London pre-open: Weak start expected as Greek fears intensify
19th Jun 2015 07:42
UK stocks are expected to dip slightly on Friday morning as investors react to the latest disappointment in Greek debt talks, after finance ministers failed to come up with cash-for-reforms deal in Luxembourg. City sources predict the FTSE 100 will open six points lower than Thursday's close of 6,70
Read moreKeith Skeoch to replace David Nish as Standard Life CEO
19th Jun 2015 07:04
Standard Life's chief executive David Nish will step down on 5 August after six years in the role, to be succeeded by Keith Skeoch, who is currently chief executive of Standard Life Investments. Nish said: "One of the most important responsibilities of a chief executive is recognising both the right
Read moreSector movers: Tobacco, financial stocks tumble as market retreats from election highs
12th May 2015 15:04
Most sectors were in the red as the London market pulled back from post-election highs on Tuesday with the FTSE 100 back below the 7,000 mark. At 15:51 BST, the blue chip index was trading down 103.87 points or 1.48% at 6925.98, with the bounce received from the election of a Conservative majority g
Read moreTuesday broker round-up
5th May 2015 14:59
Lloyds: Exane, UBS and Jefferies reiterated their buy recommendation, with the latter bumping up its price target to 201p from 88p. BT Group: Credit Suisse reiterates outperform and Barclays its overweight stance, with price targets of 495p and 600p, respectively. Aviva: Barclays ups target to 632p
Read moreStandard Life's assets under administration up 5%
29th Apr 2015 08:22
Investment group Standard Life said favourable market movements and net inflows have driven its assets under administration up in the first quarter of 2015. The FTSE 100 group saw assets under administration climb 5.1% year-on-year to £311.9m in the three months to the end of March, as net inflows t
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Burberry rallies amid bid speculation
9th Apr 2015 16:07
Burberry Group's shares rallied amid speculation the luxury fashion house could attract the attention of a US rival or cash-rich private equity groups. The reported market chatter from UK newspaper the Daily Mail came before Burberry posts its 2015 sales figures next Wednesday. Earlier on Thursday,
Read moreFriday broker round-up
27th Mar 2015 16:29
Aviva: Jefferies reiterates buy and ups target to 630p from 608p. RBS: UBS keeps at neutral and trims target to 375p from 386p. ITV: Exane reiterates add and lifts target to 288p from 267p. Wolseley: Exane reiterates underperform and lowers target to 2,660p from 2,730p. Hunting: JP Morgan Cazenov
Read moreThursday broker round-up
26th Mar 2015 17:39
Reckitt Benckiser: JP Morgan ups target price to 2,750p from 2,400p, reiterates underweight. Premier Farnell: UBS hikes target to 190p from 165p, reiterates neutral. Serco Group: Credit Suisse lowers target to 171p from 208p, reiterates neutral. Land Securities: Morgan Stanley ups target to 1,470p
Read morePhoenix reports jump in profits but waves goodbye to chairman
18th Mar 2015 08:04
UK investment manager Phoenix Group Holdings reported a jump in full year pretax profit on the back of strong performance of its managed funds business. Pretax profit increased to £336m from £268m as revenue, net of reinsurance payable, rose to £5.32bn from £4.22bn and operating expenses increased t
Read moreSector movers: Results from Aviva and Friends Life spark surge among life insurers
5th Mar 2015 14:18
Insurers Aviva and Friends Life Group (FLG) each jumped over 7% on Thursday as investors celebrated the companies' 2014 results ahead of the proposed merger, giving the life insurance sector a big boost in London. The impressive figures also helped to allay fears across the wider sector, showing tha
Read moreLondon close: FTSE sets fresh 15-year high on Greek optimism
20th Feb 2015 16:38
UK stocks settled at a new 15-year high on Friday afternoon as improving economic data from the Eurozone and optimism about a deal being agreed on Greek debt offset weak retail sales data in Britain. Eurozone finance ministers met in Brussels on Friday afternoon to discuss a loan extension request b
Read moreBroker tips: Standard Life, Serco, Oil stocks
20th Feb 2015 11:54
Panmure Gordon has reiterated its 'buy' recommendation for Standard Life after the insurer beat forecasts with its 2014 results on Friday, saying it expects the shares to rally. "These results were ahead of expectations and we anticipate that the strong underlying performance that suggests that ther
Read moreLondon midday: Eurozone data and Greek optimism push UK stocks higher
20th Feb 2015 11:43
UK stocks neared an all-time high on Friday morning after upbeat data on the Eurozone economy, as investors showed optimism ahead of an emergency meeting about Greek debt. Markets mostly shrugged off weak economic data from the UK, where retail sales fell more than expected in January. London's FTS
Read moreStandard Life "attractively priced" after strong 2014 results, says Panmure
20th Feb 2015 11:18
Panmure Gordon has reiterated its 'buy' recommendation for Standard Life after the insurer beat forecasts with its 2014 results on Friday, saying it expects the shares to rally. "We believe that the shares are attractively priced and yet trade on a 2015 forecast dividend yield of 4.4% excluding the
Read moreLondon open: Standard Life, energy stocks support markets ahead of Greek meeting
20th Feb 2015 08:42
UK stocks edged higher on Friday morning on the back of well-received results from Standard Life and gains in the oil sector as investors awaited a pivotal meeting about Greek debt later on. London's FTSE 100 was up 0.06% at 6,892.72 early on. The index has remained broadly flat over the last three
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