London open: Very quiet start
30th Dec 2009 09:03
There is very little movement so far this morning among London's blue chips despite a dip overnight in Asia as investors fretted about metal prices. Oil shares in contrast are strong this morning as the price of crude rose to $79 on the prospect of a very cold US winter and rising longer term deman
Read moreLondon close: Blue chips at 15-month high
29th Dec 2009 16:48
London's blue chip index closed at a new 15-month high having regained all of the ground lost after the collapse of Lehman Brothers. Footsie was last this high on 12 September 2008 when it stood at 5,416. The following day Lehman Brothers went bust. London is now the seventh stock market to regain
Read moreLondon close: Footsie at 15-month high
24th Dec 2009 12:28
Miners pushed London sharply higher in a shortened trading session Thursday, getting the leading index up to 5,400 briefly and to its highest close since September 2008. Silver producer Fresnillo is top of the table on stronger metal prices, with BHP Billiton, Vedanta Resources and Rio Tinto also h
Read moreBroker tips: BT, Diageo, Segro
10th Dec 2009 11:52
Morgan Stanley has maintained its 'overweight' stance on BT and increased its price target to 190p from 175p previously. The broker says its rating is based on a clear path to £1.7bn Free Cash Flow To Equity (FCFE) before net pension top-ups by the 2012 full-year. "This is necessarily a "show me"
Read moreBroker snap: Segro favoured by UBS
10th Dec 2009 10:40
UBS expects UK property companies to produce higher returns than European firms over the coming year, with Segro its favourite pick. The broker has upgraded the industrial property specialist from 'hold' to 'buy' and included it on its most preferred list. UK REITs could produce total returns of
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Financials and miners head lower
9th Dec 2009 15:50
Financials and mining companies dominate the fallers in the FTSE 100. The index was in positive territory before the Pre-Budget Report but it fell back in the early afternoon. The financials heading downwards include Old Mutual, Man Group, Legal & General, Barclays and Resolution. Barclays will ce
Read moreLondon close: Rate rise fears fuel late slide
4th Dec 2009 17:17
Euphoria over the better than expected US jobless figures proved short-lived as week-end profit taking took hold and miners headed underground. Metal prices weakened in the afternoon session, taking mining stocks with them, as some pundits suggested that with the better than expected jobless figure
Read moreLondon afternoon: Stocks bounce into the blue after US jobs
4th Dec 2009 14:20
Share prices have surged higher as the keenly watched US monthly jobs figures showed a big drop in the number losing their jobs and an unexpected drop in the level of US unemployment. Miners are leading the rally with Rio Tinto the best performer. Other gainers include ENRC and oil explorer Cairn E
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks treading water
4th Dec 2009 12:17
Share prices are stabilising at lower levels as investors wait on the big US jobless announcement due at 1:30pm. Banks are on the back foot after a lukewarm note on the sector from JP Morgan. The US bank is particularly down on part-nationalised bank Royal Bank of Scotland, which it advises its cli
Read moreLondon open: Weak start for blue chips
4th Dec 2009 08:45
Footsie has fallen back in early dealings after a dip in the US last night while the bank bonus row has spread to Lloyds. Shares in Lloyds and Royal Bank of Scotland are both under pressure. A report in the Times this morning suggested 200 Lloyds executives will get a bonus of 80% of their salary f
Read moreLondon close: Shares drop again in late trading
30th Nov 2009 16:32
London's blue chips recovered most of their losses in late afternoon trading and looked like they could be set for a positive finish before turning down again just before the close. Banks such as Lloyds Banking, Royal Bank of Scotland and Standard Chartered remained nervous about the debt situation
Read moreLondon afternoon: Banks pare losses
30th Nov 2009 14:36
Leading share prices are still holding steady at lower levels as investors await further developments from Dubai. Banks such as Lloyds Banking, Royal Bank of Scotland and Standard Chartered remain nervous about the debt situation in emirate, though the morning's losses have been pared. HSBC defie
Read moreLondon midday: Share prices steady down
30th Nov 2009 12:09
UK share prices are stabilising at lower levels after hopes of a continued rebound from the Dubai-inspired shake-out on Thursday were quashed by disappointing UK consumer confidence figures. Figures from market research firm Gfk NOP showed consumer sentiment fell to -17 from -13 in October. Middle
Read moreLondon afternoon: Equities drift lower
20th Nov 2009 22:49
Around two thirds of the Footsie's constituents are in the red today as the blue-chip index looks set to finish the week lower than it started it. US bank Morgan Stanley has rained on the parade of package tour operators Thomas Cook and TUI Travel. The bank has cut its rating on both stocks, prompt
Read moreLondon close: Volatile Footsie closes lower
20th Nov 2009 16:34
Footsie ended slightly in the red after a topsy-turvy day which saw UK shares at the mercy of the US dollar. Shares in miner Antofagasta resumed their position near the top of the leaderboard after a brief dip into negative territory that came as commodity prices slipped in line with strength in th
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