Broker snap: Daniel Stewart upgrades RBS and Lloyds on reprivatisation hopes
16th May 2013 10:23
Daniel Stewart & Company has raised its ratings for part-nationalised lenders RBS and Lloyds to 'buy', saying that placings of the government stakes in 2014 now look like a 'strong probability'. An article in the Financial Times on Wednesday evening said that David Cameron has dropped his strongest
Read moreThursday newspaper round-up: Japanese GDP, RBS, RSA...
16th May 2013 06:47
Financial Times reports that the pace of Japanese economic growth in the first quarter was its fastest among the Group of Seven countries at 3.5 per cent. "Solid growth in consumer spending and exports suggest[s] the expansionary policies of Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister, are delivering quick and tangi
Read moreWednesday newspaper round-up: BP and Shell, RBS, M&S...
15th May 2013 06:44
BP, Shell and a number of other oil majors are under investigation by European regulators into whether they rigged the price of oil for over a decade, writes The Telegraph. Authorities raided offices of the companies yesterday after MPs and officials suggested that the oil price could be vulnerable
Read moreRBS to cut more jobs and branches, says Chairman
14th May 2013 15:10
Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) Chairman Philip Hampton on Tuesday signalled further job cuts and said it would take another 18 months to improve the bank's capital position enough to please regulators. At the 81% state-owned bank's highly anticipated annual general meeting, Hampton outlined the compa
Read moreRBS faces shareholder discontent over staff bonuses
14th May 2013 13:05
Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) is facing wrath from shareholders Tuesday over 607m pounds of employee bonuses awarded last year when it lost 5.2bn pounds. RBS will confront investors at its annual general meeting in Edinburgh following a "chastening" 2012. The bank is expected to argue it is on a s
Read moreLondon midday: FTSE 100 snaps eight-day winning streak as miners fall
14th May 2013 11:50
Strong gains in the utilities sector after a takeover approach for Severn Trent and some well-received results from Babcock International weren't enough to lift markets into positive territory by Tuesday lunchtime, as the FTSE 100 snapped an eight-day winning streak. "The broader market malaise is
Read moreLondon open: Markets flat after strong run, but Severn Trent soars
14th May 2013 08:19
Strong gains for Severn Trent and other utility providers helped offset weakness elsewhere on Tuesday morning as the FTSE 100 paused for breath following an eight-day winning streak. "European markets moved forward modestly today shunning a mixed trading session in Asian stock markets overnight as
Read moreTuesday tips round-up: Banks, Petropavlovsk, Glencore Xstrata
14th May 2013 07:10
Authorities attempts to create a challenger to the main established lending groups - RBS, Lloyds, Barclays, HSBC - are in a state of disarrray after Moody´s six notch downgrade of Co-op last week. Simply put, creating a large new lender is far more difficult and risky than many appreciate. In any ca
Read moreTuesday newspaper round-up: Severn Trent, Lloyds, Vodafone...
14th May 2013 06:52
According to The Times, Severn Trent could be the target of a bid worth up to 5.3bn pounds. The utility company is said to be in talks with Canadian infrastructure investors Borealis and the Kuwait Investment Authoirty The Independent says that the new Chairman to replace Sir Win BIschoff at Lloyds
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks snap winning streak as Chinese data disappoints
13th May 2013 11:51
Disappointing economic data from China on Monday put an end to a seven-day winning streak in London which lifted the FTSE 100 to a five-and-a-half-year high last week. London's benchmark index reached a closing price of 6,625 on Friday afternoon, a level not seen since late 2007, meaning that it ha
Read moreFriday broker round-up UPDATE
10th May 2013 07:14
Afren: Westhouse Securities initiates with a target price of 160p and a buy recommendation. Ashmore Group: Credit Suisse raises target price from 375p to 440p upgrading from underperform to neutral. Barratt Developments: Citigroup increases target price from 245p to 315p leaving its neutral rating
Read moreWednesday broker round-up UPDATE
8th May 2013 09:08
Altitude Group: WH Ireland initiates with a target price of 50p and a buy recommendation. Betfair Group: Deutsche Bank increases target price from 725p to 884p, while staying with its hold recommendation. Nomura raises target price from 766p to 883p and reiterates a neutral rating. Exane BNP ups ta
Read moreLondon open: Buying interest on the rise in commodity space
7th May 2013 08:40
Investors in London have come back from the long weekend with a slightly cautious attitude, as traders continue to debate whether the current push higher in equity markets will be sustained or not. In that regard, Gary Parkison, from The Times, warns today on the recent sharp rise seen in the numbe
Read moreTuesday broker round-up UPDATE
7th May 2013 07:18
Admiral Group: JP Morgan reduces target price from 1246p to 1108p downgrading to underweight. Afren: Deutsche Bank lowers target price from 165p to 150p, while leaving its buy recommendation unchanged. Investec ups target price from 138p to 160p and upgrades from hold to buy. Betfair Group: Numis
Read moreLondon close: US jobs data sends FTSE 100 to seven-week high
3rd May 2013 16:31
The FTSE 100 jumped one per cent higher to a seven-week high on Friday afternoon with stock markets rejoicing as the US jobs report smashed forecasts in April and previous months' data was revised higher. London's benchmark index closed up 61 points (+0.94%) to close at 6,521, a level not seen sinc
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