Tuesday broker round-up
10th Mar 2015 11:53
Pearson: Barclays reiterates equal-weight recommendation and keeps target at 1,405p. UBM: Westhouse Securities takes target to 599p from 552p but reiterates add. ARM Holdings: Citi keeps at buy with a 1,35p target price. Kaz Minerals: Jefferies shaves target to 250p from 275p and reiterates hold.
Read moreLondon close: FTSE jumps to new record high on ECB stimulus
5th Mar 2015 16:24
Details of the European Central Bank's (ECB) quantitative easing package helped the FTSE 100 to another record close on Thursday, with financial stocks making solid gains by the end of the session. The Footise finished the day 41.9 points higher (+0.61%) at 6,961.14, surpassing a previous closing re
Read moreLondon midday: Aviva and Friends Life lead stocks higher ahead of ECB
5th Mar 2015 11:37
UK stocks gains on Thursday with decent gains by insurers Aviva and Friends Life offsetting weakness in the mining sector, as investors took an optimistic approach ahead of a much-anticipated central bank decision in Europe. The European Central Bank (ECB) is widely expected to keep policy unchanged
Read moreM&A set heat up in mining sector as ex-Xstrata boss hunts deals
5th Mar 2015 10:47
M&A activity in the mining sector is set to heat up following reports on Thursday that former Xstrata boss Mick Davis is looking to take advantage of cheaper commodity prices to snap up some assets. According to a report in Wall Street Journal, Mick Davis, who was formerly the chief executive of Xst
Read moreTuesday tips round-up: Rio Tinto, Intertek
3rd Mar 2015 17:46
It's cheap and dirty - coal, that is. It has also become increasingly less profitable as the price has continued to decline. Since spring 2011 it has nearly halved. In fact, in the case of Australian mining group Rio Tinto, and at the current market price of $62 a tonne, it is no longer profitable t
Read moreLondon close: FTSE pulls back from record as miners dip into the red
2nd Mar 2015 16:37
UK stocks inched lower on Monday after hitting a new intraday record high during the session as markets were underwhelmed by a raft of positive manufacturing data and a rate cut in China. London's FTSE 100, which rose to a new all-time peak of 6,974.26 early on, finished 6.02 points lower (-0.09%) a
Read moreSector movers: Miners fall as PBOC rate cut underwhelms
2nd Mar 2015 15:37
Mining stocks declined on Monday as investors shrugged off some improving economic data from top metals user China and a rate cut by its central bank in an attempt to boost growth. The People's Bank of China (PBOC) cut its benchmark interest rate by a quarter point for the second time in three month
Read moreLondon midday: FTSE flat on mixed earnings as Germany approves Greek extension
27th Feb 2015 11:50
UK stocks touched a new intraday record on Friday before slipping into the red, as investors treaded carefully on another busy day for corporate earnings and economic data. The FTSE 100 reached a new high of 6,960.00 early on, surpassing the previous intraday record reached on Tuesday, but had erase
Read moreLondon open: Stocks flat early on ahead of German vote and economic data
27th Feb 2015 08:27
Strong gains from Lloyds, IAG and Old Mutual were not enough to lift markets on Friday as UK stocks held steady near record levels. The FTSE 100 was trading 0.07% lower at 6,945.11, after having settled at an all-time closing high of 6,949.73 on Thursday. Markets were directionless early on ahead o
Read moreLondon pre-open: Markets subdued ahead of data, German vote on Greece
27th Feb 2015 07:19
UK stocks were expected to open more or less flat on Friday after markets eked out another record close the previous session. Investors were likely to take a cautious approach ahead of a batch of economic data and a decision in German parliament on whether or not to approve Greece's bailout extensio
Read moreRio Tinto streamlines group structure to cut costs, splits up energy division
27th Feb 2015 07:02
Diversified mining group Rio Tinto has announced plans to streamline its product groups and corporate functions, dividing up its energy division as it looks to cut costs and simplify its structure. Under the new arrangements, which will come into effect immediately, the group is to condense from the
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: HSBC lower on tax scandal fines, LSE boosted by higher price target
23rd Feb 2015 14:59
HSBC was among the fallers after reporting a 17% drop in pre-tax annual profit to $18.68bn, as the lender was hit by fines for its involvement in the foreign exchange rigging scandal. Chief executive Stuart Gulliver said 2014 was a "challenging year in which we continued to work hard to improve busi
Read moreBroker tips: HSBC, Glencore, Rio Tinto, Bovis Homes, LSE
23rd Feb 2015 11:57
An uncertain outlook at HSBC is likely to keep the market cautious about the global lender, according to Hargreaves Lansdown Stockbrokers, after 2014 results on Monday came in below forecasts. Head of equities Richard Hunter said: "Given the wider sectoral issues, HSBC has had a difficult year, with
Read moreUBS upgrades Glencore to 'buy', downgrades Rio Tinto to 'neutral'
23rd Feb 2015 10:09
UBS has lifted its rating for Glencore from 'neutral' to 'buy', saying the commodities trader and mining group is well positioned for a cyclical recovery. However, sector peer Rio Tinto has been hit by a downgrade from 'buy' to 'neutral' on the back of a "challenging" price outlook and lack of near-
Read moreRio Tinto director buys shares following buyback programme
18th Feb 2015 15:34
A non-executive director in Rio Tinto splashed out to buy shares as the mining giant confirmed details about its recently unveiled plans for a $2bn share buyback. Megan Clark purchased 1,550 shares for an individual price of 3,228.6p, spending a total of £50,044 in the transaction. Clarke, who has
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