London afternoon: London lays low
12th Apr 2010 14:36
Traders who stuck to their dealing screens over the lunchtime session were left wondering why they bothered as they market remained as quiet and as uneventful as it had been in the morning session. In the absence of any blockbusting company news much of the share price activity has been generated b
Read moreLondon midday: Home Retail rises on bid talk
12th Apr 2010 11:59
Hopes that news of the rescue package for Greece would give renewed impetus to London's advance are proving unfounded, as the Footsie is weighed down by weak miners. Xstrata leads the mining sector lower, with ENRC and Antofagasta not far behind. The last mentioned was recently downgraded to 'hold'
Read moreLondon close: Footsie snaps 4-day losing streak
26th Jan 2010 16:25
Top stocks staged a recovery late afternoon as Wall Street reacted well to US consumer confidence at a 16-month high. Standard Chartered was a bright spot after Nomura said the recent share price fall represents a buying opportunity. The Japanese broker upgraded the Far East focused bank to 'buy'
Read moreLondon afternoon: Losses pared
26th Jan 2010 14:19
Leading shares cut back their losses over the lunch time session but resource stocks remain under the cosh on fears that the Chinese authorities will step up its campaign to cool down its overheating economy and lift interest rates. Fresnillo, Xstrata and Kazakhmys lead the mining sector lower, wh
Read moreBroker tips: BSkyB, Sage, De La Rue
26th Jan 2010 12:42
Satellite TV firm BSkyB is due an uplift into Thursday's interim results after being impacted by numerous factors recently, thinks Nomura. The company has been weighed by the impending final decision from the OFCOM pay TV review, greater appetite for cyclical companies, BT's £20 pricing for fibre a
Read moreLondon midday: GDP figures no comfort
26th Jan 2010 12:03
News that the UK economy limped out of recession in the fourth quarter has failed to cheer equities, which remain more concerned about China and the possibility its government will slam the economic brakes on. The UK economy grew just 0.1% in the fourth quarter, far less than expected. Economists h
Read moreBroker snap: Sage needs acquisitions
26th Jan 2010 10:26
Accountancy software giant Sage traded in line with expectations during the last three months of 2009, but needs acquisitions to 're-ignite' earnings, says Piper Jaffray. The company sees no change in the trading environment in the first quarter of this year, driving an in-line performance thanks t
Read moreLondon open: Blue chips struggle
26th Jan 2010 08:49
Footsie has fallen again in early dealing with miners again under pressure on worries about overheating in China and the possibility its government will slam the economic brakes on. The big mining names are all lower this morning. Rio Tinto, Anglo American and Lonmin are the worst affected, but fal
Read moreLondon pre-open: More losses expected
26th Jan 2010 07:35
Footsie is expected to continue the decline that began last week in early dealings. The decline in consumption by non-residential customers tailed off in the fourth quarter, water company Severn Trent said. The company, which said it has been trading in line with expectations since 1 October, estim
Read moreSage still waiting for market recovery
26th Jan 2010 07:18
Business management software provider Sage Group said it has seen no sign of a market recovery yet as it posted an in-line trading update. ‘Our proven business model and the loyalty of our large, geographically diverse, customer base give us confidence that we are well positioned for these conditio
Read moreTuesday preview: Sage, PZ Cussons, UK GDP
25th Jan 2010 13:36
The share price of Newcastle-based accountancy software firm Sage is floating around its 52-week high ahead of tomorrow’s first quarter interim management statement. The company saw market conditions stabilise in the second half of its previous financial year and broker Panmure Gordon, a long time
Read moreLondon close: Footsie flatlines
7th Jan 2010 16:46
A late afternoon rally fizzled out to leave London's blue chip index little changed on the day. Banks emerged from a sticky start as the day's best performers led by Barclays and Lloyds Bank, which both received decent write-ups in an otherwise cautious broker note from Keefe, Bruyette & Woods. It
Read moreLondon afternoon: Banks defy broker gloom
7th Jan 2010 14:27
Leading shares are mixed, with the Footsie barely changed now miners have recovered from a weak showing in the morning session to show gains in the afternoon. Kazakhmys and Fresnillo lead the mining sector but their gains are surpassed by two stocks from the banking sector where Barclays and Lloyds
Read moreSector movers: Software sector shrugs off Invu slump
7th Dec 2009 11:13
The software and computer services sector is higher despite heavy losses from document management group Invu which warned it now expects revenues for the second half of the year to be below expectations and announced a 'significant' reduction in employees. Sage, the accountancy software group, enjo
Read moreThursday tips round-up: Sage, Prudential, Babcock
3rd Dec 2009 06:17
The virtues of Sage ? a strong base of recurring revenues and tight management of costs ? remain intact. The pressure on sales is also likely to ease from here. However, at 221p, or 11 times current year forecasts, and yielding 3.5 per cent, their shares require something more than resilience if the
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