FTSE 100 movers: United Utilities rises on divi payment
23rd May 2013 15:26
United Utilities was one of a small handful of risers having upped its dividend on the back of what it described as a 'good' set of results, supported by a strong operational performance, which fed through to the quality of service received by its customers. Tate & Lyle climbed after Deutsche Bank
Read moreLondon open: Fed concerns, poor Chinese data spark sell-off
23rd May 2013 08:31
Worries about the Federal Reserve 'tapering' quantitative easing (QE) prematurely spooked markets on Thursday morning, along with a disappointing reading of manufacturing activity in China. The FTSE 100 had surged to a fresh 13-year high high of 6,840 the day before, its second-highest close in his
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Aviva leads the way higher on turnaround strategy
16th May 2013 14:39
Insurance group Aviva, was leading the risers after it said it is delivering on its turnaround strategy. The company's pro-forma value of new business, a key measure of its growth, was up 18% in the first quarter at £191m from £162m the year before, driven by improved profitability in UK life insu
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: easyJet rises after narrowing losses
15th May 2013 14:49
easyJet narrowed its half-year losses as the low-cost airline took initiatives to boost revenues and cut costs. Loss before tax for the six months to March 31st 2013 came to £61m, a 45.5% drop from the prior year's loss of £112m. The LSE also made strong gains after posting a seven per cent rise
Read moreLondon midday: FTSE 100 snaps eight-day winning streak as miners fall
14th May 2013 11:50
Strong gains in the utilities sector after a takeover approach for Severn Trent and some well-received results from Babcock International weren't enough to lift markets into positive territory by Tuesday lunchtime, as the FTSE 100 snapped an eight-day winning streak. "The broader market malaise is
Read moreTuesday broker round-up UPDATE
14th May 2013 08:04
Babcock International: Jefferies increases target price from 1080p to 1250p and maintains a buy recommendation. Barratt Developments: Bank of America takes target price from 265p to 325p, while downgrading to neutral. Belgravium Technologies: WH Ireland places both its target price and its neutral
Read moreLondon close: Stocks end week on a high
10th May 2013 16:42
Market Movers techMARK 2,488.54 +1.63% FTSE 100 6,624.98 +0.49% FTSE 250 14,315.66 +0.24% UK shares climbed made decent gains on Friday, finishing the week 104 points higher. The rise was driven in part by an increase in risk appetite, which seemed to take its cue from the sharp move lower in the
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks firmer as policy makers move to buttress growth
7th May 2013 11:49
Investor sentiment seems to have firmed a little in the first half of the session. That comes after a cautious start higher after the long weekend and as traders continued to debate about how much further the current push higher in equity markets has to go. Be that as it may, the latest data from t
Read moreLondon open: Buying interest on the rise in commodity space
7th May 2013 08:40
Investors in London have come back from the long weekend with a slightly cautious attitude, as traders continue to debate whether the current push higher in equity markets will be sustained or not. In that regard, Gary Parkison, from The Times, warns today on the recent sharp rise seen in the numbe
Read moreLondon close: US jobs data sends FTSE 100 to seven-week high
3rd May 2013 16:31
The FTSE 100 jumped one per cent higher to a seven-week high on Friday afternoon with stock markets rejoicing as the US jobs report smashed forecasts in April and previous months' data was revised higher. London's benchmark index closed up 61 points (+0.94%) to close at 6,521, a level not seen sinc
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: ENRC leads miners higher
3rd May 2013 15:05
Mining stocks were making decent gains as metals prices improved. ENRC was the standout performer on the back of reports Suleiman Kerimov, the Russian billionaire, has increased his stake in the miner. Also on the rise was newly merged commodities trader and mining giant Glencore Xstrata on its fi
Read moreLondon midday: Miners buoy Footsie ahead of US jobs data
3rd May 2013 11:43
Strength in the mining sector kept the FTSE 100 in positive territory on Friday morning, though the index was rangebound ahead of the all-important US jobs report due out this afternoon. A surprise drop in American jobless claims yesterday pushed the S&P 500 to a new all-time high last night as mar
Read moreLondon open: Markets up ahead of US jobs report, but RBS falls
3rd May 2013 08:38
London's FTSE 100 index opened broadly flat on Friday morning as a sharp fall from Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) offset a strong performance in the mining sector. Investors were still digesting what has been a busy week for financial markets with monetary policy decisions from the Federal Reserve (F
Read moreLondon midday: Markets subdued as eyes turn to ECB
2nd May 2013 11:18
Markets were trading within a narrow range on Thursday as traders refrained from taking risk ahead of a potential rate cut from the European Central Bank (ECB) this afternoon. The consensus forecast is for a 25 basis-point cut in the ECB's key lending rate (the 'refi' rate) from 0.75% to 0.5%, give
Read moreLondon open: Markets cautious ahead of ECB decision
2nd May 2013 08:57
The FTSE 100 was in the red in early trading on Thursday as nerves set in ahead of the all-important European Central Bank (ECB) policy decision later on. "The day of reckoning has arrived, with the market largely priced for a 25 basis-point (bp) cut in the ECB's main refinancing rate to 0.50%. The
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