London open: Healthy start to Q4
1st Oct 2009 08:40
London set off higher Thursday as buyers snapped up miners and Legal & General (L&G) continued to attract speculative interest. Persistent talk that Resolution is circling L&G had the insurer higher again in early deals, while yesterday's upgrade by Deutsche Bank helped. The broker also thinks Av
Read moreSector movers: Takeover talk shakes up insurers
29th Sep 2009 14:44
Rumours that serial insurance company raider Clive Cowdery is preparing a takeover bid for Legal & General(L&G) through his investment vehicle Resolution has lifted the sector higher. L&G leads the way, with sector peer Aviva not far behind. Mining stocks are lower as metals prices slip back. Plati
Read moreSector movers: Drug groups given a boost
28th Sep 2009 12:23
Drug group AstraZeneca is going well on news that it has won another round in its long-running fight against generic competition to bipolar treatment Seroquel. A US appeal court upheld its infringement claim against Sandoz and Teva Pharmaceutical over Seroquel tablets. The other big drug company,
Read moreLondon close: Shares end up but down from highs
22nd Sep 2009 16:39
London's leading shares finished with slight gains but were well below earlier highs as miners eased back slightly. Eurasian Natural Resources, Lonmin, Xstrata and Vedanta Resources still posted healthy gains, while precious metals miners Fresnillo and Randgold Resources were also on the climb. R
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Carnival climbs on upgrade
22nd Sep 2009 14:31
Bank of America Merrill Lynch has added Carnival to its 'Europe 1' list of preferred stocks ahead of the cruise ship operator's third quarter results due out Tuesday afternoon. The cruise company has been hard hit by various issues such as the credit crunch and swine flu in the last couple of year
Read moreLondon afternoon: Shares off the top
22nd Sep 2009 14:07
Shares drifted lower over the lunchtime session but are still up on the day, helped in no small part by the strength of miners, which are rising in line with firmer metals prices. Rio Tinto is wanted after it sold off another chunk of Alcan. The heavily indebted miner sold Alcan Composites, part of
Read moreLondon midday: Rio's assets sale continues
22nd Sep 2009 12:10
Miners continue to lead the market higher as investors return to the market after yesterday's pause for breath. Rio Tinto is wanted after it sold off another chunk of Alcan. The heavily indebted miner sold Alcan Composites, part of the Alcan Engineered Products division, to Swiss firm Schweiter Tec
Read moreSector movers: Miners resume rally
22nd Sep 2009 09:29
Mining stocks are going well as metals prices resume their rally after a pause yesterday. Among the risers is the FTSE 100 giant Rio Tinto, which said today that it is to continue its selling spree by selling Alcan Composites, part of its Alcan Engineered Products division. Selling news also boo
Read moreLondon open: Bright start for Footsie
22nd Sep 2009 08:46
London's blue chips have made good progress this morning, buoyed by Wall St clawing back some of Monday's early losses in late trading in the US. It is resource stocks that lead the way again. Tullow Oil has recovered from the profit taking of the past two days, while Lonmin and Fresnillo are leadi
Read moreLondon pre-open: Buyers to return
22nd Sep 2009 07:38
Last night's brave effort on Wall Street should help London claw back some of Monday's losses, according to early indications. The FTSE 100 is predicted to rise about 20 points early on after the Dow Jones narrowed its deficit to 41 points, helped by strength among heavyweight tech issues. Over he
Read moreRio Tinto sells another part of Alcan
22nd Sep 2009 07:21
Indebted mining giant Rio Tinto is to continue its selling spree by selling Alcan Composites, part of its Alcan Engineered Products division. The business is being sold for US$349m to Swiss company Schweiter Technologies. The deal is expected to complete by the end of the year once the regulatory f
Read moreLondon close: End of road for winning run
21st Sep 2009 16:21
London's six-day rally ended Monday after banks were sold on fundraising talks and as miners retreated on weaker metal prices. Part-nationalised lender Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) was the biggest faller on reports it is mulling a share issue of between £3-4bn to reduce its dependence on the UK gov
Read moreLondon afternoon: RBS's rights plans disappoint
21st Sep 2009 14:26
Share prices are drifting lower as investors take stock following the market's recent strong run. Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) is lower on reports that it is mulling a share issue of between £3-4bn to reduce its dependence on the UK government's toxic asset protection scheme (APS). Lloyds confirmed
Read moreLondon midday: Miners in a hole
21st Sep 2009 12:24
Investors took an opportunity to bank profits in what has been a quiet session for news, with miners wearing the worst of the losses. Weaker metal prices have Fresnillo, Xstrata, Kazakhmys, Vedanta and Rio Tinto deep in the red. Even Antofagasta is lower now despite a positive note from Goldman Sac
Read moreSector movers: Brighter economic outlook lifts miners
16th Sep 2009 12:33
Mining stocks are advancing on optimism an improvement in global economic conditions will fuel demand for raw materials. Sentiment was lifted by US Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke who said the world's largest economy had 'very likely' come out of recession. ENRC, Rio Tinto, Xstrata and Lonm
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