London close: Lower finish after sluggish day
29th Sep 2010 16:39
Footsie closed a few points lower at the end of a dull day's trading that was overshadowed by continuing eurozone debt worries. Ireland was the focus of attention again. The rating agency Standard & Poors says the price of bailing out nationalised bank Anglo Irish could exceed $47bn. Banks Royal B
Read moreLondon afternoon: Dull mood continues
29th Sep 2010 14:15
Leading shares remain mixed but with a lower bias as investors continue to fret over European debt issues. Debt-stricken Ireland is the focus of attention again. The rating agency Standard & Poors says the price of bailing out nationalised bank Anglo Irish could exceed $47bn. Banks Royal Bank of
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie hit by debt worries
29th Sep 2010 12:19
Footsie is now in the red after a bright start, with European debt issues again clouding the mood. Debt-stricken Ireland is the focus of attention again. The rating agency Standard & Poors says the price of bailing out nationalised bank Anglo Irish could exceed $47bn. Banks RBS, Lloyds and Barclays
Read moreFirstGroup poised for moderate FY growth
29th Sep 2010 09:34
Rail and bus operator FirstGroup said it is currently trading in line with management expections and is on track to deliver moderate earnings growth target for the full year. FirstGroup said earnings have benefitted from a mix of contract-backed and passenger revenue operations in the UK and North
Read moreLondon open: Transatlantic lift for Footsie
29th Sep 2010 08:51
London has opened handily ahead after the decent close on Wall Street overnight. In company news, British Airways has finally signed its well-flagged transatlantic ticketing and revenue share agreement with American Airlines and merger partner Iberia. It starts in October and is worth a combined $7
Read moreLondon pre-open: Footsie to inch higher
29th Sep 2010 07:40
US stocks battled away last night to finish with a decent lead, but that hasn't impressed traders over here, with London expected to make just small gains in opening deals. Futures prices indicate a 5-point advance at the start. In company news, British Airways has signed a huge transatlantic tick
Read moreSmiths Group cools growth expectations
29th Sep 2010 07:03
Smiths Group has ramped up full-year headline profit by 17% and is delivering on its cost savings ahead of plan, but the diversified high-tech group warns that growth in both sales and profit will be slower this year. Headline profit before tax, which strips out all sorts of one off items, jumped t
Read moreWednesday preview: Smiths Group, Domino's, Topps Tiles
28th Sep 2010 17:43
Diversified high-tech group Smiths Group is two years into a mammoth restructuring programme and is, by and large, delivering on its stated targets, according to Charles Stanley. The suspicion remains, however (at least among the fee-hungry investment banking community), that the group is merely fa
Read moreLondon close: Late slip sends Footsie lower
27th Sep 2010 16:43
After a sluggish day that saw shares mostly hovering around the zero mark, Footsie finished lower, in line with weakness in other markets. Worries over the Eurozone debt situation were at the fore again, sending shares in mainland Europe and the US lower, after the rating agency Moody's downgraded
Read moreLondon afternoon: Back to square one
27th Sep 2010 14:20
The market really can't make up its mind today, with the Footsie now back at Friday's closing level after opening firmer and then turning lower this morning. Unilever is the best performer. The household products group is paying $3.7bn (£2.3bn) in cash for America's Alberto Culver, adding the TRESe
Read moreLondon midday: Blue-chips turn south
27th Sep 2010 12:06
Investors with portfolios weighted towards second-liners are happier than those more exposed to blue-chip stocks, as the FTSE 100 turns south while the FTSE 250 pushes ahead. Wolseley, supplier of goods to the plumbing and heating trade, is to shift its tax base to Switzerland and resume paying div
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: TUI continues downward journey
11th Aug 2010 15:39
There are few risers in the Footsie as TUI Travel continues to head the fallers. Package holiday firm Thomas Cook followed up yesterday's disappointing trading statement by TUI with one of its own. Thomas Cook warned that full-year profits will be at the low end of forecasts due to softer UK booki
Read moreLondon afternoon: No sign of rally yet
11th Aug 2010 13:57
Expectations of a weak start on Wall Street have put the kybosh on any hopes of a recovery in London over the lunch time session, after leading shares endured a tough morning in the wake of downbeat statements from the Federal Reserve (last night) and the Bank of England (this morning). The Bank of
Read moreLondon midday: BoE adds to gloom
11th Aug 2010 12:08
London has lurched lower still after the Bank of England lowered its forecasts for economic growth in 2011 while raising inflation expectations. The Bank is now predicting economic growth of 2.5% in 2011, down from a previous forecast of 3.4%. He predicted that inflation would remain above the 2%
Read moreLondon close: Back above 5,000
7th Jul 2010 16:21
Britain's banks staged an impressive turnaround Wednesday that helped carry London out of the red and onto a second day of very respectable gains. High street lenders were unsettled early on as investors waited for details on the nature of European stress tests for about 100 banks. Last-minute hagg
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