London midday: Ebola fears, macro concerns hit UK stocks
8th Oct 2014 11:34
Fears about a possible Ebola outbreak in Europe and continued concerns about the global economy were weighing on UK stocks on Wednesday. The FTSE 100 was down 0.3% at 6,475 by around midday with cyclical stocks and airlines providing a drag. Risk appetite was also being held back by nervousness ahe
Read moreLondon open: Macro concerns hit stocks ahead of earnings, Fed minutes
8th Oct 2014 08:36
UK stocks fell for a second day on Wednesday as concerns about global growth and nervousness ahead of the start of US earnings season eroded risk appetite. Heavy falls from industrial stocks and travel companies saw the FTSE 100 fall 0.3% to 6,475 in early trading. European stocks fell on Tuesday a
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Tesco leads risers, but travel stocks slide on Ebola fears
7th Oct 2014 15:40
Supermarkets were continuing to claw their way back after a string of profit warnings and an accounting scandal at Tesco hammered sentiment last month. Shares in the UK's largest retailer were trading nearly 5% higher after the news that the company has asked another senior manager to step down and
Read moreSector movers: Grocers down as analysts warn of price war
6th Oct 2014 14:01
Retailers led to the downside on Friday and were clearly the main focus for traders as the negative news surrounding the sector continued to pour in, even as the share price losses continued to snow-ball. The fundamental force behind the above would seem to be the heightened competitive pressures in
Read moreSector movers: Tesco leads supermarkets higher but sentiment still fragile
6th Oct 2014 14:01
Supermarket stocks were attempting to claw their way back on Monday after an accounting error and a string of profit warnings at Tesco crushed sentiment in the sector. Tesco's shares have lost 25% of their value since the company revealed on 22 September that it had overstated its profit guidance fo
Read moreSector movers: Kantar data weighs on grocers
6th Oct 2014 13:33
Supermarket operators were clearly at the bottom of the pile on Tuesday after market researcher Kantar published new figures showing a stagnating food retail environment. Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Kantar, said: "For the first time ever we've seen the average basket of e
Read moreLondon midday: UK stocks rise despite weak economic data
6th Oct 2014 11:37
Weak economic data from Germany and the wider Eurozone failed to deter bullish investors on Monday as UK stocks continued to bounce off a 10-month low reached last week. London's FTSE 100, spurred by gains in the banking, airline and supermarket sectors, was trading nearly 0.4% higher at 6,550 by mi
Read moreLondon open: Banks, supermarkets give FTSE 100 a lift
6th Oct 2014 08:37
Decent gains from banking and supermarket stocks gave the FTSE 100 a boost on Monday morning as the UK's benchmark index continues to recover after hitting a 10-month low last week. The Footsie was trading 0.4% higher at 6,554 early on, rising for the second straight day after falling to 6,446.39 la
Read moreSunday newspaper round-up: Tesco, Supermarkets, BP
5th Oct 2014 17:19
Tesco is planning a boardroom purge after a string of profit warnings and the revelation of a £250m hole in its accounts, the Sunday Times said. The retailer was planning to unveil up to three non-executive directors 10 days ago but the accounting problem put the announcement on hold. Patrick Kenned
Read moreFriday broker round-up UPDATE
3rd Oct 2014 09:25
Anite: Investec places its target price (prev.: 90p) under review maintaining a hold recommendation. Avon Rubber: WH Ireland ups target price from 765p to 800p and retains a buy recommendation. Investec ups target price from 700p to 720p upgrading from add to buy. BTG: Panmure Gordon raises target
Read moreLondon close: ECB conference sends FTSE sliding more than 100 points lower
2nd Oct 2014 17:15
London's blue chips ended Thursday's session more than 100 points lower, as the European Central Bank (ECB) conference disappointed traders. The FTSE 100 closed 111.13 points below the opening bell, at 6,446.39. The ECB decided to keep key rates unchanged and unveiled further details of its asset-b
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Hargreaves rises after Numis upgrade
2nd Oct 2014 16:19
Hargreaves Lansdown was one of just a handful of stocks to rise on Thursday, driven higher by Numis which upgraded its rating on the stock to 'buy'. Readacross from its US peer United Rentals sent shares in Ashtead into the red. Sainsbury continued its path lower following a disappointing update th
Read moreMorrisons to match prices with Aldi and Lidl - UPDATE
2nd Oct 2014 13:25
Morrison Supermarkets has unveiled plans for a price-match scheme where it will compare prices with discount chains Aldi and Lidl as well as its larger rivals. The move is the first of its kind with Morrison being the first to price-match against either of the two German discounters. Under the pric
Read moreLidl launches own '50p challenge' after Sainsbury's gaffe
2nd Oct 2014 13:08
Continuing its price war against the "big four" supermarkets, discounter store Lidl has come up with its very own "50p challenge" in an amusing riposte to Sainsbury's gaffe earlier this week. On Monday, Sainsbury accidently posted a sign meant for staff eyes only encouraging them to get customers to
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks in the red as ECB rate decision edges closer
2nd Oct 2014 11:29
UK stocks were starting to come off their earlier losses around midday, having fallen sharply early on ahead of the European Central Bank (ECB) rate decision. At the midday point, the FTSE was 13.95 points lower at 6,543.57. Although the ECB is not expected to adjust its current rate, there was spe
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