London open: Hangover carries into Monday
28th Jun 2010 08:53
Markets are struggling for direction this morning, with traders still probably dissecting the disappointment of yesterday, which could take some time. Renewed pledges from the G20 meeting to force banks to keep a lot more capital have also hit sentiment while Standard Chartered's comment that inco
Read moreSenior ahead of last year
28th Jun 2010 07:31
Senior, the manufacturer of high technology components and systems, is trading in line with expectations with profits for the first half of 2010 expected to be well ahead of last year. Cash generation has been healthy with net debt expected to decline from the £102.3m reported at the end of 2009, d
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Confident Weir moves ahead
14th Jun 2010 12:28
Weir has motored ahead after the engineer said trading for the nine weeks to 4 June has been stronger than expected, with order output for the 22-week period up 25%. It also confirmed it will acquire Kuala Lumpur based Linatex for £138m as it expands its global reach. Linatex, which provides wear-r
Read moreThursday tips round-up: Bunzl, FirstGroup, Autonomy
22nd Apr 2010 06:09
Bunzl, which distributes a variety of products, including food packaging and catering equipment, posted what read as a rather dull update yesterday. Not that dull is bad: when dull means improving margins following cost reductions, dull is pretty good. Indicators are steadily turning positive, and,
Read moreLondon close: Footsie gives back Tuesday's gains
21st Apr 2010 17:03
The blue-chip index finished close to its lowest level of the day as a mid-afternoon rally fizzled out. Sentiment was not helped by the release of a UK gross domestic product forecast by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) which reiterated the body's January forecast of an insipid 1.3% growth rat
Read moreLondon afternoon: Equities pare losses
21st Apr 2010 14:32
Leading shares trimmed their losses over the lunch time session, but the Footsie remains in the red, in part due to a number of blue-chips going ex-dividend today. BHP Billiton is lower after a statement this morning that it may have broken US anti-corruption laws in some of its exploration project
Read moreLondon midday: Miners drag Footsie down
21st Apr 2010 12:04
After a hesitant start Footsie fell steadily throughout the morning session, largely because of the weakness of mining stocks, which are reacting to softer industrial metals prices. BHP Billiton is lower after a statement this morning that it may have broken US anti-corruption laws in some of its
Read moreSector movers: Apple figures boost tech stocks
21st Apr 2010 11:43
Tech stocks are in demand following strong results from Apple last night driven by iPhone sales. ARM, which reportedly designed the chips for the smartphone, as a strong performer, as is FTSE 250-listed peer Imagination Technologies, whose intellectual property is thought to be used in the iPhone.
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Game slumps as chief departs
21st Apr 2010 11:41
Shares in Game have slumped after Lisa Morgan stepped down as the chief executive as the video game retailer revealed a sharp fall in profits in the year to January 31. Shares in the CD and DVD retailer HMV have also slipped back. Car and aeroplane parts supplier Senior is motoring ahead after say
Read moreLondon open: Dull start for blue chips
21st Apr 2010 09:00
London's blue chips have fallen back as a string of big names going ex-dividend weighs on the index. British Airways is higher on the ending of the UK flight ban. ARM is the best performer after the stupendous results from Apple last night driven by iPhone sales, which ARM reportedly designed the
Read moreSenior to beat expectations as orders pick up
21st Apr 2010 07:41
Car and aeroplane parts supplier Senior expects profits for 2010 to exceed expectations after trading in the three months to March 31 got a lift from favourable currency movements and cost control and efficiency improvements. In the aerospace division, which accounts for 59% of sales, the order pip
Read moreStandard Life executives add to holdings
11th Mar 2010 17:08
Life insurer Standard Life's executive directors have added to their shareholdings following Wednesday's full year results. Chief executive David Nish's wife Caroline has bought 75,000 shares at 206.05p each. This investment of nearly £155,000 takes the Nish family stake to 261,981 shares. Nish
Read moreLondon close: Strong finish for FTSE 100
1st Mar 2010 16:30
The leading share index finished on a strong footing as strength in the mining sector and gains on the back of company updates helped offset a weak performance from financial stocks. Miners were in demand following a rise in copper prices following the earthquake in Chile, the world's number one p
Read moreLondon afternoon: Copper-bottomed advance
1st Mar 2010 14:15
Gains on mining stocks are more than offsetting losses in an insurance sector that has been rocked by the prospect of a huge rights call from Prudential. Confirmation that Pru may pay $35bn (£23bn) for the Asian business of troubled US insurer AIG has unsettled the insurers. Any deal would need to
Read moreSenior shrinks debt, upbeat for 2010
1st Mar 2010 08:13
Engineer Senior reported a 'resilient performance' with strong cash flows and a £72m reduction in net debt while 2010 results are expected to be broadly in line with 2009 figures. Adjusted pre-tax profit fell 14% to £48.0m for the year ended 31 December 2009. Revenue for the period fell 4% to £540.
Read more