London open: Stocks bounce even as analysts warn on emerging markets
28th Jul 2015 09:42
(ShareCast News) - The selling pressure on stocks abated as investors waited on the US Federal Reserve's policy announcement on Wednesday, but worries regarding the outlook for China, Greece and the possibility of interest rate increases were still very much on investors' minds. As of 08:47 the FTSE
Read moreRSA denies bid talks after Zurich Insurance says it's mulling takeover
28th Jul 2015 08:58
(ShareCast News) - Following an announcement earlier on Tuesday from Zurich Insurance that it was evaluating a potential offer for RSA Insurance, the London-listed company said it has not held talks with or received a proposal from Zurich. Earlier, Zurich said the announcement does not amount to a
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Easyjet soars on higher earnings outlook, insurers extend gains
22nd Jul 2015 14:40
(ShareCast News) - London markets edged lower on Wednesday after the Bank of England's rate-setting meeting had investors fretting about inflation risks. As of 15:00, the FTSE 100 was trading 1.4% lower at 6,672. Leading the fallers was ARM Holdings, which dropped after the chip maker reported seco
Read moreAdmiral, RSA, Direct Line driven north by premiums news and bargain hunters
21st Jul 2015 15:54
(ShareCast News) - Car insurers Admiral Group, RSA and Direct Line steered to the top of the blue chip leader board on Tuesday, sparked by a 5% rise in car insurance premiums in the second quarter. As well as the boost from insurance premiums announced by AA, Admiral was further lifted by bargain hu
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Royal Mail dips on underwhelming revenues, insurers and supermarkets higher
21st Jul 2015 14:04
(ShareCast News) - London markets were muted on Tuesday as investors awaited earnings reports from US tech giants and remained wary of interest rate hikes from the Bank of England and Federal Reserve. As of 15:00 BST, the FTSE 100 was trading flat at 6,784. Royal Mail dipped after delivering a mixe
Read moreRSA Insurance appoints Scott Egan as CFO
7th Jul 2015 07:21
RSA Insurance announced the appointment of Scott Egan as an executive director and group chief financial officer of the company. Egan is expected to join during the fourth quarter of this year and a date will be announced once available, the company said. Egan joined Towergate Insurance in April 20
Read moreTuesday newspaper round-up: Greece, Tesco, Ladbrokes and Gala Coral
23rd Jun 2015 07:19
The president of the European Council, Donald Tusk, has urged EU leaders to avoid an "uncontrollable, chaotic Graccident" in their continued negotiations over Greece, The Guardian reports. The Groceries Code Adjudicator has named Tesco as the worst of Britain's leading supermarket chains at complyin
Read moreJPMorgan names Esure as top non-life pick, upgrades Direct Line
28th May 2015 10:08
Non-life insurers in the UK are currently struggling with tough conditions, though things should improve as motor pricing picks up, according to JPMorgan Cazenove. JPMorgan named Esure as its top pick with an 'overweight' rating, and upgraded Direct Line from 'neutral' to 'overweight'. It said that
Read moreThursday broker round-up
28th May 2015 09:44
Direct Line: JP Morgan upgrades to overweight. Admiral: JP Morgan reiterates underweight. TUI: JP Morgan stays at overweight with 1,275p target. RSA: JP Morgan ups target to 451p from 433p, keeps at neutral. SAGA: JP Morgan raises target to 207p from 185p but remains at neutral. De La Rue: JP MOrg
Read moreRSA completes sale of its Chinese business
21st May 2015 08:24
RSA Insurance Group has completed the sale of its Chinese business to Switzerland's Re Corporate Solutions. Under terms of the deal revealed on Thursday, which was first announced on 3 July, Re Corporate will acquire China-based Sun Alliance Insurance Limited for £71m from the FTSE 100 group. RSA s
Read moreFriday tips round-up: RSA, BT Group
8th May 2015 11:51
RSA's new chief, Stephen Hester, has done all that could be expected of him to right the ship since he came on board. He strengthened the balance sheet through a rights issue and cut costs while sharpening the underwriting arm. But falling interest rates took the wind out of the sails at just the wr
Read moreLondon close: Late rally not enough as UK stocks fall on election day
7th May 2015 16:33
Stocks rallied off five-week lows on Thursday afternoon but still finished firmly in the red, as election-day jitters in the UK and volatility in the European bond markets weighed on sentiment. The FTSE 100 ended the session down 0.67% at 6,886.95 having dropped as much as 1.8% in the morning sessio
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Morrisons sinks 6% as sales decline continues
7th May 2015 15:06
Morrisons was the standout mover of the day on Thursday as investors reacted to deteriorating sales trends at the grocer in its first quarter. Like-for-like sales dropped 2.9% in its first three months of the fiscal year, compared with a lesser 2.6% fall in the fourth quarter. Results were not as ba
Read moreLondon open: Election uncertainty weighs on stocks, Morrisons sinks
7th May 2015 09:11
UK stocks dropped on Thursday as election uncertainty and a poorly-received update from blue chip supermarket chain Morrisons dampened sentiment. The FTSE 100 was down 0.8% at 6,878.01 early on, with Morrisons leading the decline as sales trends worsened in its first quarter. Stocks in the resources
Read moreRSA shares rise as net written premiums grow in first quarter
7th May 2015 08:03
Insurance group RSA impressed investors on Thursday with a positive start to the year as premium income returned to modest growth. Core group premium income, otherwise known as net written premiums (NWP), was up 1% over last year in the first quarter at £1.48bn on a constant currency basis. However
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