London afternoon: Blue chips boosted by bid chatter
1st Feb 2010 14:19
US futures point to a good start on Wall Street, with the Dow tipped to add over 60 points in early trading. It's helped London's blue chips move ahead further with water companies the stand-out sector. Northumbrian Water has spurted higher on reports a Canadian pension fund is poised to bid. Secto
Read moreAsset sale hopes boost RBS
1st Feb 2010 13:34
Shares in RBS jumped on Monday amid hopes that asset sales will help the bank exit government ownership. Reports over the weekend said US investment bank JP Morgan is not going to buy all of RBS's joint venture RBS Sempra Commodities, with the business likely to be divided into different units. Ho
Read moreLondon midday: Water companies float higher
1st Feb 2010 11:57
The FTSE 100 ended a quiet morning session marginally in positive territory, helped by some speculative attention focused on utility companies. Northumbrian Water has spurted higher on reports a Canadian pension fund is poised to bid. Sector peers United Utilities, Pennon Water and Severn Trent ris
Read moreMonday newspaper round-up: Royal Bank of Scotland, British Airways, House prices
1st Feb 2010 06:38
Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has been forced back to the negotiating table in the $2bn (£1.3bn) sale of RBS Sempra, its commodities trading unit, after its preferred buyer balked at President Obama's clampdown on proprietary trading. JP Morgan, which was named two weeks ago as the exclusive bidder
Read moreLondon midday: RBS unit sued for $8bn
29th Jan 2010 12:10
After a mid-morning dip blue-chips are on the rise again, though it is not the sort of advance that is likely to change investors' view that January was a month to forget. For once, the miners are not moving in lock step with each other. Sector giants Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton are firmer, while go
Read moreEx-BHP boss joins BP board
29th Jan 2010 07:08
BP has appointed the former chief executive of mining giant BHP Billiton to the oil company's board as a non-executive director. Paul Anderson, who'll take up his role on 1 February, replaces Sir Tom McKillop, the former chairman of RBS who was forced to step down as a non-executive director of BP
Read moreLondon close: US slide drags down Footsie
28th Jan 2010 16:45
London slumped near the close mirroring heavy falls in the US where technology stocks ran into heavy selling seemingly on disappointment with Apple's new iPad. AstraZeneca led the fallers after the Anglo-Swedish pharmaceuticals firm saw fourth quarter earnings rise 10% but warned that its predicted
Read moreLondon afternoon: Banks lead rally
28th Jan 2010 14:31
Blue chips put on a spurt over the lunch time session despite drugs giant Astra issuing disappointing fourth quarter figures. The Anglo-Swedish pharmaceuticals firm saw fourth quarter earnings rise 10% but warned that its predicted 2010 revenues would be hit by the loss of exclusive rights to sell
Read moreSector movers: Drug sector off colour
28th Jan 2010 13:48
The pharmaceuticals sector fell back after AstraZeneca posted a 10% rise in fourth quarter earnings, but predicted 2010 revenues would be hit by the loss of exclusive rights to sell certain drugs. The company is also planning to cut 8,000 jobs from its global workforce of 63,000. While Astra falls
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie flat after mixed earnings news
28th Jan 2010 12:13
Blue chips are struggling to make headway in the face of mixed company news today. Pay TV and Internet service provider British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB) is one of the best performers after it said it had a strong second quarter with revenues coming in marginally ahead of expectations. Turnover in
Read moreLondon close: Footsie weakness continues
27th Jan 2010 17:00
Shares continued their weak run of recent days, with the FTSE 100 ending the day deep in the red. Mining stocks fell on enduring concerns that the Chinese authorities will introduce further measures aimed at cooling down the country's overheating economy. Xstrata, Fresnillo and Anglo American are t
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Latin American hopes for SABMiller
27th Jan 2010 14:30
Shares remain lower and a rally in the FTSE 100 petered out at around lunch time. The index continues to drift downwards in the afternoon. Brokers UBS and Credit Suisse are both positive about brewer SABMiller. UBS highlights the long-term opportunities in the Latin American markets. UBS believes
Read moreLondon afternoon: Stocks stuck in reverse
27th Jan 2010 13:38
London's attempts at a rally fizzled out over the lunch time session though the Footsie is trying once more at the mid-afternoon point to climb the mountain. Mining stocks continue to impede the blue-chip index's progress, however, on enduring concerns that the Chinese authorities will introduce f
Read moreLondon midday: Miners pull blue chips lower
27th Jan 2010 12:02
Footsie is trying to rally after an early sell-off on fears that China is planning fiscal measures to cool growth. Mining stocks once again feature prominently among the laggards, with Xstrata, Fresnillo and Anglo American the worst hit. Mining giant Vedanta Resources is also lower despite seeing
Read moreLondon open: Ugly start in London
27th Jan 2010 08:52
It's an ugly start In London with only Johnson Matthey and Amec in the blue, while financials, miners and oils are under heavy selling pressure. Far East markets continued to fall Wednesday on continuing fears that China is planning fiscal measures to cool growth, adding to the unease this morning.
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