FTSE 100 movers: Cash call fears hit banks
14th Oct 2010 14:00
Banks are leading the Footsie lower as investors worry that they will follow the lead of Standard Chartered and ask for more cash. RBS is the worst performer but Barclays and Lloyds are close behind. Miners are on the rise, except for African Barrick Gold, as metals prices are firming. Rio Tin
Read moreLondon midday: Downward drift quickens
14th Oct 2010 11:56
US markets may be expected to open firmer but London is determined to go its own way today, heading lower, despite a buoyant mining sector. Metal prices are back on the rise as the dollar heads in the opposite direction. That is not enough to prevent gold miner African Barrick Gold taking a tumble,
Read moreThursday newspaper round-up: Banks, Lloyds, airlines
14th Oct 2010 06:25
Britain's biggest banks have admitted for the first time that there was a problem with lending to small businesses and that they should offer greater support. In a wide-ranging report published last night, the banks - Barclays, Royal Bank of Scotland, Lloyds Banking Group, HSBC, Santander and Stand
Read moreRBS wins Liverpool FC court battle
13th Oct 2010 12:05
The £300m sale of Liverpool Football Club moved a step closer today when the High Court ruled in favour of Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and Liverpool chairman Martin Broughton, preventing the club's American owners from blocking the deal. Mr Justice Floyd agreed that Tom Hicks and George Gillett ha
Read moreLondon open: Wall St rally boosts Footsie
13th Oct 2010 08:48
Last night's recovery on Wall St following the Federal Reserve's hint at further stimulus measures has boosted London early on despite a big bank cash call. Standard Chartered, the emerging markets focused bank, is preparing for stricter capital requirements for banks with a £3.26bn cash call. The
Read moreSunday newspaper round-up: Potash, BP, George Osborne...
10th Oct 2010 10:52
One of Canada's biggest pension funds is plotting an audacious bid to spoil BHP Billiton's $39bn (£24.5bn) hostile takeover of Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan, the world's biggest fertiliser producer. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan, which controls a C$96bn (£60bn) portfolio that includes Camelot,
Read moreLondon open: Gains short-lived
4th Oct 2010 08:37
Renewed interest in the insurance sector and strong miners nudged London into positive territory, but Monday morning blues soon kicked in and stocks are now in the red. Reports in his morning's papers reveal RSA, Resolution, Switzerland's Zurich Financial Services and Germany's Allianz discussed mo
Read moreMonday newspaper round-up: Interest rates, RBS, Lloyds
4th Oct 2010 06:16
Sir John Gieve, the former deputy governor of the Bank of England, has stepped into the increasingly divided debate over monetary policy and urged the Bank not to print more money. Claims that Britain's economy was heading into a Japanese-style slump were far too pessimistic, Sir John said in an i
Read moreLondon close: Lower finish after sluggish day
29th Sep 2010 16:39
Footsie closed a few points lower at the end of a dull day's trading that was overshadowed by continuing eurozone debt worries. Ireland was the focus of attention again. The rating agency Standard & Poors says the price of bailing out nationalised bank Anglo Irish could exceed $47bn. Banks Royal B
Read moreSector movers: Ireland worries hit banks again
29th Sep 2010 15:20
Banks are under pressure as worries over the European debt situation continue to plague the markets. Ireland is in the spotlight again amid speculation that that the cost of bailing out the nationalised bank Anglo Irish could rise to as much as €30bn (£25m). Unsurprisingly, Irish banks listed here
Read moreLondon afternoon: Dull mood continues
29th Sep 2010 14:15
Leading shares remain mixed but with a lower bias as investors continue to fret over European debt issues. Debt-stricken Ireland is the focus of attention again. The rating agency Standard & Poors says the price of bailing out nationalised bank Anglo Irish could exceed $47bn. Banks Royal Bank of
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Unilever's Greek buy
28th Sep 2010 14:35
Unilever has followed up yesterday's £2.3bn acquisition of US-based Alberto Culver with a more modest deal to buy Greek company EVGA's ice cream brands. The brands include Scandal, Variete and Karabola. Unilever will also buy the distribution network but EVGA will continue to manufacture the ice c
Read moreTuesday newspaper round-up: IMF, BP, Rolls-Royce...
28th Sep 2010 06:40
The International Monetary Fund backed the British Government's austerity plans yesterday and declared the economy to be "on the mend". In its first official verdict on the coalition's policies, the Washington-based IMF praised George Osborne's debt-cutting programme as "strong and credible" and s
Read moreSunday newspaper round-up: United Biscuits, HSBC, BAA...
26th Sep 2010 11:36
One of China's biggest food companies is in secret talks about a multi-billion-pound takeover of United Biscuits, the British food group behind McVitie's biscuits, Jaffa Cakes and Twiglets. Shanghai-based Bright Food has pre-empted a planned auction and is in exclusive discussions about a deal expe
Read moreLondon close: Footsie rallies after shaky start
24th Sep 2010 16:50
The roller coaster ride continued heading into the weekend, with shares rallying to finish with good gains following a drop in the morning. Shares have been jittery for most of the week, with traders unsure how to react to Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke's comments on the US economy on Tuesd
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