London close: Stocks end the week in a cautious mood
30th Nov 2012 16:35
- Market pares gains by the close - Bundestag approves Greek aid - Eurozone jobless rate and US consumer spending disappoint UK stocks finished broadly flat on Friday, paring gains by the close of trade as markets headed into the weekend in a cautious mood on the back of uncertainty surrounding the
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Broker upgrades lift Johnson Matthey and Croda
30th Nov 2012 13:25
Blue-chip constituents Johnson Matthey, Croda, Pennon and Intertek were performing well on Friday afternoon following a number of upbeat broker comments. Chemical peers Johnson Matthey and Croda International were lifted higher after Credit Suisse upgraded the companies from 'neutral' to 'outperfor
Read moreSector movers: Supermarket stocks gain despite OFT ruling
30th Nov 2012 13:00
The food and drug retail sector was on the up on Friday afternoon with supermarket stocks performing well in spite of the regulatory ruling that brings 'yo-yo pricing' to an end. The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has been investigating food pricing display and promotional practices by some of the bi
Read moreLondon close: Footsie rallies in afternoon trade
21st Nov 2012 16:30
- Greek aid agreement expected next week - Trading expected to be light tomorrow - Johnson Matthey tumbles six per cent after gloomy outlook The FTSE 100 opened on the back foot on Wednesday morning after the initial disappointment regarding a delay in funds to Greece; however comments by Eurozone
Read moreThursday Broker round-up UPDATE
15th Nov 2012 07:21
AMEC: Nomura raises target price from 1240p to 1340p, buy rating remains unchanged. Barclays Capital reduces target price from 1350p to 1320p, underweight rating kept. Atkins (WS): Investec reduces target price from 727p to 700p, hold recommendation maintained. Barr AG: UBS raises target price fro
Read moreThursday tips round-up: Great Portland Estates, Amec and Sainsbury
15th Nov 2012 06:42
Tempus in The Times writes that anyone who supported Great Portland Estates' last fundraising, an eight-for-eleven rights issue to raise £166m in May 2009, will not be complaining. The issue was at 133p; the shares closed last night at 458p. The company spent £644m, at a time when its Chief Executiv
Read moreLondon close: Footsie drops over one per cent after Rehn comments
14th Nov 2012 16:32
- Olli Rehn says Spain has taken 'effective action' - UK data mixed; BoE cuts growth forecast - Mining and oil stocks sold off The Footsie lost nearly one per cent on Wednesday as risk appetite waned after comments from Olli Rehn on Spain and concerns about the global economy brought out the bears.
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: AMEC rises to top spot as Evraz dives
14th Nov 2012 16:05
Engineering consultancy AMEC gained after saying it was trading in line with expectations despite ongoing economic uncertainty. The firm said mining activity was slowing, but conventional oil and gas activity remained strong, particularly in the North Sea and Gulf of Mexico. Shares in Centrica ros
Read moreLondon midday: Risk appetite drops as Eurozone crisis drags on
14th Nov 2012 11:35
- Eurozone in focus as general strikes hit periphery - BoE's King gives gloomy outlook for Q4 UK GDP - Resources firms provide a drag; AMEC jumps With general strikes taking place in Spain, Portugal, Greece and Italy today, concerns about the ongoing Eurozone crisis have reignited this morning, pus
Read moreLondon pre-open: FTSE set to track US stocks lower
14th Nov 2012 07:25
City sources predict the FTSE 100 will open down 26 points from yesterday's close of 5,786, tracking losses seen in the US overnight. After a strong start on the back of strong earnings from Home Depot, US stock markets yesterday sunk into the red by the close as concerns about the dreaded 'fiscal
Read moreSainsbury's basket fuller than expected
14th Nov 2012 07:11
Underlying half-year profit before tax was ahead of expectations at Sainsbury as it continued to outperform in a challenging market. Underlying profit before tax in the 28 weeks to September 29th was up 5.4% to £373m from £354m the year before. Seymour Pierce had gone for £370m while Charles Stanle
Read moreWednesday preview: Sainsbury, Barratt Developments
13th Nov 2012 08:44
Supermarket giant Sainsbury is to report its half-year results on Wednesday with all eyes on the bottom line. Seymour Pierce is forecasting a 4.4% increase in first-half pre-tax profit to £370m and an interim dividend of 4.8p per share, up 6.6% year-on-year. Revenue growth was already reported i
Read moreWeek ahead: Vodafone and Sainsbury to report first-half figures
9th Nov 2012 11:00
Financial journalists everywhere are likely to be thankful that next week is set to be quieter on the corporate front than the one just gone; however, there are still a few heavy hitters scheduled to report results, including Vodafone and Sainsbury. Interim figures from mobile phone and telecoms gi
Read moreThursday broker round-up
8th Nov 2012 09:01
AB Foods: Credit Suisse ups tagged from 1,300p to 1,450p, outperform rating kept. Aviva: Panmure Gordon keeps buy rating and 425p target. Balfour Beatty: Panmure Gordon keeps buy rating and 310p target. BTG: Jefferies keeps hold rating and 360p target; Panmure Gordon keeps hold rating and 400p t
Read moreWednesday broker round-up
7th Nov 2012 08:59
3Leg Resources: Jefferies keeps buy rating and 100p target AB Foods: Barclays Capital ups target from 1,375p to 1,475p, overweigh rating kept; Nomura ups target from 1,380p to 1,500p, buy rating kept. Aberdeen: UBS ups target from 340p to 370p, buy rating kept. Babcock: Jefferies ups target from
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