London close: Strong finish for FTSE 100
29th Jan 2010 16:38
Footsie gave up a recent weak spell to finish the week with good gains. Whitbread was the star performer. Following an investor day yesterday, Barclays Capital raised its price target on the Costa Coffee and Premier Inn owner to 1,700p from 1,600p. The broker thinks Whitbread will benefit from new
Read moreLondon midday: RBS unit sued for $8bn
29th Jan 2010 12:10
After a mid-morning dip blue-chips are on the rise again, though it is not the sort of advance that is likely to change investors' view that January was a month to forget. For once, the miners are not moving in lock step with each other. Sector giants Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton are firmer, while go
Read moreHousing confidence bounces back
25th Jan 2010 08:21
Confidence over the UK housing market is surging back according to the latest survey from online estate agent Rightmove. The number of respondents expecting a rise in prices this year was 53% compared to just 10% this time last year. Miles Shipside, commercial director at Rightmove, said the num
Read moreLondon close: Miners eclipse banks to send index lower
3rd Dec 2009 16:35
London closed on a low note as a good day for bank shares was offset by dips for the miners and oil groups. Banking shares marched forward despite an assertion by influential US bank Goldman Sachs that commodity prices are set to rise in 2010. Goldman Sachs also seems to be out of step in its view
Read moreRightmove hit as Google eyes UK housing market
3rd Dec 2009 12:40
Share in online estate agency Rightmove dropped by 10% on a report that US online giant Google is to move into the UK property market. The FT said this morning that Google is looking at the UK after opening a property portal in Australia last August. That portal allows estate agents to list proper
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Google property plans spook Rightmove
3rd Dec 2009 12:36
Shares in Rightmove have been hit by a report that internet search giant Google is considering entering the UK property market. The Financial Times said Google, having launched a property website in Australia in August, aims to enter the UK market next year. Investors have raised a glass to improv
Read moreLondon midday: Shares lack direction
3rd Dec 2009 12:11
Banking shares are still marching forward but gains are countered by weakness among miners, despite an assertion by influential US bank Goldman Sachs that commodity prices are set to rise in 2010. Goldman Sachs also seems to be out of step in its view of banks today, having downgraded the sector to
Read moreRightmove chairman's £1.24m gain
1st Dec 2009 15:06
Scott Forbes, chairman of residential property website operator Rightmove, has exercised options over 600,000 shares and immediately sold them all. The exercise price was 335p a share so there was a gain of 206.32p a share. That is an overall profit of £1.24m. Forbes retains 619,000 shares, or 0
Read moreShell non-exec takes first stake
9th Nov 2009 15:59
Hans Wijers, a non-executive director at the Anglo-Dutch oil giant Shell, has spent just less than £90,000 on a stake in the firm. He took 5,000 shares at €19.96 (1,789.81p), which represents his sole holding in the group. Shares in Shell have rallied strongly since earlier in the year, when they
Read moreSpouse cashes in CSR chips
5th Nov 2009 16:32
CSR chief technology officer James Collier's wife has sold 377,750 shares in the bluetooth and Global Position System chips maker at prices between 422.5p and 439.4p a share. That cuts Collier's stake to 1.02m shares, or 0.56%. On 2 March 2009, Collier exercised an option over 382,002 shares at 5.
Read moreThursday tips round-up: Logica, Rightmove, Aviva
5th Nov 2009 06:01
Most companies are looking at any way to cut costs during the downturn, which puts a company like Logica, one of the biggest UK-listed IT service providers, in a strong position. Yet, analysts fear that profit growth will not be huge next year and Evolution Securities rates the stock at 11.7 times p
Read moreRightmove on the right track
4th Nov 2009 07:59
Rightmove said August was the busiest month ever for its property web site, prompting advertisers to return to the service. The company said the last four months has seen ‘healthy growth’ in revenue and earnings, while cash generation remains strong. Usage of the web site has been running at recor
Read moreLondon afternoon: Footsie bursts through 4800
21st Aug 2009 14:15
Trading remains very thin in London but that has not stopped the Footsie from moving above the 4,800 level for the first time since October of last year. Insurance companies, with their huge investment portfolios, are naturally big beneficiaries of the continued market revival and they lead today
Read moreBroker tips: Booker, Rightmove, Stobart
21st Aug 2009 13:22
Booker hosted an investors event Thursday where it highlighted improvements in its Cash & carry offering. Singer Capital Markets, already a fan of the stock, was suitably impressed. Refits of Booker outlets are being done at a rate of around 30 a year and typically are paying back the cost of the i
Read moreBroker snap: Rightmove price target hiked
21st Aug 2009 13:20
Panmure Gordon has raised its price target on property web site Rightmove after the company's strong interim results. Panmure Gordon said Rightmove's first-half results were 'materially better than expected,' with the company now on track to achieve 2009 earnings before interest and tax not far sho
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