London open: Deals keep blue chips ahead
17th Jan 2011 08:37
London has opened moderately firmer, with potential M&A deals outweighing a weak start for the miners. BP has opened higher after the oil giant announced a controversial landmark deal with Rosneft, the Russian state oil company. As well as confirming the tie-up with Rosneft, BP said it has been aw
Read moreSmiths Group rejects offer for medical division
14th Jan 2011 17:37
Smiths Group, the maker of medical devices, airport scanners and other equipment, has rejected a £2.45bn approach for its biggest division Smiths Medical, it announced after the close of trading on Friday. It said it had carefully considered the approach, concluding that continuing discussions on
Read moreTuesday tips round-up: Smiths, Weir, Xchanging...
2nd Nov 2010 06:46
Smiths, the technology group, enjoyed steady gains on the stock market yesterday as investors woke up to what could be an unexpected boost to its bottom line. The interest was triggered by the recently foiled cargo bomb plot, in which explosive devices were posted in Yemen with the freight firms UPS
Read moreLondon close: US breathes life back into Footsie
1st Nov 2010 16:42
A good early performance from Wall Street helped Footsie snap out of a weak spell to close in positive territory. US shares were boosted by a bigger than expected rise in factory output in October. The Institute for Supply Management's manufacturing index rose to 56.9 last month. Analysts thought
Read moreLondon afternoon: Banks and miners lead advance
1st Nov 2010 15:14
Footsie pulled out of its late morning slump over the lunch time session to move firmly back into positive territory, though investors are still reluctant to commit too heavily ahead of tomorrow's mid-term US elections, and the quantitative easing decisions expected this week from the Bank of Englan
Read moreSector movers: Cosalt hoists general industrials higher
1st Nov 2010 13:50
Cosalt leads the general industrials sector higher after the struggling provider of safety equipment to the oil industry confirmed this morning it has received an approach for its marine business. Elsewhere in the sector, Smiths Group is going well on hopes the latest Al Qaeda bomb threat will incr
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie subdued after buoyant start
1st Nov 2010 12:02
Footsie has failed to rediscover its early-morning buoyancy and sits in the blue by a few points. Among the laggards is Serco. The company, which carries out work for the government such as operating prisons and London's Docklands Light Railway, has taken a knock after it was forced to make a grove
Read moreLondon open: Footsie charges higher
1st Nov 2010 08:32
High demand for banks and miners got the week off to a good start, offsetting weakness in the outsourcing sector. Banks are going well as trading updates loom. Lloyds Banking Group is getting ready for tomorrow's statement with a 2% jump, while Royal Bank of Scotland and HSBC are also making up gr
Read moreMonday newpaper round-up: Smiths Group, jobs, BG
1st Nov 2010 06:24
Smiths Group, the cargo-scanning equipment maker, is understood to have been contacted by the Government over the weekend as the authorities move to step up security in the wake of the Yemeni bomb plot. News of the discussions is likely to lift shares in the group, which already supplies the US wi
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: S&N heads risers
20th Oct 2010 13:18
Medical devices supplier Smith & Nephew has won its appeal over a patent dispute with Kinetic Corporation. A court in Texas says that the wound management patents are "invalid due to obviousness". S&N has already won similar cases in the UK and Germany. Xstrata has given the thumbs up to the $710
Read moreSunday tips round-up: Serco, EasyDate, Vitec, Smiths
17th Oct 2010 14:01
When the coalition Government unveils its Comprehensive Spending Review on Wednesday following weeks of speculation, outsourcing companies will be watching particularly closely where the axe falls on public spending. Support services companies, such as Serco, have stressed that the spending cuts sho
Read moreLondon close: Footsie limps higher
11th Oct 2010 16:38
Footsie closed just a few points higher Monday after a sluggish day's trading that saw the leading share index fluctuating in a narrow range just above the zero mark. Oil services group Petrofac firmed on the back of a lucrative contract win. The government of Sharjah has appointed the company t
Read moreLondon afternoon: Stocks tread water
11th Oct 2010 14:34
The blue-chip index trod water over the lunchtime session with the majority of leading stocks consolidating the morning's gains. Oil services group Petrofac is firmer on the back of a lucrative contract win. The government of Sharjah has appointed the company to take over operational responsibilit
Read moreLondon close: Footsie slumps in last hour
30th Sep 2010 16:48
A last hour slump sent Footsie into the red by the close of a roller-coaster day. The index had been over 50 points higher in mid-afternoon after US second quarter gross domestic product (GDP) was revised upwards to show a 1.7% quarterly increase. But the Dow turned down sharply soon after, draggin
Read moreThursday tips round-up: Moss Bros, Rockhopper, Domino's
30th Sep 2010 06:48
Moss Bros, which hires and sells men's suits, delivered a mixed bag for the six months to 31 July. It has no debt and analysts tip it return to profitability in the year to January 2012. So hold on, says the Independent. There will no doubt be a lot of back slapping at Rockhopper Exploration's ann
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