FTSE 100 movers: Shire surges on earnings growth, RBS hit by weak revenues
30th Apr 2015 13:04
Shire surged after reporting that earnings rose 20% in the first quarter as sales at the Dublin-headquartered drug company overcame a sharp drop in its Intuniv attention deficit disorder drug and dollar headwinds. Royal Dutch Shell was trading higher after revealing a better-than-expected 56% drop i
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Weir rockets on quarterly beat, Antofagasta hit by production cuts
29th Apr 2015 13:19
Industrial engineer Weir Group topped the risers after delivering a better-than-expected first quarter from minerals, its largest division. However, the company did say it was "taking further action to support profitability" in its oil and gas division amid tough conditions. Shares of Intercontinent
Read moreLondon open: Stocks flatline amid earnings flurry ahead of FOMC
29th Apr 2015 09:16
UK stocks opened flat on Wednesday morning as investors digested a barrage of blue-chip earnings and awaited a Federal Reserve policy decision in the US. The FTSE 100 was trading just 0.03% lower at 7,028.48 early on. The index had retreated on Tuesday to 7,030.53 after setting a new all-time closi
Read moreSainsbury's boss Mike Coupe sentenced to jail in Egypt
29th Apr 2015 07:08
Mike Coupe, the chief executive of Sainsbury's supermarket group, has been handed a two year jail sentance in Egypt. Egyptian authorities demanded Coupe attend a hearing last Sunday for an embezzlement charge over the collapse of a business Sainsbury's invested in 16 years ago, according to The Time
Read moreSainsbury's appoints former Next CFO as audit chairman
27th Apr 2015 10:20
J Sainsbury has appointed the former finance director of Next as a non-executive director and chairman of the supermarket's audit committee. David Keens will join Sainsbury's on 29 April. He succeeds Gary Hughes who will be stepping down as chairman at the company's annual general meeting in July, a
Read moreSainsbury's to axe 800 jobs as part of restructuring
23rd Apr 2015 10:54
J Sainsbury on Thursday revealed plans to slash 800 jobs as part of a restructuring amid the price war between the UK's biggest supermarkets. The proposals include the loss of department and deputy manager positions which the grocer said to would achieve about £500m of cost savings over the next
Read moreSector movers: Supermarket stocks side-swiped as Tesco reports £6.4bn loss
22nd Apr 2015 14:36
The swift realisation that a £6.4bn annual loss was not something to be taken lightly saw Tesco's share price drop into the red by Wednesday afternoon, sending the UK food and drug retail sector to the bottom of the pile. The worst loss in the Tesco's 97-year history was initially warmly welcomed by
Read moreUK supermarket sector to face major grocery pricing probe by CMA
21st Apr 2015 10:05
An investigation has been launched into the supermarket sector by the UK competition regulator after a "super-complaint" from consumer organisation Which? due to the industry's "misleading and opaque pricing practices". The Competition and Markets Authority will begin a probe of the grocery sector's
Read moreTuesday tips round-up: UK supermarkets, Lloyds
21st Apr 2015 08:19
Do non-cash impairment charges matter? What if they run into the billions of pounds? After all, they all they can be dismissed as one-offs. Yet they do matter. Analysts at Deutsche Bank estimate Tesco could unveil a 15% - or 3bn pounds - writedown on the value of its propert assets. The value of pop
Read moreLondon close: Greek default fears grip markets as UK stocks pull back from record
16th Apr 2015 16:51
Stocks finished lower on Thursday with UK markets retreating from a record high, as bonds yields in Athens soared on the back of concerns over a potential Greek default. London's FTSE 100 was down 36.33 points (-0.51%) by the close at 7,060.45. The index pulled back from Wednesday's all-time closin
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Pearson plunges on refund demands, Unilever higher on strong Q1
16th Apr 2015 13:38
Publishing group Pearson plummeted on reports that the Los Angeles Unified School District is seeking a refund from the firm and its technology partner, Apple, over a botched $1.3bn effort to supply students with iPads, BAE Systems dipped following a downgrade from 'buy' to 'neutral' from analysts a
Read moreLondon midday: Greek fears hit sentiment as stocks retreat ahead of US session
16th Apr 2015 11:54
Ongoing uncertainty over Greece gave investors an excuse to take profits on Thursday, with UK stocks pulling back from record levels ahead of what is expected to be a busy session in the States. "Fears over Greece continued to dominate Thursday morning, leaving the Eurozone indices in a sorry state
Read moreLondon close: Retailers, miners and oil stocks help FTSE set new record
15th Apr 2015 16:38
Strong gains in the retail sector and a solid performance from mining and oil stocks helped the FTSE 100 set a new record high on Wednesday, amid hopes for further stimulus in China and no surprises from a policy meeting in Europe. London's benchmark Footsie rose 21.51 points (+0.3%) to a new all-ti
Read moreAldi overtakes Waitrose as UK's 6th biggest grocer
8th Apr 2015 11:04
German discount retailer Aldi has leapfrogged Waitrose to become Britain's sixth-largest supermarket chain. According to data released on Wednesday by Kantar Worldpanel, Aldi sales rose 16.8% in the three months to 29 March, taking the group's market share to 5.3%, 0.2%% more than John Lewis Partner
Read moreTuesday broker round-up
7th Apr 2015 11:59
Antofagasta: Jefferies reiterates buy. GlaxoSmithKline: Credit Suisse reiterates underperform and 1440p target. Micro Focus Intl.: Numis reiterates add and ups target price to 1,310p from 1,240p. Rockhopper Exploration: Canaccord Genuity starts coverage at buy and raises target to 190p from 180p.
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