London midday: Stocks continue to gain ahead of US payrolls
5th Oct 2012 11:52
- Markets await non-farm payrolls from the US - Miners lead risers in London - Tesco continues its decline The FTSE 100 was trading at its best levels of the day by Friday lunchtime ahead of a key jobs report from the US, with miners dominating the risers list in London. "European financial market
Read moreLondon open: Footsie bolstered by miners ahead of US data
5th Oct 2012 08:48
- Burberry, Wood Group and miners lift FTSE 100 early on - Markets await US payrolls data - IMF to cut global GDP forecast Stocks edged higher on Friday morning ahead of some closely-watched jobs data from the US later today; Burberry, Wood Group and the miners were among the highest risers on the
Read moreSmiths Group launches 400m dollar bond offering
5th Oct 2012 07:14
Smiths Group is to launch a 400m dollar-denominated bond offering, saying that the funds will be used for general corporate funding purposes and to repay certain existing debt. The notes, with a coupon of 3.625%, mature in October 2022 and the offer is expected to close on October 12th 2012. They w
Read moreLondon close: M&A rumour mill cranks up
19th Sep 2012 16:53
After trading in positive territory for most of the day Footsie dipped into the red after US markets opened lower, but bounced back into the black in the final 90 minutes of trading. The day started well with the Japanese central bank unexpectedly opting to beef up its quantitative easing programme
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: United Utilities rises on takeover speculation
19th Sep 2012 15:43
United Utilities rose into the top spot on the back of renewed speculation over a potential takeover. While one might be justified in being wary of simple speculation and rumours on this ocassion they were given credence by analysts at Bank of America-Merrill Lynch no less. This follows talk to a si
Read moreBroker tips: Smiths, Ashtead, Kingfisher
19th Sep 2012 13:18
On the whole analysts at Credit Suisse have a favourable opinion of the final results posted today by Smiths Group. They thus describe the company´s second half performance as "solid," while highlighting the 10% top line growth and 19.2% margin achieved. Nevertheless, they also take note of the com
Read moreBroker snap: Credit Suisse trims forecasts for Smiths
19th Sep 2012 11:53
On the whole analysts at Credit Suisse have a favorable opinion of the final results posted today by Smiths Group. They thus describe the company´s second half performance as "solid," while highlighting the 10% top line growth and 19.2% margin achieved. Nevertheless, they also take note of the
Read moreLondon midday: Gains ebb, financials weaken
19th Sep 2012 11:50
After getting off to a flying start after the Japanese central bank unexpectedly opted to beef up its quantitative easing programme London's leading shares ended the morning little changed. The Bank of Japan (BoJ) took markets by surprise with the announcement that it will increase the size of its
Read moreLondon open: BoJ action lifts miners
19th Sep 2012 08:49
Investors are giving a tip of the hat to the Bank of Japan this morning, after the Japanese central bank opted to beef up its quantitative easing programme. The news from the world's third largest economy has lifted miners in particular, and even with the usual Wednesday glut of stocks going ex-div
Read moreStrong second half for Smiths Group
19th Sep 2012 07:46
Headline numbers were ahead of expectations at technology group Smiths Group, but a number of one-off items saw full-year statutory profit before tax decline. Revenue for the year ended July 31st rose 7%, or an underlying 5%, to £3,038m from £2,842m the year before, beating the £2,978m expected by
Read moreLondon pre-open: Limited gains expected on FTSE
19th Sep 2012 07:29
City sources predict the FTSE 100 will open up 21 points from yesterday's close of 5,868, after the Bank of Japan also announced plans to ease monetary policy. Gains on the FTSE are forecast to be limited, however, as investors continue to hold serious concerns over the economic situation in Spain a
Read moreSmiths Group beats expectations
19th Sep 2012 07:02
Technology company Smiths Group saw top line growth across all of its divisions last year, as revenue broke through the three billion barrier. Revenue for the year ended July 31st rose 7%, or an underlying 5%, to £3,038m from £2,842m the year before, beating the £2,978m expected by the market. Hea
Read moreLondon close: Stocks finish higher after late rally
8th Aug 2012 16:45
After an early fall, London's benchmark index rallied in afternoon trade to finish a few points higher, extending gains from the previous three sessions. The last time the FTSE 100 finished higher was on April 2nd when it hit 5,875. "Stocks and other risky assets have traded higher since Friday. C
Read moreBroker snap: Smiths Group isn't boring, it's resilient
8th Aug 2012 16:33
Galvan Research has labelled technology firm Smiths Group as a 'buy' with a target price of 1,200p, hitting back at Investec's claim in May that the stock is 'boring'. Following the firm's third quarter trading update, Investec reduced its target price for the stock, saying that while there was no
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Standard Chartered heads back up
8th Aug 2012 15:36
Following a 16 per cent slump yesterday, emerging markets-focused bank Standard Chartered was leading the risers today. It was revealed yesterday that a US banking regulator accused it of collusion with the government of Iran to hide transactions from authorities. Rio Tinto, the mining and resourc
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