FTSE 100 movers: Financials lead market higher
9th Dec 2010 13:07
Financials dominate the risers on the Footsie as the Bank of England keeps the base rate unchanged and confidence recovers in the global economy. Man Group and RBS are both more than 3% ahead on the day. Cobham is the best performer even though the defence group will be dropped from the index on 2
Read moreLondon close: Footsie slips back on sluggish day
8th Dec 2010 16:56
Shares struggled to snap out of their earlier sluggishness all day, closing just a few points in the red. Bid-related activity was the main source of excitement. Medical devices group Smith & Nephew was swept more than 9% higher by talk of a possible acquisition. US private equity firms are though
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Smith & Nephew bid rumours
8th Dec 2010 15:21
Smith & Nephew is higher on rumours that it could be the subject of a bid. US private equity firms are thought to be considering an offer at 800p a share. There are also rumours that Gucci owner PPR many bid for Burberry. News from the British Retail Council showing shop price inflation fell f
Read moreLondon open: Blue chips head lower
8th Dec 2010 08:57
London has opened lower as a bullish mood in the US following a two-year extension to tax cuts faded by the close last night. Smith & Nephew is the best performer by some distance, while Royal Dutch Shell is also higher after an upgrade to equal-weight from underweight from Morgan Stanley. The dea
Read moreLondon close: Footsie boosted by US jobs
5th Nov 2010 16:52
Footsie rallied in the afternoon session on the back of better than expected US monthly jobs numbers to register its highest close since June 2008. Non-farm payrolls climbed by 151,000 in October, in spite of an 8,000 reduction in government payrolls, as private employers embarked on a recruiting s
Read moreLondon afternoon: Blue chips perk up
5th Nov 2010 15:00
Footsie has rallied as the afternoon session has progressed with miners making good gains on the back of better than expected US monthly jobs numbers. Vedanta is now the best performer, with silver miner Fresnillo, ENRC and Antofagasta all making good gains. Part-nationalised bank Royal Bank of S
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Banks head lower
5th Nov 2010 13:21
There was a negative reaction to the bank figures today. Royal Bank of Scotland fell into the red in the third quarter. It recorded a loss before tax of £1,379 million, compared with a profit of £1,157m in the second quarter and a loss of £2,077m in the third quarter of 2009. HSBC warned that the
Read moreTechMARK movers: Smith & Nephew repairs share price
5th Nov 2010 13:19
Strong sales of artificial joints wound care products have boosted the share price of Smith & Nephew. Revenues in the quarter to September 2010 rose by 4% to $941m, while pre-tax profit rose to $201m from $173m. Shares in Cable & Wireless Communications are recovering following the announcement
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie subdued after surge
5th Nov 2010 12:19
Footsie remains slightly adrift following a mixed morning that has seen shares moving in both directions in the wake of yesterday's surge. Part-nationalised bank Royal Bank of Scotland is lower after it fell into the red in the third quarter. After restructuring costs, amortisation of intangibles a
Read moreLondon open: Modest start after yesterday's party
5th Nov 2010 09:00
Footsie has posted more gains but some of yesterday's euphoria has worn off after a mixed day so far for the banks. Part-nationalised bank Royal Bank of Scotland saw a 10% increase in its core operating profit in the third quarter over the preceding one. Core operating profit, excluding fair value
Read moreLondon pre-open: Footsie to top up gains
5th Nov 2010 07:30
More gains are expected for FTSE 100 Friday, capping a strong week for the leading share index. Unusually for a Friday, there is a fair amount of corporate news flow. Part-nationalised bank Royal Bank of Scotland saw a 10% increase in its core operating profit in the third quarter over the precedi
Read moreArtificial joints bolster Smith & Nephew
5th Nov 2010 07:12
A good performance from its orthopaedics business helped wound care and artificial joint maker Smith & Nephew over the past three months. Revenues in the quarter to September rose by 4% to $941m, compared to $915m in the same period last year. Pre-tax profits rose to $201m from $173m while tradin
Read moreFriday preview: Rentokil Initial, Smith & Nephew, Producer Prices
4th Nov 2010 17:21
It's an unusually busy day for a Friday with announcements expected from heavy hitters such as Rentokil, Smith & Nephew, Carphone Warehouse, HSBC and Royal Bank of Scotland. Rentokil Initial used to be known for its ability to deliver earnings growth of 20% or more each year back in the eighties an
Read moreLondon afternoon: Shares drift lower
20th Oct 2010 14:21
Shares turned south over the lunchtime session though it is difficult to ascribe any of the losses to the impact of the Comprehensive Spending Review, much of which was widely as expected. Mining stocks are doing their bit to counteract the effects of Footsie stalwarts BAE Systems, Smiths Group and
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
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