London open: FTSE posts early gains
13th May 2010 08:20
London's top stocks are on the rise in early dealings on Thursday, tracking triple-digit gains on Wall Street last night and a rally in Asia. Global markets appear more optimistic about Europe's ability to sort out the region's debt problems and the receding threat of a crisis spreading to the glo
Read moreLondon pre-open: Early strength predicted
13th May 2010 07:36
Triple-digit gains on Wall Street last night and a rally in Asia is just what the doctor ordered and should be enough to get the leading index back trading at levels not seen for over a week. City forecasters reckon the FTSE 100 will open about 46 points higher, near the 5,430 mark. It's not been t
Read moreSainsbury's confident after profits jump
13th May 2010 07:04
Supermarket Sainsbury's posted full-year profits ahead of expectations, sending the company's shares higher in spite of chief executive Justin King's expectations of a rise in VAT. King said he thinks a rise in VAT on non-food items is 'more likely than not' when the Con-Lib government implements
Read moreOFT fines tobacco manufacturers, retailers £225m
16th Apr 2010 07:20
The Office of Fair Trading has fined two tobacco manufacturers and ten retailers £225m in total after a seven-year investigation into price fixing. The watchdog said it found that the firms engaged in unlawful practices in relation to retail prices for tobacco products in the UK. Each manufacture
Read moreFriday newspaper round-up: BT, Asda, Prudential
16th Apr 2010 06:20
Orange has opened up a new front in the fight for broadband customers after abandoning its fixed-line network and cutting a deal with BT to offer better high-speed internet. The move is Tom Alexander's first significant strategic decision as chief executive since Orange and T-Mobile merged last mont
Read moreLondon close: Footsie finishes in the red
13th Apr 2010 16:16
Footsie finished slightly in the red but recovered from earlier lows as the benchmark index slumped in the afternoon following a poor start on Wall Street. US aluminum producer Alcoa fell after revenue came in short of expectations, which weighed on the mining sector in the UK. Kazakhmys, Fresnill
Read moreSector movers: Sales rise offsets Debenhams caution
13th Apr 2010 12:47
Retailers have come into focus and it appears that is a rise in sales across the sector in March rather than a rise in profits at Debenhams that has lifted sentiment. UK retail sales in March rose at their fastest rate in almost four years thanks to the earlier timing of Easter this year, new figur
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Kingfisher flies high
13th Apr 2010 12:44
Retail sales data has given a boost to retailers such as B&Q owner Kingfisher, clothes retailers Next and Marks & Spencer and the supermarkets Sainsbury's and Tesco. Sales in March rose at their fastest rate in almost four years thanks to the earlier timing of Easter this year, new figures from the
Read moreLondon midday: Equities drift lower
13th Apr 2010 12:07
Mining stocks remain a drag on the Footsie but retailers see some support following the release of upbeat retail sales data. UK retail sales in March rose at their fastest rate in almost four years thanks to the earlier timing of Easter this year, new figures from the British Retail Consortium show
Read moreLondon midday: Home Retail rises on bid talk
12th Apr 2010 11:59
Hopes that news of the rescue package for Greece would give renewed impetus to London's advance are proving unfounded, as the Footsie is weighed down by weak miners. Xstrata leads the mining sector lower, with ENRC and Antofagasta not far behind. The last mentioned was recently downgraded to 'hold'
Read moreSector movers: Retailers on the rise
12th Apr 2010 11:29
Takeover chatter and upbeat broker coverage is lifting retail stocks. Talk that Asda, the UK supermarket group owned by the US retail giant Wal-Mart, has Home Retail Group in its sights has lifted the Argos and Homebase owner. Supermarket Sainsbury's is higher after a double upgrade from BofA Mer
Read moreFTSE 100 movers:
12th Apr 2010 11:26
Talk that Asda, the UK supermarket group owned by the US retail giant Wal-Mart, has Home Retail Group in its sights has lifted the Argos and Homebase owner. Elsewhere in the world of retail and supermarkets, Sainsbury's is higher after a double upgrade from BofA Merrill Lynch to 'buy' from 'underp
Read moreFTSE 100 bosses back Tory national insurance plans
1st Apr 2010 09:14
Leading lights from UK business have come out in support of Conservative plans to halt Labour's planned rise in National Insurance (NI). Bosses of large UK companies, including Justin King, chief executive of the supermarket operator J Sainsbury and Mick Davis chief executive of the mining giant Xs
Read moreC&W Worldwide boss adds to holding
29th Mar 2010 16:31
Chief executive Jim Marsh has been buying shares in Cable & Wireless Worldwide following its demerger from Cable & Wireless Communications last week. He bought 43,500 shares at 94.27p each on Friday and 203,000 at 91.8p each on Monday. The total investment was just over £227,000. Marsh owns 651,
Read moreThursday paper round-up: Budget verdict, FSA raids, Rio Tinto
25th Mar 2010 06:29
Alistair Darling combined a raid on the rich with the theft of Conservative ideas in a highly political Budget yesterday that postponed the pain of spending cuts until well after polling day. Faced with a record deficit and an election expected in six weeks' time, the Chancellor delivered a no-fri
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