Sector movers: Scottish referendum uncertainty hits electricity stocks, insurers
8th Sep 2014 13:32
Sectors with the most exposure to Scotland were bearing the brunt of the selling pressure on Monday after an opinion poll revealed that the 'yes' campaign on independence had taken the lead. The electricity sector was the hardest hit with Perth-based energy supplier SSE down 2.7%, life insurers were
Read moreLondon midday: UK stocks sink on fears over Scottish referendum, Ukraine
8th Sep 2014 11:36
Concerns surrounding the upcoming referendum on Scottish independence and a fragile ceasefire agreement in Ukraine were weighing heavily on UK stocks on Monday. London's FTSE 100 was trading down 1% at 6,789 by midday. The index has not closed below the 6,800 mark since 22 August when it settled at
Read moreStandard Life directors adds 16,400 shares
5th Sep 2014 16:02
Pierre Danon, a non-executive director at Standard Life, has bought 16,400 shares in the group, boosting his stake to 54,627. Danon paid 409.9p a time, spending a total of £67,224 on the deal. The purchase came after the group announced on Thursday that it is planning to sell its Canadian unit to M
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: BP recovers after yesterday's slump
5th Sep 2014 15:31
BP regained some of Thursday's heavy losses which came after it was found negligent in the 2010 Gulf of Mexico disaster. Oil and gas group Tullow Oil rose slightly on the news that is to sell its interests in two blocks offshore Netherlands for €62.7m (£50m) as it continues to shed off its gas asset
Read moreLondon open: Stocks fall as investors turn cautious ahead of US non-farm payrolls
5th Sep 2014 08:28
The FTSE 100 was trading 0.1% lower at 6,869 in early trading. The Footsie edged higher on Thursday to close at 6,877.97, its highest finish since 14 May when it settled at 6,878.49. Nevertheless, during the session the index reached a high of 6,904.86, its highest intraday level since the record 6
Read moreLondon close: FTSE ends with modest rise after ECB, BoE, US data
4th Sep 2014 16:59
The FTSE ended Thursday's session up 4.39 points following a busy day for investors around the globe, with rate decisions unveiled by both the Bank of England (BoE) and European Central Bank (ECB)The BoE's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) decided to keep its main policy rate and the size of its asset
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Standard Life soars as BP dives on judge ruling
4th Sep 2014 16:38
Standard Life surged after saying that it has agreed to sell its Canadian operations for C$4bn (£2.2bn) to Manulife Financial and would return £1.75bn of this to shareholders. The two companies also made a collaboration agreement in principle for Manulife to distribute Standard Life Investments' pro
Read moreBroker tips: Standard Life, Hargreaves Lansdown, Wm Morrison, Balfour Beatty, Supergroup
4th Sep 2014 13:00
Standard Life (SL) shares should "re-rate upwards" after the £2.2bn sale of its Canadian operations Manulife Financial, according to Deutsche Bank. The bank kept a 'buy' rating for the insurance stock and lifted its target price by 6% from 428p to 455p. "In addition to the high price achieved, we s
Read moreStandard Life should "re-rate upwards" after Canadian deal, says Deutsche Bank
4th Sep 2014 12:09
Standard Life (SL) shares should "re-rate upwards" after the £2.2bn sale of its Canadian operations Manulife Financial, according to Deutsche Bank. The bank kept a 'buy' rating for the insurance stock and lifted its target price by 6% from 428p to 455p. "In addition to the high price achieved, we
Read moreLondon midday: Gains limited as investors await ECB meeting, Draghi
4th Sep 2014 12:09
- Draghi in focus as ECB decides on policy - BoE holds rates, global data ahead - Standard Life surges after Canadian deal - EasyJet, Supergroup and Go-Ahead rise techMARK 2,868.07 +0.03% FTSE 100 6,888.35 +0.21% FTSE 250 15,960.26 -0.20% UK market were rangebound on Thursday morning, fluctuating
Read moreLondon open: Standard Life leads UK stocks higher, but gains limited ahead of ECB
4th Sep 2014 09:00
- Expectations high ahead of ECB meeting - BoE decision and global economic data also in focus - Standard Life surges on cash return news - FTSE 100 nears 14-year and record intraday high techMARK 2,868.54 +0.04% FTSE 100 6,881.13 +0.11% FTSE 250 15,977.67 -0.09% UK stocks were close to a 14-year
Read moreLondon pre-open: Small rise predicted for FTSE ahead of rate decsions
4th Sep 2014 07:46
Little change is predicted for the FTSE 100 at Thursday's opening bell, as investors pause the gains seen the previous day and await rate decisions from both the Bank of England (BoE) and the European Central Bank (ECB). City sources predict the blue chip index will open around three points above W
Read moreThursday newspaper round-up: Scottish independence, Balfour Beatty, Standard Life...
4th Sep 2014 07:20
Goldman Sachs has warned that the UK could fall into a eurozone-style crisis if Scotland votes for independence later this month. In some of the most bleak predictions economists have made about independence, the Wall Street bank said a "Yes" vote on September 18, while looking unlikely, "could have
Read moreStandard Life surprises with £2.2bn sale of Canadian unit - UPDATE
4th Sep 2014 07:02
Standard Life has agreed to sell its Canadian operations for C$4bn (£2.2bn) to Manulife Financial and said it would return £1.75bn of this to shareholders. The distribution will be worth roughly 73p per share by way of a B/C share scheme, allowing shareholders based in the UK to choose whether to r
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Miners slide as Astra gains on bid speculation
21st Aug 2014 18:01
Mining stocks led the downside after metals consumer China disappointed with its manufacturing data and metal prices fell. Fresnillo, Randgold Resources, Anglo American, Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton all fell into the red. BHP was still under pressure in the aftermath of Tuesday's underwhelming plans
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