London close: Chinese data offsets IMF downgrade
20th Jan 2015 17:23
Stocks ended the session with modest gains on the heels of better-than-expected growth figures in China. The FTSE 100 gained 34.57 points to finish the day at 6,629. China's gross domestic product expanded at a 7.4% clip in 2014, markets seemed to draw comfort from the fact that the rate of expansi
Read moreBroker tips: William Hill, Rio Tinto, IG Group
20th Jan 2015 13:19
Prospects for bookie William Hill are looking up thanks to the company's proprietary, differentiated products and technology, analysts said. On 19 January the bookmaker reported full-year results where operating profits on an EBITA basis were 2% ahead of the consensus forecast at £371m despite custo
Read moreShares of Rio Tinto undervalued, Canaccord says
20th Jan 2015 13:16
Shares of Rio Tinto are undervalued given the prospects for commodity prices and the stock's current valuation, analysts at Canaccord Genuity said on the heels of the company's fourth quarter production report. The broker pointed out how the stock was trading at a multiple of enterprise value to ope
Read moreRio Tinto fourth quarter production disappoints
20th Jan 2015 07:45
Rio Tinto finished the year with weak fourth quarter results roughly in-line with expectations, with the Anglo-Australian mining giant's production of most metals down on the previous quarter. The FTSE 100 behemoth increased its iron ore output, even as prices have tumbled to a five-year low, with i
Read moreLondon close: UK stocks settle at 2015 high as market awaits ECB decision
19th Jan 2015 16:32
London's FTSE 100 eked out a gain of 0.5% on Monday in the absence of US trading, as investors took advantage of a quiet news day to push stocks to their highest levels of the year The Footsie finished 35.26 points higher at 6,585.53, its best finish since 29 December 2014 when it settled at 6,633.5
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Miners lower on funding fears, Dixons boosted by Christmas trading optimism
19th Jan 2015 14:00
Dixons Carphone topped the risers after analysts expressed optimism about the upcoming Christmas trading results on Wednesday. Estimates sit at a 5% increase in like-for-like sales, as published in Sunday papers including the Sunday Express and the Mail on Sunday. Travis Perkins was also trading
Read moreLondon midday: UK stocks trim gains as miners decline
19th Jan 2015 12:17
UK stocks had pared gains and were trading more or less flat by Monday lunchtime as investors showed caution ahead of a busy week. London's FTSE 100 was up just 0.1% at 6,558 by noon, having pulled back after reaching an intra-day high of 6,589.20 early on as mining stocks extended losses. Monday's
Read moreLondon open: Stocks rise ahead of busy week with ECB in focus
19th Jan 2015 08:38
UK stocks rose on Monday morning ahead of a busy week, as investors shrugged off a sell-off on Chinese markets overnight. London's FTSE 100 was up 0.4% at 6,577 in early deals. Stocks in Shanghai plunged 8% on Monday with shares in the financial sectors faring the worst after securities regulators
Read moreSector movers: Mining stocks rebound as copper and gold prices gain
15th Jan 2015 15:03
Resource stocks were on the rise on Thursday, rebounding strongly after a sharp sell-off the previous session, as copper prices recovered. Copper, having dropped over 5% to $5,548 a metric tonne on Wednesday, was rising 2% to $5,666 in afternoon trade after data from China showed that credit growth
Read moreLondon midday: Retailers rise, housebuilders boosted as UK inflation rate drops
13th Jan 2015 12:08
A sharp drop in the UK inflation rate and well-received updates from a number of Britain's retailers gave London stocks a boost on Tuesday. The FTSE 100 was trading up 0.6% at 6,539 just after midday with retailers and housebuilders offsetting ongoing weakness in the resources sector. Markets were
Read moreLondon midday: Weak UK production data dampens stocks ahead of US jobs report
9th Jan 2015 11:35
Disappointing UK economic data and nervousness ahead of a key labour-market report in the States sent London's FTSE 100 lower on Friday morning, as stocks pulled back after a surge the previous session. By around lunchtime, the Footsie was trading nearly 0.7% lower at 6,527 with weakness among super
Read moreLondon close: Stocks end choppy session firmly lower as data disappoints
6th Jan 2015 17:19
It was a volatile day for the UK equity market with stocks swinging between losses and gains for most of the session, with a late sell-off sending the FTSE 100 firmly in the red by the close. Service-sector activity data from across the globe largely came in below expectations with weak figures from
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Energy stocks hit by drop in crude, Lloyds boosted by upgrade
2nd Jan 2015 14:22
Sainsbury was trading lower as hedge funds forecast that the supermarket group would be damaged by the grocery industry's escalating price war. Lansdowne Partners, Odey Asset Management and Marshall Wace all blamed the growing popularity of discounters Aldi and Lidl, who would hit profitability by f
Read moreBroker tips: Mining stocks, Dixons Carphone, Xaar
17th Dec 2014 13:00
After the recent falls across the mining sector, Liberum Capital has upgraded its rating on the category from 'sell' to 'hold', though the broker still sees plenty of downside risks in 2015. Liberum has lifted its stance on Rio Tinto, Glencore and Anglo American from 'sell' to 'hold', while BHP Bill
Read moreLondon midday: UK stocks back in the red ahead of Fed meeting
17th Dec 2014 12:18
UK stocks were back in the red on Wednesday after their first gain in seven days the previous session, with investors scaling back risk appetite ahead of a number of risk events. Along with a host of economic data due out during the session, markets were keeping an eye out for minutes for the latest
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