Cameron does the business in China
9th Nov 2010 14:22
David Cameron wants to double business between the UK and China within five years, and this week's "fruitful" trade mission to Beijing is a good start. The prime minister joined chancellor George Osborne, business secretary Vince Cable and 43 business leaders in China today. He hopes the visit wil
Read moreTuesday newspaper round-up: BP, Gartmore, Rolls-Royce...
9th Nov 2010 06:21
A US presidential commission investigating the Gulf of Mexico oil spill disaster has found no evidence to support charges that BP and its rig partners put profits ahead of safety. Chief counsel Fred Bartlit, who was involved in the investigation of the Piper Alpha disaster in the North Sea in whic
Read moreLondon close: FTSE 100 slips back
8th Nov 2010 16:43
Shares were on balance slightly lower as trading closed, with investors continuing to pause for breath following the strong gains seen last week on the back of the renewal of quantitative easing in the US. Rolls-Royce was a late riser after the aero-engineer said it was making progress n its invest
Read moreSector movers: Aerospace takes off after Rolls Royce rally
8th Nov 2010 15:24
The aerospace and defence sector took off late in the afternoon, powered by Rolls-Royce. The aero-engineer said it is making progress in its investigations into an engine failure that resulted in a forced landing of one of Qantas's planes last week and has forced the Australian airline to keep its
Read moreLondon afternoon: Investors cautious ahead of G20 meeting
8th Nov 2010 13:47
The Footsie drifted lower over the lunchtime session, hitting a new low for the day, as the afterglow of the Fed's quantitative easing boost begins to fade. There was also an element of caution ahead of this week's Group of 20 meeting in South Korea. It's been an unusually busy Monday for company r
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie drifts lower
8th Nov 2010 12:28
Leading shares are mixed but still trending lower, with cautious investors banking a few profits after the UK market rose more than 3% last week. US futures point to a dull start on Wall Street, which is not helping shift the lacklustre mood. The Dow is tipped to start about 15 points below last we
Read moreRolls-Royce makes progress on engine failure
8th Nov 2010 10:07
Rolls Royce said it is making progress in its investigations into an engine failure that resulted in a forced landing of one of Qantas's planes last week and has forced the Australian airline to keep its fleet grounded. Rolls said that the problem was specific to the Trent 900 engine. 'A series o
Read moreLondon open: Unspectacular start for blue chips
8th Nov 2010 08:40
After the tumultuous events of last week London has paused for breath, with Footsie making only slight gains early on. The G20 summit will make headlines later in the week, but for now investors are bracing themselves for a deluge of blue chip announcements over the next few days. Warming up for t
Read moreSunday newspaper round-up: Rolls-Royce, BP, AIM...
7th Nov 2010 10:12
Rolls-Royce, the embattled aero-engine maker, is under further pressure this weekend after one of its rivals accused it of infringing a patent. America's Pratt & Whitney filed lawsuits in Connecticut and London's High Court late on Friday claiming Rolls unlawfully copied the design of a fan blade i
Read moreLondon close: Footsie boosted by US jobs
5th Nov 2010 16:52
Footsie rallied in the afternoon session on the back of better than expected US monthly jobs numbers to register its highest close since June 2008. Non-farm payrolls climbed by 151,000 in October, in spite of an 8,000 reduction in government payrolls, as private employers embarked on a recruiting s
Read moreLondon afternoon: Blue chips perk up
5th Nov 2010 15:00
Footsie has rallied as the afternoon session has progressed with miners making good gains on the back of better than expected US monthly jobs numbers. Vedanta is now the best performer, with silver miner Fresnillo, ENRC and Antofagasta all making good gains. Part-nationalised bank Royal Bank of S
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Banks head lower
5th Nov 2010 13:21
There was a negative reaction to the bank figures today. Royal Bank of Scotland fell into the red in the third quarter. It recorded a loss before tax of £1,379 million, compared with a profit of £1,157m in the second quarter and a loss of £2,077m in the third quarter of 2009. HSBC warned that the
Read moreTechMARK movers: Smith & Nephew repairs share price
5th Nov 2010 13:19
Strong sales of artificial joints wound care products have boosted the share price of Smith & Nephew. Revenues in the quarter to September 2010 rose by 4% to $941m, while pre-tax profit rose to $201m from $173m. Shares in Cable & Wireless Communications are recovering following the announcement
Read moreLondon close: Two-year high for blue chips
4th Nov 2010 17:01
Footsie hit a two-year high as investors piled into blue chips after yesterday's larger-than-expected stimulus package unveiled by the US Federal Reserve. But the good sentiment was not universal, with some hefty fallers on the back of disappointing trading updates. Hopes that the Bank of England's
Read moreRolls-Royce starts investigation into Qantas engine failure
4th Nov 2010 15:49
Rolls-Royce shares were under pressure today as it confirmed it made the engine that blew up on a Qantas flight last night, prompting the Aussie airline to ground its whole fleet of Airbus A380 super-jumbos. In a statement, the aeroengine maker said that since the flight,Qantas QF32,landed safely i
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