Broker tips: RBS, water companies, Wolseley
26th Feb 2010 13:47
Initial response to Thursday's results from Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) was generally positive, but the figures have not made a believer out of JP Morgan. The US investment house is advising its clients to remain underweight in the part-nationalised lender after loss before tax at £6.2bn came in a
Read moreLondon midday:Stocks off the top
26th Feb 2010 12:22
Hopes that Footsie would claw back all of yesterday's losses look less likely to be realised after share prices came off the top late in the morning, though most stocks are still trading in positive territory. Serco remains the best performer among Footsie stocks. The outsourcing group increased t
Read moreLondon open: Footsie makes bright start
26th Feb 2010 08:50
London's blue chips have made a bright start after the late pick-up on Wall Street overnight, even though there is some disappointment with the figures from Lloyds Banking. The state-controlled bank joined sector peers Barclays and Royal Bank of Scotland in reporting better than expected figures.
Read moreBroker snap: Earnings upgrades expected for RBS
26th Feb 2010 08:26
Initial response to Thursday's results from Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) was generally positive, but the figures have not made a believer out of JP Morgan. The US investment house is advising its clients to remain underweight in the part-nationalised lender after loss before tax at £6.2bn came in a
Read moreLondon pre-open: Stellar gains ahead
26th Feb 2010 07:37
London's blue chips are expected to open sharply higher, with banking shares likely to be in focus after Lloyds reported full-year figures. Traders anticipate a 60 points gain when the market opens. Lloyds Banking joined sector peers Barclays and Royal Bank of Scotland in reporting better than expe
Read moreFriday newspaper round-up: Royal Bank of Scotland, BBC, Google
26th Feb 2010 06:37
Royal Bank of Scotland paid 100 investment bankers more than £1m each - yet has still warned that hundreds will defect this year over pay restrictions, costing the state-backed lender £1bn in profit. Speaking after RBS unveiled a £3.6bn loss last year , chief executive Stephen Hester claimed a tho
Read moreLondon close: Overseas concerns sink Footsie
25th Feb 2010 16:28
Blue chips closed sharply lower as fears about Greece resurfaced and US dole claimant figures were worse than expected. On a busy day for big company results RBS hogged the headlines. The part-nationalised bank saw its net attributable loss narrow markedly in 2009 with fourth quarter impairments 5%
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: RBS tops risers
25th Feb 2010 15:13
Royal Bank of Scotlandgot the benefit of the doubt for its figures and led the risrs on Footsie all day. Net attributable losses narrowed markedly to £3.6bn, down from £24.3bn in 2008. The market consensus had been for a loss of £3.85bn, though forecasts varied wildly. Impairments surged to £13.9bn
Read moreLondon afternoon: Footsie heads south
25th Feb 2010 14:23
The Footsie sank below last night's closing level over the lunch time session, weighed down by weak miners. On a busy day for big company results RBS continues to hog the headlines. Though off the top, the share price is still sharply higher after the part-nationalised bank saw its net attributable
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie flatlines
25th Feb 2010 11:45
London's top stocks have retreated from the gains sparked by Royal Bank of Scotland's numbers. RBS shares are up by more than 6% after the part-nationalised bank saw its net attributable loss narrow markedly in 2009 with fourth quarter impairments 5% lower than the third quarter. Net attributabl
Read moreLondon open: Miners offset RBS rally
25th Feb 2010 08:12
London's top stocks opened lower despite a set of despite figures from RBS suggesting there is light at the end of the tunnel for the bank. The drop comes even though Royal Bank of Scotland's shares jumped by more than 6% after the open. The part-nationalised bank saw its net attributable loss na
Read moreLondon pre-open: Stocks set to slide
25th Feb 2010 07:43
London is set to open lower despite a set of figures from RBS which suggested there is light at the end of the tunnel for the bank. City traders expect the blue-chip index to open around 26 points lower at 5,316. Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) saw its net attributable loss narrow markedly in 2009 to
Read moreImpairments have peaked, says RBS
25th Feb 2010 06:59
Part-nationalised bank Royal Bank of Scotland saw its net attributable loss narrow markedly in 2009 with fourth quarter impairments 5% lower than the third quarter. Net attributable loss in 2009 was £3.6bn, down from £24.3bn in 2008. The market consensus had been for a loss of £3.85bn, though forec
Read moreThursday newspaper round-up: RBS, HSBC, VT Group
25th Feb 2010 05:57
The Government has cleared Royal Bank of Scotland to pay its 17,200 investment bankers £1.3bn in bonuses despite losses for the year reaching £5bn across the group. The performance awards equate to £75,000 each and will lift total average earnings to £150,000. In discussions with UK Financial Inve
Read moreLondon close: Carnival provides lift
24th Feb 2010 16:55
Footsie closed slightly higher, with Carnival giving London's blue chips a lift after announcing that it is going to increase the price of its cruises. Carnival was leading the FTSE 100 higher after the cruise operator said it will be lifting ticket prices following strong reservations activity for
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