Sunday newspaper round-up: Spending cuts, British Airways, House prices
7th Mar 2010 10:21
Alistair Darling will refuse to bow to calls for more aggressive spending cuts in his budget this month and will stick to fiscal plans set out last year. The chancellor's intransigence could put further pressure on the pound. Nervousness over a hung parliament and Britain's ailing public finances d
Read moreLondon close: Footsie hits 18-month high
5th Mar 2010 17:00
Strong economic data from the US sent Footsie to its highest levels since late 2008. The leading share index closed a whisker shy of the 5,600 point mark. A much better than feared read on US non-payrolls sparked the surge. The US jobs figures showed 36,000 jobs were lost in February, compared wit
Read moreLondon afternoon: Footsie through 5,600, 18-month high
5th Mar 2010 16:07
London's blue-chips have surged forward to an 18-month high and climbed above 5,600 for the first time since late 2008. A much better than feared read on US non-payrolls has spaeked today's surge, with the Dow adding 100 points and miners surging higher alongside bank shares. The US jobs figures s
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie powers on
5th Mar 2010 11:58
London's blue-chips are nearing a 52-week high on renewed optimism over the banks, a good morning for miners and despite a mixed read on UK factory gate inflation. The cost of goods at the factory gates in February was 4.1% higher than a year earlier, a tad above the 4% annual gain expected by eco
Read moreLondon open: Footsie rising again
5th Mar 2010 08:47
UK equities have opened firmly helped by another good session on Wall St and more gains for the banks. Schroders, Royal Bank of Scotland, Barclays and Standard Chartered lead the financials higher, while Fresnillo, Lonmin and Xstrata are strong among the miners. Swiss group Glencore International
Read moreWednesday tips round-up: Meggit, JLT, RBS
3rd Mar 2010 06:41
With every one cent decline in the pound against the US dollar adding £400,000 to defence group Meggitt's prospective pre-tax profits, currency moves alone have been enough to send current-year forecasts higher. Even so, profit progress in 2010 driven more by Meggitt's target of £50m of annualised
Read moreTuesday paper round-up: Sterling, Prudential, HSBC
2nd Mar 2010 06:38
The pound suffered its biggest one-day fall for more than a year yesterday amid the prospect of a hung Parliament and growing fears that this will prevent swift and decisive action being taken over Britain's public finances. Sterling crashed by more than four cents at one stage against the US dolla
Read moreLondon close: Strong finish for FTSE 100
1st Mar 2010 16:30
The leading share index finished on a strong footing as strength in the mining sector and gains on the back of company updates helped offset a weak performance from financial stocks. Miners were in demand following a rise in copper prices following the earthquake in Chile, the world's number one p
Read moreLondon afternoon: Copper-bottomed advance
1st Mar 2010 14:15
Gains on mining stocks are more than offsetting losses in an insurance sector that has been rocked by the prospect of a huge rights call from Prudential. Confirmation that Pru may pay $35bn (£23bn) for the Asian business of troubled US insurer AIG has unsettled the insurers. Any deal would need to
Read moreMonday newspaper round-up: Prudential to buy AIG Asia with record rights call
1st Mar 2010 06:36
Prudential has won the support of both AIG's board and the US government to buy the giant US insurer's crown jewel Asian assets for $35.5bn (£23.5bn), the Telegraph reports. The Times adds that the Prudential is poised to make the biggest cash-call in British corporate history to help to finance th
Read moreHSBC boss to give bonus to charity
28th Feb 2010 12:01
HSBC chief executive Michael Geoghegan will break ranks with his rivals at other UK banks and accept a £4m bonus for last year, but immediately hand it onto charity. HSBC has received no state support during the banking crisis and feels it should be allowed to make its own decisions on remuneration
Read moreSunday tips round-up: RBS, Lloyds, SSL
28th Feb 2010 11:55
For income investors, Royal Bank of Scotland's inability to pay dividends due to EU state aid rules makes it far from attractive, but for those prepared to take a long-term view and hitch a ride alongside the UK government, then the stock could make an interesting addition. Buy says the Telegraph.
Read moreSunday newspaper round-up: M&S, HSBC, Prudential
28th Feb 2010 11:23
Shareholders in Marks & Spencer are preparing for a fresh showdown with the retail giant over the £1.13m pay package of Sir Stuart Rose, the executive chairman. Institutional investors want M&S to slash Rose's annual salary when Marc Bolland, the new chief executive, joins in May. One big sharehol
Read moreLondon close: Blue chips surge forward
26th Feb 2010 16:52
Footsie surged forward and closed in buoyant mood as buyers returned across a number of sectors despite disappointment with Lloyds Banking's results. Serco remains the best performer among Footsie stocks. The outsourcing group increased the dividend by a quarter as it ramped up profits by almost a
Read moreLondon afternoon: Stocks belcamed at higher levels
26th Feb 2010 14:23
Leading shares traded sideways over the lunchtime session, lacking any sort of lead from Wall Street, which is expected to open mixed as traders struggle through the snow storm engulfing New York to get into work. Serco remains the best performer among Footsie stocks. The outsourcing group increase
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