SIG profits slump
18th Mar 2010 07:06
SIG, which supplies insulation, roofing and specialist construction products, sustained a sharp fall in profits in 2009 amid a severe downturn in the construction sector. Underlying pre-tax profits fell to £60.6m from £137.3m the previous year as sales dropped to £2.74bn from £3.05bn. ‘2009 was an
Read moreThursday tips round-up: SIG, Greggs, Fenner
14th Jan 2010 06:06
Ever-tighter building regulations on energy efficiency continue to work in SIG's favour. The last introduction of new UK standards in 2006 prompted a 20 per cent rise in the volume of insulation materials per building in the following three years and there is no reason to believe that their successo
Read moreLondon close: Commodity slide hits Footsie
13th Jan 2010 16:32
Footsie ended the day firmly in the red with low commodity prices helping to offset positive broker coverage. With the oil price below $80, oil titans Royal Dutch Shell and BP found themselves on traders' sell lists. BG Group also slipped even after HSBC upped its price target for the stock from 13
Read moreLondon afternoon: Leading shares mixed
13th Jan 2010 14:57
Leading shares are mixed having picked up a little over the lunch time session, helped by a firmer start on Wall Street. With the oil price below $80, oil titans Royal Dutch Shell and BP find themselves on traders' sell lists, but BG Group makes headway after HSBC upped its price target for the st
Read moreLondon midday: Ferrero pulls out of Cadbury chase
13th Jan 2010 11:56
Oils and banks are dragging the Footsie down, with sentiment also soured by disappointing manufacturing output figures. While industrial production showed a 0.4% rise in November, better than the 0.3% rise economists had been predicting, manufacturing output remained unchanged from October's level
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: SIG leads the way
13th Jan 2010 10:47
Building products group SIG leads the risers. The firm said it has seen exceptionally challenging conditions and disruption to trading caused by extreme weather conditions in a number of countries in the final weeks of the year, but does not expect full year underlying pre-tax profits to be less tha
Read moreLondon open: Footsie marks time
13th Jan 2010 08:50
Last night's decline on Wall Street, its first of 2010, has tipped Footsie lower a little in early deals though the fall so far is modest. US stocks were hurt by weaker than expected fourth quarter results from aluminium producer Alcoa after hours Monday, while Chinese moves to cool bank lending an
Read moreLondon pre-open: Losses likely
13th Jan 2010 07:34
Last night's decline on Wall Street, its first of 2010, is set to tip London lower in early deals. US stocks were hurt by weaker than expected fourth quarter results from aluminium producer Alcoa after hours Monday, while Chinese moves to cool bank lending and a profit warning from Chevron also hur
Read moreSIG expects profits of no less than £60m
13th Jan 2010 07:18
SIG said it has seen exceptionally challenging conditions and disruption to trading caused by extreme weather conditions in a number of countries in the final weeks of the year, but does not expect full year underlying pre-tax profits to be less than current analysts' consensus expectations of £60m.
Read moreJames Crosby buys Misys shares
27th Aug 2009 16:37
Sir James Crosby, the newly appointed non-executive director of Misys, has bought £99,144 worth of shares in the financial services and healthcare software provider. Crosby, who joined the board in January from HBOS where he was chief executive from 2001 to 2006, acquired 53,912 shares at 183.90p e
Read moreFriday tips round-up: Rio Tinto, ENRC, SIG
21st Aug 2009 06:13
Rio Tinto's earnings were hit in the first half with big losses in aluminium and diamonds while iron ore and copper profits were scythed. But Rio is cutting $1 billion in costs from its aluminium portfolio and the iron ore JV should deliver more cost savings. If you have a patient long-cycle view of
Read moreLondon close: Blue chips at 10½-month high
20th Aug 2009 16:28
A brace of better than expected US data reinvigorated markets early afternoon Thursday, helping London close at it highest since early October. The Philadelphia Fed manufacturing index rose to +4.2 in August from -7.5 in July, while the Conference Board's index of leading economic indicators rose 0
Read moreLondon afternoon: Prices bubble over
20th Aug 2009 14:14
Equity prices came off the top over the lunch-time session but remain firmly in the blue, albeit in thin trade, largely due to the strength of miners. Mining giant Rio Tinto is higher despite seeing profits falling by more than half in the six months to June 30 as it felt the impact of sharply lowe
Read moreLondon midday: Retail sales give a boost
20th Aug 2009 12:10
July's retail sales figures have given a lift to an already buoyant equity market. Figures revealed sales grew 0.4% from June, putting the annual increase to 3.3%, the highest since May 2008. Economists had predicted a rise of just 0.2% for July following June's 1.2% gain and a 2.7% year-on-year imp
Read moreLondon open: Decent gains posted
20th Aug 2009 08:23
Decent gains posted by Footsie after the open with the early pacesetters financials, especially banks, and miners. Mining giant Rio Tinto is higher despite seeing profits falling by more than half in the six months to June 30 as it felt the impact of sharply lower commodity prices amid tough econom
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