London open: Footsie bounds ahead
1st Dec 2009 08:44
London's top stocks have opened strongly as concern over the situation in Dubai eases a little. Miners and banks are leading the rally following a strong performance by both groups on on Wall Street overnight. Royal Bank of Scotland is among the best performers this morning. It has been affected b
Read moreRio Tinto's cable sale falls through
1st Dec 2009 07:44
Heavily indebted Rio Tinto said the sale of Alcan Composites to Schweiter Technologies, first announced on 22 September, has completed. The $349m price tag brings to $8.3bn the amount Rio Tinto has raised in asset sales since February 2008, while it is also set to receive $2.025bn for the Alcan Pac
Read moreLondon afternoon: Trading resumes .. so does the decline
26th Nov 2009 14:18
Trading resumed on the London Stock Exchange at 2:00pm after the exchange's technical glitch, but prices are not looking any healthier than they were before the trading interruption. Banks are under the cosh on concerns over Dubai's debt situation. The government owned Dubai World, which has debts
Read moreLondon midday: Trading suspended on LSE
26th Nov 2009 12:07
Banks shares are leading the market lower today as investors fret about the debt situation in Dubai. The government owned Dubai World, which has debts of $59bn, has asked creditors if it can delay debt repayments due next month until May of next year. HSBC, Royal Bank of Scotland, Barclays, Lloyds
Read moreRio Tinto in tie-up Iron Ore Holdings
24th Nov 2009 07:26
Mining giant Rio Tinto has entered into an agreement with a smaller peer in Australia's Pilbara region to buy iron ore from the company and to examine one of its deposits with a view to possibly buying it. Under the agreement, Rio will have 1.5m tonnes of iron ore a year delivered by Iron Ore Holdi
Read moreLondon close: Footsie 100 points higher
23rd Nov 2009 16:37
Footsie closed more than 100 points higher on Monday thanks to a record price for gold, an early rally on Wall Street and strength across the financial sector. Gold has hit new highs, and that has led to sharp mark-ups in the price of gold miner Randgold and silver and gold miner Fresnillo. Elsewhe
Read moreLondon afternoon: Rally into three figures
23rd Nov 2009 14:49
A record price for gold, an early rally on Wall Street and strength across the financial sector has sent London to its best levels of the day. Gold has hit new highs, and that has led to sharp mark-ups in the price of gold miner Randgold and silver and gold miner Fresnillo. Elsewhere in the sector
Read moreLondon midday: Cadbury hits new high
23rd Nov 2009 12:06
London shares are racing ahead as the dollar's recent strength wanes, prompting renewed interest in mining shares. Gold has hit new highs, and that has led to sharp mark-ups in the price of gold miner Randgold and silver and gold miner Fresnillo. Elsewhere in the sector ENRC, Lonmin, Xstrata, Rio
Read moreLondon open: Miners propel Footsie higher
23rd Nov 2009 08:51
Miners are driving Footsie higher again, with all of the top ten gainers metals groups. Xstrata, Rio Tinto and Randgold are the top risers, but the gains are sector-wide and strong. There's also good news at Lloyds Banking Group where the bank has the part-nationalised lender enjoyed "strong dema
Read moreLondon afternoon: Equities drift lower
20th Nov 2009 22:49
Around two thirds of the Footsie's constituents are in the red today as the blue-chip index looks set to finish the week lower than it started it. US bank Morgan Stanley has rained on the parade of package tour operators Thomas Cook and TUI Travel. The bank has cut its rating on both stocks, prompt
Read moreLondon close: Volatile Footsie closes lower
20th Nov 2009 16:34
Footsie ended slightly in the red after a topsy-turvy day which saw UK shares at the mercy of the US dollar. Shares in miner Antofagasta resumed their position near the top of the leaderboard after a brief dip into negative territory that came as commodity prices slipped in line with strength in th
Read moreLondon midday: Holiday firms in the shade
20th Nov 2009 12:11
Leading shares lack direction, with Footsie's early advance turning into a retreat, as early gains on mining stocks are pared. The outlook for package tour operators Thomas Cook and TUI Travel is as miserable as London's weather, according to US bank Morgan Stanley, which has cut its rating on both
Read moreLondon close: Footsie ends weakly
19th Nov 2009 16:46
Footsie turned sharply lower at the close after a very poor start on Wall Street with the Dow down by more than 150 points in the first few hours. Miners bore the brunt of the selling with Antofagasta, Anglo American, Xstrata, Randgold Resources, Rio Tinto and Vedanta all lower. Platinum refiner J
Read moreLondon afternoon: Footsie stuck in the red
19th Nov 2009 14:06
Footsie is bumbling along close to its low for the day ahead of what is expected to be a weak start on Wall Street. Futures point to falls of anything between 50-70 points for the Dow when US trading starts, with weak metal prices likely to be a key theme. Here, lower metals have already hit the
Read moreLondon noon: Miners drag Footsie down
19th Nov 2009 12:00
Barely a fifth of the FTSE 100 constituents are in positive territory, but the fall on the blue-chip index is still modest, given the weakness of miners. With metals prices softening, the likes of Antofagasta, Anglo American, Xstrata, Randgold Resources, Rio Tinto and Vedanta are on the slide, as i
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