London close: FTSE 100 back below 6,000
11th May 2011 16:51
After a calm start following good gains yesterday, shares took a sharp dive into the red as economic worries resurfaced. Despite a strong first start to the year, terrestrial broadcaster ITV, one of today's strugglers, has warned that it is facing tougher comparatives in the current quarter, meanin
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: ITV leads the fallers
11th May 2011 14:44
Terrestrial broadcaster ITV is the worst performing stock after warning that it is facing tougher comparatives in the current quarter, meaning that the firm could underperform the market in the first half. Banking giant HSBC is lower after announcing that it is to cut costs and may abandon some bu
Read moreLondon midday: FTSE 100 pauses after rally
11th May 2011 12:13
Shares are seeking direction following yesterday's big gains, with stocks moving in both directions on the back of updates. Despite a strong first start to the year, terrestrial broadcaster ITV has warned that it is facing tougher comparatives in the current quarter, meaning that the firm could und
Read moreLondon open: ITV takes a tumble
11th May 2011 08:29
The Footsie has opened up lower, with ITV providing a drag, taking a tumble in early trading. Despite a strong first start to the year, terrestrial broadcaster ITV has warned that it is facing tougher comparatives in the current quarter, meaning that the firm could underperform the market in the fi
Read moreSainsbury tops forecasts as sales jump 7%
11th May 2011 07:45
A record number of customer transactions helped Sainsbury beat sales and profits forecasts, prompting the supermarket giant to hike its dividend by 6.3%. The board has recommended a full-year dividend of 15.1p per share for the 12 months ended 19 March, up from 14.2p previously. Meanwhile, sales g
Read moreWednesday preview: BoE inflation report, Sainsbury, Kesa
10th May 2011 16:25
The pressure on the Bank of England to raise interest rates has eased since April's surprise decline in the annual inflation rate, but it is probable that the Bank's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) will raise its near-term inflation forecast when it releases the May inflation report on Wednesday. T
Read moreWednesday newspaper round-up: North Sea oil, Opec, supermarkets
30th Mar 2011 06:06
The industry revolt over George Osborne's North Sea tax raid intensified yesterday as a leading oil company warned that £6.25bn of investment in two fields was now under threat. Norway's Statoil said that it was freezing investment decisions on the Mariner and Bressay fields as it reviewed its spend
Read moreUnited Utilities boss raises £588,000 from share sale
28th Mar 2011 16:48
United Utilities chief executive Philip Green has raised £588,000 by selling 100,000 shares. Green still has 116,384 shares. The shares that were sold for 588p each were owned by Green and his wife Judy, who no longer holds any shares. In February, Green received 136,607 shares from the company'
Read moreInflation takes toll on shoppers
24th Mar 2011 11:00
Higher prices are taking a toll on the UK's shoppers with sales volumes last month slowing sharply from January. Sales volumes rose by 1.3% on an annual basis in February, down by 0.8% on the previous month, though in value terms sales jumped by 5%, down just 0.1% on January. The difference reflec
Read moreThursday newspaper round-up: Budget reaction
24th Mar 2011 06:29
George Osborne used a £2 billion surprise windfall tax on oil companies to cut the price of petrol in a Budget that also tried to set out a plan for economic growth. The Chancellor, forced to unveil lower growth and higher borrowing forecasts, targeted his limited scope for manoeuvre at family budge
Read moreLondon close: Miners push Footsie higher
23rd Mar 2011 17:19
Footsie ended the day close to its high point though that was largely due to the strength of mining stocks rather than a rapturous reception to the UK Budget. What did get a rapturous reception, at least for a while, was the news that the voting by the Monetary Policy Committee in March on interest
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: ENRC doubles profit
23rd Mar 2011 16:02
Miners are on the rise and they have pushed the index higher. Underlying profits more than doubled last year at Kazakhstan-based mining giant ENRC with this year also expected to see production at "at effectively full available capacity", though it says rising costs are a worry. Record production i
Read moreLondon afternoon: Housebuilders get Budget boost
23rd Mar 2011 15:00
It would appear that the UK Budget was far from a blockbuster as the market has reacted phlegmatically to the Chancellor's big day. The headline grabbing move was the commitment to effectively abolish National Insurance and push up income tax to compensate, but this will not take effect for some t
Read moreBroker tips: Sainsbury, Pace, Rank
23rd Mar 2011 12:54
Financial services firm Matrix expressed disappointment over Sainsbury's weak trading statement, as the supermarket giant grew like for like (LfL) sales by less than expected during the fourth quarter. Sainsbury revealed slowing fourth quarter sales in the 10 weeks to 19 March, with an increase of
Read moreLondon midday: Back to square one
23rd Mar 2011 12:24
Footsie ended the morning more or less where it started it, as investors sit tight ahead of the Budget speech at 12:30pm. Resource stocks are in demand, with ENRC sitting atop a buoyant mining sector and Cairn leading oils higher. Underlying profits more than doubled last year at Kazakhstan-based
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