London open: Stocks rise ahead of ECB decision
3rd May 2012 08:34
- Mixed reception to barrage of blue-chip corporate updates - ECB expected to maintains rates - Kesa in demand after Darty development The FTSE 100 rose strongly on Thursday morning, rebounding after a sharp fall the day before, with investors looking ahead to an interest rate decision from the Eur
Read moreSmith and Nephew beats first-quarter forecasts
3rd May 2012 07:54
Profits at medical technology group Smith and Nephew beat both analysts' and management forecasts in the first quarter of 2012, which it said was down to the actions being taken to reshape the company. Trading profit in the three months to March 31st increased by 5% year-on-year to $252m. US broker
Read moreThursday preview: Smith and Nephew, Diageo, BG Group
2nd May 2012 16:18
The heads of day-traders could be in danger of exploding on Thursday morning as a welter of big names are set to update the market. First quarter results from medical devices maker Smith & Nephew are expected to be weak, largely because the company has said they would be. "We do not expect any sig
Read moreLondon close: Financials weigh on Footsie
18th Apr 2012 16:34
- Financials, ex-div stocks weigh down Footsie - BoE's Miles alone on more QE - Italy may delay achieving balanced budget by a year The Footsie finished firmly lower on Wednesday afternoon despite some positive domestic jobless figures, as concerns over the Eurozone continued to dampen sentiment. S
Read moreLondon midday: Investors show caution after yesterday's strong rise
18th Apr 2012 11:46
- Ex-div stocks weigh on Footsie - MPC minutes: Miles calls for more QE - Eurozone swings to deficit in February - UK jobless rate falls for first time since May 2011 London's FTSE 100 index was trading slightly lower by Wednesday lunchtime following a strong showing from the benchmark yesterday, a
Read moreWednesday broker round-up - UPDATE
11th Apr 2012 09:36
Barclays: Investec upgrades from hold to buy. Centamin Egypt: Nomura cuts target from 120p to 100p, neutral rating retained. Dignity: Peel Hunt reiterates hold rating and 800p target. Dunelm Group: Investec lifts target from 450p to 500p, hold rating kept; Panmure Gordon keeps buy rating and 600
Read moreIG Group non-exec tops up stake
30th Mar 2012 16:06
Stephen Hill, a Non-Executive Director of IG Group Holdings, the FTSE 250 spread-betting firm, has purchased 111,736 shares. Hill, who worked as the CEO of the Financial Times for Pearson between 1996 and 2002, bought the shares at 444.15p each for a total of £496,275. The purchase comes just a
Read moreBroker tips: Smith and Nephew, Compass, Hansteen
28th Mar 2012 11:18
Investec has this morning downgraded its rating for medical devices maker Smith and Nephew from buy to hold and cut the target price slightly from 663p to 660p. "We move our recommendation from buy to hold as, whilst we think the business is making good progress, the combination of what looks like
Read moreBroker snap: Investec downgrades Smith and Nephew to hold
28th Mar 2012 11:16
Investec has this morning downgraded its rating for medical devices maker Smith and Nephew from buy to hold and cut the target price slightly from 663p to 660p. "We move our recommendation from buy to hold as, whilst we think the business is making good progress, the combination of what looks like
Read moreWednesday broker round-up - UPDATE
28th Mar 2012 08:24
Babcock: UBS ups target from 800p to 880p, reiterates buy rating. Compass Group: Nomura keeps buy rating and 800p target. GKN: Investec reiterates buy rating and 240p target. Hansteen: Jefferies reiterates hold recommendation and 80p target. Henderson: Investec upgrades from hold to buy. Qineti
Read moreWednesday broker round-up - UPDATE
15th Feb 2012 09:25
Essar Energy: Morgan Stanley upgrades to neutral from underperform. Anglo American: Citi downgrades to neutral from buy. International Consolidated Airlines: Credit Suisse raises target from 152p to 189p, neutral rating kept. InterContinental Hotels: Credit Suisse raises target to 1,521p from 1,
Read moreTuesday newspaper round-up: Greece, Gas, Glenstrata
7th Feb 2012 06:54
Shoppers reverted to a bunker mentality over the new year, according to gloomy sales figures that quash any hope of consumers pulling the economy clear of a double-dip recession. Till receipts in January were 2.1% higher than a year ago, according to the British Retail Consortium. However, it said t
Read moreLondon close: Stocks finish up after US data
2nd Feb 2012 16:37
After a morning session in the red, UK stocks erased losses in afternoon trading after some better-than-expected data Stateside helped the outlook for the world's largest economy. Leading the rise on the Footsie were the miners after some M&A rumours bolstered gains. Nevertheless, analysts at Digi
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Miners surge on Glencore-Xstrata merger speculation
2nd Feb 2012 14:46
Meanwhile, confirmation of a merger between Swiss commodities giants Glencore and Xstrata sent the two stocks to the top of the pile today, with Xstrata jumping 10% and Glencore rising 7%. A merger of mining outfit Xstrata and commodities trader Glencore could create a leviathan valued at around £52
Read moreSector movers: Smith & Nephew boosts health care stocks
2nd Feb 2012 14:11
The health care equipment and services sector was the best performer on Thursday afternoon after some well-received results from medical devices maker Smith & Nephew. The company saw revenue rise 3.66% to $1,106m in the final three months of 2011 from $1,067m in the corresponding quarter of last ye
Read more