London close: Footsie finishes just down
4th Aug 2009 16:33
London staged a late rally but still finished just in the red as financials weighed and the US started in tepid fashion. Asia-focused bank Standard Chartered was the biggest faller of the day after saying it is to raise £1bn through a placing. It posted solid first half figures with profits up by 1
Read moreReed Elsevier's new chairman takes a stake
31st Jul 2009 16:06
Reed Elsevier's new chairman Anthony Habgood has signalled his commitment to the specialist publisher with the purchase of £218,000 in shares. He paid 436p a time for 50,000, his first stake in the firm, whose stable of publications includes Farmers' Weekly and New Scientist. His purchase comes af
Read moreBroker tips: Reed Elsevier, Liberty, Man Group
31st Jul 2009 11:59
Shares in publishing group Reed Elsevier recovered a little on Friday morning after the battering they took on Thursday following the company's disappointing results. Broker Nomura identified two aspects of the results which unsettled investors: the £824m dilutive share placing, and the 7% decline
Read moreBroker snap: Reed's discounted valuatiion is justified
31st Jul 2009 11:55
Shares in publishing group Reed Elsevier recovered a little on Friday morning after the battering they took on Thursday following the company's disappointing results. Broker Nomura identified two aspects of the results which unsettled investors: the £824m dilutive share placing, and the 7% decline
Read moreFriday newspaper round-up: Bank regulation, US bonuses, Reed Elsevier
31st Jul 2009 06:17
An influential committee of MPs will today launch a stinging attack on planned reforms to Britain's system of financial regulation. The Treasury Select Committee will describe the Government's proposed changes to the "tripartite" system that brings together the Treasury, Bank of England and Financi
Read moreLondon close: Blue chips surge continues
30th Jul 2009 16:42
Corporate newsflow and resurgent miners sent Footsie to within a whisker of its highest close this year. Investors piled into blue chips after a string of household names reported earnings this morning. Triple-digit gains for the Dow added to the upward momentum in the afternoon. Telecoms giant
Read moreLondon afternoon: Miners push Footsie higher
30th Jul 2009 14:48
Corporate news-flow and resurgent miners are driving Footsie higher today, with the benchmark index adding to its gains over the lunch-time session. Telecoms giant BT racked up a double-digit percentage gain in the morning after quarterly figures that were not as bad as feared. EBITDA (earnings b
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: BT surges on results
30th Jul 2009 14:46
Telecoms giant BT leads the FTSE 100 higher after investors shrugged off a 45% drop in first quarter profits and a jump in its pension deficit of £3bn. Investors were also buoyed by the adjusted EBITDA falling only 3% to £1.37bn, which was ahead of analyst's expectations. But pre-tax profits slid
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie tops 4600
30th Jul 2009 11:54
Footsie has broken through the 4,600 barrier, helped by well received results from index heavyweight BT and strong demand for miners. Telecoms giant BT racked up a double-digit percentage gain in the morning after quarterly figures that were not as bad as feared. EBITDA (earnings before interest, t
Read moreLondon open: Positive start to busy day
30th Jul 2009 08:16
Investors have a batch of results to consider this morning, with BT currently leading London's blue chips higher after publishing quarterly figures. Telecoms giant BT saw adjusted EBITDA fall 3% in the first quarter, held back by BT Global Services. It saw adjusted EBITDA come in at £1.3bn against
Read moreLondon pre-open: Company updates to lift Footsie
30th Jul 2009 07:51
A strong start is expected from FTSE 100 as the results stream continues. Royal Dutch Shell said its second quarter results were affected by the weak global economy as net profit slumped 70%. Second quarter earnings, on a current cost of supplies (CCS) basis, came in at $2.3bn, which was in line wi
Read moreReed Elsevier raises £824m through placing
30th Jul 2009 07:18
Shares in specialist publisher Reed Elsevier fell sharply after it announced plans to raise about £800m through the issue on new shares equal to 10% of its capital through a placing to pay off debts after an acquisition. The group raised £824m gross through the issue of 9.9% of the issued ordinary
Read moreThursday preview: Shell, BAE, Rolls-Royce, BSkyB, Reed
29th Jul 2009 16:50
With BP and BG Group already having given second quarter updates this week Thursday sees Royal Dutch Shell step up to the plate. The oil giant is expected to declare net income on a current cost of supply (CCS) basis of $2.4bn. The company is expected to maintain its quarterly dividend of 42 cents
Read moreWeek Ahead: BSkyB, Reed Elsevier, Cadbury
24th Jul 2009 12:08
Pay TV and internet service provider BSkyB reports full-year results to 30 June 2009 on Thursday of next week. The Sky TV service has proved remarkably resilient in the recession though the accelerating rate of unemployment might soon start to have an effect. Churn - the percentage of subscribers
Read moreLondon close: Stocks tread water
3rd Jul 2009 17:12
A late swoon saw Footsie relinquish virtually all of its gains, with losses on resource stocks counter-balancing gains made by banks. Barclays, Royal Bank of Scotland, HSBC and Lloyds Banking were the pick of the banking sector, despite chancellor Alistair Darling firing a warning about the re-eme
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