London pre-open: Frosty start for blue chips
26th Nov 2010 07:26
Yesterday's gains could be all but wiped out in early deals following losses in Asia and a lack of direction from Wall Street where traders sat out Thursday's session for Thanksgiving. The FTSE 100 could lose almost 30 points in early deals, according to futures prices. Demand for some metals will
Read moreRio Tinto outlines spending plans
26th Nov 2010 07:01
Demand for some metals will double over the next 15-20 years and Rio Tinto, already "very well positioned" to take advantage, is spending billions on expansion just to make sure. The company, which recently scrapped a proposed iron ore joint venture with BHP Billiton, said in a statement ahead of t
Read moreLondon close: Late recovery not quite enough
19th Nov 2010 16:57
Shares recovered heading into the weekend but not enough to haul the leading share index into the blue. Outsourcing giant Capita, which yesterday said revenue growth in the second half of 2010 had been subdued due to government cuts in public spending, suffered more falls today. Miners continue to
Read moreLondon afternoon: Stocks still struggling
19th Nov 2010 15:31
A poor start on Wall Street has done nothing to help a recovery in London where the leading index is stuck near 5,700. Outsourcing giant Capita, which yesterday said revenue growth in the second half of 2010 had been subdued due to government cuts in public spending, is suffering more falls today.
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie stuck in the red as miners weigh
19th Nov 2010 12:11
Footsie remains firmly in the red amid losses in the mining sector. Outsourcing giant Capita, which yesterday said revenue growth in the second half of 2010 had been subdued due to government cuts in public spending, is suffering more falls today. Miners Rio Tinto, BHP Billiton, Kazakhmys and Angl
Read moreLondon open: Struggle in early trade
19th Nov 2010 08:31
An early retreat follows losses for the mining heavyweights, though it's Capita that leads the fallers Friday. Outsourcing giant Capita yesterday said revenue growth in the second half of 2010 had been subdued due to government cuts in public spending. Rio Tinto, BHP Billiton, Kazakhmys and Anglo
Read moreBHP ups spending at Pilbara
17th Nov 2010 07:31
BHP Billiton is to increase its spending on its iron ore mine operation at Pilbara, Western Australia by $635m. The investment comes a month after BHP and Rio Tinto abandoned plans to merge their Pilbara operations in the face of regulatory, customer and shareholder objections. Rio Tinto has alrea
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Miners fall back
16th Nov 2010 14:02
Miners and financials are falling because of concerns about the European economy. Antofagasta, Kazakhymys, Fresnillo, Rio Tinto and Xstrata are the big fallers in the mining sector as metals prices decline. Hedge fund manager Man Group is the worst performing financial. Packaging group Rexam
Read moreLondon close: Footsie little changed
11th Nov 2010 16:44
Footsie closed little changed, which wasn't a bad result given a triple-digit loss for the Dow when it opened. Ireland was the story breaking as the trading day closed. Yields on benchmark Irish bonds rose to over 9% on reports that the EU might have step in and bail the country out. José Manuel
Read moreLondon afternoon: Financials drag index lower
11th Nov 2010 14:24
An early three-digit loss on Wall Street has the Footsie near its worst levels of the day, with financials the biggest fallers. Insurers Aviva, L&G and Standard Life are deep in the red, as are and RBS and Barclays on fears about Irish debt. Metal heavyweights are limiting the deficit though. Most
Read moreLondon midday: Mining advance fails to lift Footsie
11th Nov 2010 12:14
Big gains from mining companies have failed to haul Footsie into positive territory. The metals groups have marched higher from the off. Antofagasta, Kazakhmys, Xstrata, Fresnillo and Rio Tinto are in demand, as is oil major BP. Iron specialist Ferrexpo is the best performer. Cash is pouring in, o
Read moreLondon open: Small improvement for Footsie
11th Nov 2010 08:16
Blue chips started pretty much as expected, posting reasonable gains in response to yesterday's steady recovery on Wall Street, with commodity plays leading the pack. The Dow Jones was trading deep in the red when London shut up shop Wednesday, but shed nerves ahead of today's G20 meeting in Seoul
Read moreLondon close: US breathes life back into Footsie
1st Nov 2010 16:42
A good early performance from Wall Street helped Footsie snap out of a weak spell to close in positive territory. US shares were boosted by a bigger than expected rise in factory output in October. The Institute for Supply Management's manufacturing index rose to 56.9 last month. Analysts thought
Read moreLondon afternoon: Banks and miners lead advance
1st Nov 2010 15:14
Footsie pulled out of its late morning slump over the lunch time session to move firmly back into positive territory, though investors are still reluctant to commit too heavily ahead of tomorrow's mid-term US elections, and the quantitative easing decisions expected this week from the Bank of Englan
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie subdued after buoyant start
1st Nov 2010 12:02
Footsie has failed to rediscover its early-morning buoyancy and sits in the blue by a few points. Among the laggards is Serco. The company, which carries out work for the government such as operating prisons and London's Docklands Light Railway, has taken a knock after it was forced to make a grove
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