London midday: Early gains consolidated
16th Nov 2009 12:11
Stock prices saw a modest amount of profit taking after the Footsie hit a 14-month high. Lonmin is leading the mining sector higher despite reporting a full-year loss. The South African platinum miner fell into the red in the year to September 30 as prices for the precious metal slumped in line wit
Read moreLondon open: Winning start to week
16th Nov 2009 08:42
Mining heavyweights head the pack Monday, notching up strong gains on record gold prices and demand for other metals. Randgold is top of the pile after gold hit a new record high. Rio Tinto, Xstrata and Kazakhmys are also riding high. Even Lonmin is better despite reporting a full-year loss. The S
Read moreMonday newspaper round-up: J Sainsbury, Queens's Speech, Royal Mail
16th Nov 2009 06:31
Customers are deserting J Sainsbury for its leading rivals for the first time in the recession, it was revealed yesterday. More than £11m of spending was switched directly to its main competitors in the 12 weeks to November, according to confidential industry "switching" data. Sainsbury's, led by J
Read moreOption gain for Xstrata's Davis
13th Nov 2009 15:18
Xstrata chief executive Mick Davis has raised £7.76m from selling shares in the Switzerland-based mining giant. The shares came from exercising options and Davis made a profit of £5.9m on their disposal. This gain comes less than one month after he made a near-£8m gain on the sale of another set o
Read moreLondon close: Profit taking trims gains
11th Nov 2009 17:12
Better than expected unemployment figures and some relatively upbeat comments from Bank of England governor Mervyn King propelled Footsie to a new intra-day high for 2009 in the morning session, but stocks came off the top in the afternoon session. The UK unemployment rate, as measured by the Inter
Read moreLondon afternoon: Share prices froth over
11th Nov 2009 14:12
Share prices are coming off the top, though Footsie remains comfortably in positive territory thanks to strong demand for miners and insurers. Miners are wanted as metal prices pick up following news that Chinese industrial output rose to a 19-month high in October. BHP Billiton, Kazakhmys, Rio Ti
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie hits intra-day high for 2009
11th Nov 2009 12:15
The Footsie is hovering around its high for the year of 5300, after better than expected UK unemployment figures. Sentiment was little affected by Bank of England governor Mervyn King saying he thinks inflation will rise above the 2% target set by the government as the impact of quantitative easi
Read moreBroker snap: Sales trends a concern at Sainsbury
11th Nov 2009 11:25
The renaissance of supermarket group Sainsbury continues apace after forecast busting interim profits were announced on Wednesday morning, but Seymour Pierce is maintaining a cautious stance on the group's prospects. 'Although the interim results came in at the top end of expectations there will be
Read moreBroker tips: Sainsbury, Micro Focus, International Power
11th Nov 2009 11:19
The renaissance of supermarket group Sainsbury continues apace after forecast busting interim profits were announced on Wednesday morning, but Seymour Pierce is maintaining a cautious stance on the group's prospects. 'Although the interim results came in at the top end of expectations there will be
Read moreLondon open: Stocks advance early on
11th Nov 2009 08:34
Buyers have piled into mining heavyweights again as metal prices continue to surge, while trading updates and results give International Power and Sainsbury's a boost. Sainsbury's has posted a healthy rise in profits in the 28 weeks to October 3, but repeated a warning that lower food price inflati
Read moreLondon pre-open: Early rise expected
11th Nov 2009 07:35
Footsie is expected to rise in early dealings, with supermarket Sainsbury's in focus after releasing its interim numbers. Sainsbury's posted a healthy rise in profits in the 28 weeks to October 3, but repeated a warning that lower food price inflation will affect growth in the second half. Pre-tax
Read moreSainsbury's profits beat expectations
11th Nov 2009 07:02
Supermarket Sainsbury's posted a healthy rise in profits in the 28 weeks to October 3 as shoppers continued seeking bargains in tough economic times, but repeated a warning that lower food price inflation will affect growth in the second half Pre-tax profits rose to £342m from £258m ahead of expect
Read moreWednesday preview: Sainsbury, Balfour Beatty, Microfocus
10th Nov 2009 15:50
Supermarket chain Sainsbury issues half-year results on Wednesday, having already warned that it is unlikely to be able to maintain its impressive sales growth, due to the effects of reduced inflation. Excluding the impact of the fuel and the VAT cut announced last November, like-for-like sales wer
Read moreLondon close: Miners power Footsie gains
9th Nov 2009 16:31
Mining stocks were at the vanguard of a strong advance from FTSE 100 as commodity prices were boosted by plans outlined by world leaders over the weekend to continue with stimulus measures. Kazakhmys, Fresnillo, Rio Tinto and Vedanta were some of the best performers in the mining sector. Mining g
Read moreLondon afternoon: Cadbury rejects Kraft bid
9th Nov 2009 14:23
After all the waiting and speculation, the formal bid for Cadbury from US group Kraft Foods proved a disappointment, but it has not dampened sentiment in a buoyant London market. Kraft formally announced a bid for Cadbury on the same terms as the indicative offer announced at the beginning of Septe
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