London close: Miners lead Footsie slide
4th May 2010 16:37
Footsie ended the day deep in the red after a poor start on Wall Street added to already heavy losses in London. The mining sector bore the brunt of the selling. BHP Billiton and Xstrata were initially among the worst fallers after they reacted angrily to the Australian government's plans to introd
Read moreLondon afternoon: Inmarsat bid spec a bright spot
4th May 2010 14:07
Footsie carried on falling over the lunch time session with sentiment taking a further knock from expectations of a lower start on Wall Street. BP is down heavily as the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico shows no sign of abating. It has denied responsibility for the rig explosion that caused the prob
Read moreSector movers: Resource stocks under pressure
4th May 2010 11:41
Miners BHP Billiton and Xstrata have reacted angrily to the Australian government's plans to introduce a new resource rent tax and say the levy may jeopardise future investments. PM Kevin Rudd wants to slap a 40% tax on resource projects from July 2012, which could raise about A$12bn ($11bn) in the
Read moreLondon open: BP drags market lower
4th May 2010 08:47
London has fallen in early dealings with resources stocks under pressure from the Gulf of Mexico disaster and a new Australian tax. BP is down heavily following falls on Wall Street yesterday. It has denied responsibility for the rig explosion that caused the problems, but expects to meet the clean
Read moreLondon close: Weak finish for FTSE 100
30th Apr 2010 16:42
A poor start in the US added to Footsie's woes, sending the leading share index deep into the red by the trade of closing going into the weekend. Mining stocks were a drag on the index with BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto lower ahead of the release over the week-end of the Australian government's review
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: BP continues to slide
30th Apr 2010 15:34
Resources companies are pulling down the FTSE 100 index. Oil giant BP continues to slide on the back of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Shrimpers in Louisiana and Alabama are suing for economic loss. BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto are lower ahead of the release over the weekend of the Australian govern
Read moreLondon afternoon: Miners nervous ahead of Aussie tax review
30th Apr 2010 14:17
An attempt at a rally midway through the lunch time session had fizzled out before traders had finished digesting their midday repast, despite expectations of a firmer start on Wall Street. Mining stocks are proving a drag on the index with BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto lower ahead of the release ove
Read moreLondon close: Footsie slumps on eventful day
27th Apr 2010 16:31
Footsie was deep in the red at trading's close after credit rating downgrades for Greece and Portugal added to already substantial losses, with miners among the stocks posting heavy falls. With oil and metals prices in retreat as fears grow about potential delays in financial aid reaching Greece re
Read moreLondon afternoon: Reckitt fails to cut the mustard
27th Apr 2010 14:35
Footsie drifted lower over the lunch time session, not helped by disappointing results from household goods maker Reckitt Benckiser. Shares in Reckitt sank to the bottom of the FTSE 100 despite the French's mustard maker posting a rise in earnings and sales for the first quarter. The firm said oper
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie slides below 5700
27th Apr 2010 12:04
Footsie has given up all of yesterday's gains and more and has dipped below the 5700 level. Barely a dozen of the blue-chip index's constituents are in the blue, with miners featuring prominently among the laggards. Vedanta, Rio Tinto, Kazakhmys and Xstrata are the worst performers in the mining s
Read moreSector movers: Housebuilders move ahead
22nd Apr 2010 12:35
Investors have given housebuilder Persimmon's trading update a warm reception, helping lift the home construction sector higher. Persimmon said sales have remained consistent since it last updated the market on March 2, despite uncertainty over the state of the economy and the coming general elect
Read moreLondon midday: Miners drag Footsie down
21st Apr 2010 12:04
After a hesitant start Footsie fell steadily throughout the morning session, largely because of the weakness of mining stocks, which are reacting to softer industrial metals prices. BHP Billiton is lower after a statement this morning that it may have broken US anti-corruption laws in some of its
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Banks push Footsie up
16th Apr 2010 10:07
London's leading shares have moved into the blue thanks to good performance from the banking sector. Royal Bank of Scotland is leading after broker BofA Merrill Lynch said the bank could benefit from the economic recovery. Merrill raised its 12-month price target for the shares to 65p from 45p. Llo
Read moreFriday newspaper round-up: BT, Asda, Prudential
16th Apr 2010 06:20
Orange has opened up a new front in the fight for broadband customers after abandoning its fixed-line network and cutting a deal with BT to offer better high-speed internet. The move is Tom Alexander's first significant strategic decision as chief executive since Orange and T-Mobile merged last mont
Read moreLondon close: Footsie at 22-month high
15th Apr 2010 17:12
The afternoon saw many leading shares consolidate or extend the morning's gains, solidifying the Footsie's position above 5800. Banks led the advance after better than expected results from US investment bank JP Morgan yesterday. Barclays received a boost from Execution Noble, which raised its targ
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