London afternoon: US data hits London
14th Jan 2010 14:28
Disappointing US retail sales for December had repercussions this side of the pond, prompting the morning's gains to be pared. US retail sales fell by 0.3% month-on-month in December, against expectations of a slight rise. Miners remain wanted with Xstrata, Rio Tinto, Kazakhmys and Antofagasta am
Read moreLondon midday: Miners lift Footsie
14th Jan 2010 12:08
Footsie is in the blue as strength in the mining sector offsets weakness among retailers following a stream of updates from the sector. Xstrata, BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto, Kazakhmys, Eurasian Natural Resources and Antofagasta are all among the best performers. Rio Tintohailed another very strong qu
Read moreLondon open: Miners leading the way
14th Jan 2010 08:25
Miners are leading London's top stocks higher in early dealings on a busy day on the company news front. Xstrata, Vedanta Resources, BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto, Kazakhmys, Eurasian Natural Resources and Antofagasta are all among the best performers. Rio Tinto hailed another very strong quarter for ir
Read moreLondon pre-open: Strong performance in store
14th Jan 2010 07:50
It's been a hectic start to the day with mostly favourable trading updates from the big hitters. Share prices look set to follow Wall Street's lead and open higher, with the FTSE 100 index expected to open up 47 points higher at 5,520. Mining giant Rio Tinto hailed 'another very strong quarter for
Read moreRio Tinto sees recovery, cautious on 2010
14th Jan 2010 07:02
Mining giant Rio Tinto hailed ‘another very strong quarter for iron ore production, driven by continuing high demand from China’ as it published its fourth quarter operations review. The company’s global iron ore production was 49% higher in the fourth quarter of 2009 than in the final quarter of 2
Read moreLondon close: Footsie finishes below 5,500
12th Jan 2010 17:17
Equities staged a rally in the afternoon session but it was not enough to push the Footsie back into the black, largely because of weak miners, which took fright at moves by the Chinese central bank to cool down the economy by increasing the reserves ratio for Chinese commercial banks. Fresnillo, L
Read moreLondon afternoon: Chinese banking move sparks selling
12th Jan 2010 14:47
News that China has raised the reserve requirements for its banks in an attempt to choke growth in the economy has spooked global markets, including London. The prospect of China slowing down economic expansion does not sit well with miners such as Fresnillo, Lonmin, Kazakhmys, Vedanta and Xstrata,
Read moreLondon midday: Retreat picks up pace
12th Jan 2010 12:11
The market's retreat is picking up pace, as the losses suffered by miners lengthen in the wake of disappointing results from Alcoa, the US aluminium producer. Alcoa, which kicked off the fourth quarter earnings reporting season in the US, declared a slightly worse than expected loss from continuing
Read moreLondon close: Footsie gives up gains
11th Jan 2010 16:41
The leading share index gave up early gains to finish only slightly higher as euphoria over strong trade figures from China in December gave way to renewed fears over recovery prospects. China's December imports jumped by 55.9% from the same month the previous year, while exports were 17.7% higher
Read moreLondon afternoon: Stocks back on the climb
11th Jan 2010 14:16
Leading shares, which had been surrendering early gains at the end of the morning, picked up again over the lunch time session, helped by expectations of a firm start by Wall Street. In the absence of much in the way of corporate events to attract attention, traders have been focused on broker note
Read moreRio Tinto bribery case in hands of Chinese prosecutors
11th Jan 2010 12:43
Four Rio Tinto staff being held in China on charges of industrial espionage could face prison sentences after their case was handed over to prosecutors today. Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade say they've been told by the Chinese authorities that the investigation phase is over an
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie loses some sparkle
11th Jan 2010 11:38
Footsie has lost some sheen as miners and property groups have given back some of their early gains. Brokers have been busy with a Citigroup review of the oil sector boosting Cairn Energy. The broker says that fast-tracking the multiwell exploration drilling programme in Greenland has made the grou
Read moreLondon open: Another bright start
11th Jan 2010 08:49
London's top stocks have opened strongly with good gains for resource stocks sending the index sharply higher. Cairn Energy leads the oil sector, while demand is strong for Rio Tinto, Kazakhmys and Fresnillo among the miners. Silver miner Fresnillo has also dropped out of the race for Canadian mini
Read moreBroker tips: Ryanair, miners, Halfords, Man
8th Jan 2010 13:10
Commerzbank has reiterated its hold stance of no-frills airline Ryanair with a target price of €3.50 after an update on the group's long-term strategy. The German broker says that following the cancellation of the large Boeing order at the end of last year Ryanair will concentrate on optimising yie
Read moreBroker snap: UK miners still have the edge
8th Jan 2010 09:19
With an insatiable appetite for commodities that has scarcely been dulled by the global economic crisis, it is unsurprising that China should seek to have a hand in their production. However, while the east Asian economic powerhouse is stepping up its investment in mining projects, UK miners are st
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