London close: Stocks jump on improvement in global data
22nd Aug 2013 17:11
London's FTSE 100 jumped on Thursday as investors temporarily shrugged off an underwhelming set of minutes from the Federal Reserve and instead focused on improving data from across the world which brightened the global economic outlook. The FTSE 100 ended the day at 6,446.87, up 56.03 points on th
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Hochschild Mining rebounds strongly as brokers lift targets
22nd Aug 2013 14:15
Precious metals producer Hochschild Mining was making gains on Thursday, rebounding strongly after disappointing the market on Wednesday by suspending its interim dividend as falling metals prices hit revenues and profits. Westhouse Securities, JPMorgan Cazenove and RBC Capital Markets all upgraded
Read moreLondon midday: Upbeat data helps stocks rebound from six-week low
22nd Aug 2013 11:41
Better-than-expected data from China and the Eurozone sparked a rebound on equity markets on Thursday morning with the FTSE 100 bouncing off a six-week low despite an underwhelming set of minutes from the Federal Reserve last night. London's benchmark index snapped a three-day losing streak today a
Read moreLondon pre-open: Stocks expected to fall in aftermath of Fed minutes
22nd Aug 2013 07:35
Markets are expected to open firmly lower on Thursday morning in the aftermath of an underwhelming set of policy-meeting minutes from the Federal Reserve released last night. Wall Street's Dow Jones Industrial Average finished in the red for the sixth straight day - its worst losing streak since Ju
Read moreWH Smith on target for full year, focus on margins
22nd Aug 2013 07:10
Newsagent chain WH Smith said it expects full year results to be in line with market expectations as it continues focus on tight cost control and improving margins. In an update ahead of its results for the year ending August 31st due in October, the newsagent and bookseller said focus on gross mar
Read moreThursday broker round-up UPDATE
8th Aug 2013 07:10
Aquarius Platinum: Investec places its target price (prev.: 46p) under review, while keeping its hold recommendation. Avocet Mining: Canaccord Genuity upgrades from sell to hold with an unchanged target price of 112p. BBA Aviation: Citi raises target price from 292p to 335p reiterating a buy recom
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Hochschild Mining jumps after Q2 update
17th Jul 2013 14:53
Mining stocks were in demand on Wednesday with precious metals group Hochschild Mining the standout performer after saying that it remains on track to hit its full-year production target of 20m silver equivalent ounces following an in-line second quarter. The company also said that its 'cashflow opt
Read moreLondon midday: Unanimous MPC vote on QE takes markets by surprise
17th Jul 2013 11:53
Minutes from this month's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting took markets by surprise on Wednesday morning, with the FTSE 100 slipping into the red after it was revealed that policymakers voted unanimously to leave the Bank of England's (BoE) bond-buying programme unchanged. Investors were lar
Read moreLondon open: Miners, financials gain ahead of BoE minutes
17th Jul 2013 08:30
Markets edged higher on Wednesday morning with strong gains in the mining and financial sectors providing a lift ahead of key announcements from central banks in the UK and US. The minutes of the latest Bank of England policy meeting are due out this morning with investors waiting to hear what Mark
Read moreBroker snap: Nomura turns bullish on UK retailers
16th Jul 2013 09:25
Nomura has lifted its view on the UK retail sector from 'neutral' to 'bullish', even though the category has outperformed the wider market so far this year. The broker said that lower taxes and high social security - "hardly a recipe for confident spending" - have propped up disposable income over
Read moreFormer WH Smith boss joins SSP
8th Jul 2013 14:54
Former WH Smith boss Kate Swan has been named the new Chief Executive of SSP, operator of airport and railway station outlets. Swan, who left WH Smith two weeks ago after nine years with the stationary retailer, will succeed Andrew Lynch, who left after nine years. SSP runs outlets for companies i
Read moreFriday tips round-up: WH Smith, Hyder Consulting, Halma
14th Jun 2013 07:17
WH Smith´s latest trading update was underwhelming to say the least, showing a 7.0 per cent fall in like-for-like sales at High Street stores for example. Yes, there was a one-off factor in the form of very difficult comparables with last year and the company continues to reward investors with share
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Home Retail slumps as Argos misses forecasts
13th Jun 2013 14:42
Home Retail saw shares sink on Thursday after the first-quarter underlying growth figures at its Argos chain missed forecasts. Like-for-like (LFL) sales increased by just 1.9 per cent in the 13 weeks to June 1st, well below the 3.0 per cent expected by analysts. LFL growth at the smaller Homebase di
Read moreLondon midday: Financials pull markets lower after Hester exit from RBS
13th Jun 2013 11:38
Uncertainty regarding central-bank stimulus, reductions in global growth forecasts and the surprise departure of the head of one of the UK's biggest domestic banks prompted a sell-off on the FTSE 100 on Thursday, as volatility continued on markets across the globe. London's benchmark index slumped
Read moreLondon open: RBS leads market sell-off early on after Hester exit
13th Jun 2013 08:33
Markets sunk sharply from the off on Thursday morning as the FTSE 100's losing streak was extended into its fourth day, with RBS in focus after shocking the City with the surprise resignation of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Stephen Hester. Following the impressive rise seen at the start of the ye
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