Banks move higher
17th Feb 2011 12:22
Banks head the risers. Positive comment from Nomura has boosted Lloyds. Even so, RBS, HSBC and Barclays are also higher. African Barrick Gold continues to rise after yesterday's figures. BAE Systems has fallen after warning that sales in 2011 will decline as cutbacks in government spending star
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