London open: Stocks rebound after recent falls, Vodafone jumps
29th Aug 2013 08:36
Strong gains from Vodafone, WPP and Melrose gave markets in London a boost this morning, as stocks rebounded after some recent falls. Markets have been under pressure this week on concerns about a potential Western military intervention in Syria in response to last week's alleged chemical weapons a
Read moreRecord contract wins boost Serco revenue
29th Aug 2013 07:52
Serco Group reported a 'strong financial performance' for the first half of the year, but dampened spirits after the same day admitting to misreporting data on one of its contracts with the Ministry of Justice. The group posted a 10.5% rise in half year adjusted pre-tax profit to £127.1m (2012 H1:
Read moreThursday newspaper round-up: Vodafone, Brazil, Serco...
29th Aug 2013 07:47
The Telegraph writes that Verizon has resumed discussions about buying Vodafone's stake in their US joint venture for over 100bn dollars. The paper cites City analysts as saying that the deal could create an 'unrivalled war chest' for the UK telecoms group for making acquisitions, wiping off debt an
Read moreLondon pre-open: Small rebound expected early on
29th Aug 2013 07:26
UK markets are expected to open slightly higher on Thursday, following in the footsteps of a decent finish on Wall Street the night before following weakness earlier on in the week. Markets have been pressured lower in recent days on concerns about a potential Western military intervention in Syria
Read moreSerco Group discovers 'misreporting of data' - UPDATE
29th Aug 2013 07:03
Serco Group on Thursday confirmed that the UK Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has called police over the misreporting of data by 'a small number of employees' associated with Serco's Prisoner Escort and Custody Services (PECS) contract. Serco will be able to retain the contract if, after a period of thr
Read moreThursday tips round-up: Serco, Hikma Pharmaceuticals, Goals Soccer Centres
22nd Aug 2013 07:31
The future for outsourcing outfit Serco is now uncertain as the Government calls for a detailed review of all contracts and profit margins are expected to slide. However, its update on trading in the second quarter was good. With long-term government contracts comes steady cash flow, and Serco has b
Read moreSerco wins US health contract
5th Aug 2013 07:25
Services company Serco Group has scored a contract from the US Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to provide processing support for new health benefit exchanges. Serco said it will deliver and manage labour to review, verify and process applicatio
Read moreLondon close: Stocks end slightly lower
26th Jul 2013 18:14
The Footsie ended the day slightly in the red following a weak start on Wall Street and with a similar pattern to yesterday´s emerging, with equities in core European countries such as the UK and Germany on the back foot while periphery equities tended to outperform. The top flight index finish
Read moreLondon midday: Banks, miners provide a lift after China data
15th Jul 2013 11:42
Cyclical stocks welcomed in-line gross domestic product (GDP) figures from China on Monday morning with the FTSE 100 nearly hitting seven-week highs early on. London's benchmark index started the new week trading near the 6,600 level; the last time the FTSE 100 closed higher was on May 30th. Gains
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Aberdeen, Resolution lead financials higher
12th Jul 2013 14:08
Financial stocks were performing well on Friday with asset manager Aberdeen and insurance group Resolution leading the way after positive comments from analysts. UBS reiterated its 'buy' rating for Aberdeen and added the stock to its 'most preferred' list, saying that the recent share price falls h
Read moreLondon midday: Markets extend gains despite concerns over China
12th Jul 2013 12:11
Strong gains in the financial sectors were lifting markets higher on Friday despite concerns over a slowdown in China, as investors continued to focus on dovish comments from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke. Stock futures on Wall Street were pointing to a positive start on Friday, extending g
Read moreLondon open: Markets extend gains after record highs on Wall Street
12th Jul 2013 08:51
Markets looked set to end the week on a high note with financial stocks lifting the FTSE 100 higher in early trading on Friday, as sentiment was buoyed by record highs on Wall Street last night. Both the Dow Jones and S&P 500 indices closed at their highest ever levels on Thursday, while the Nasdaq
Read moreFriday broker round-up UPDATE
12th Jul 2013 08:11
Ashmore Group: Morgan Stanley cuts target price from 444p to 420p and leaves its equal-weight rating unchanged. JP Morgan ups target price from 339p to 377p maintaining a neutral rating. AstraZeneca: Jefferies reduces target price from 3560p to 3400p, while keeping its hold recommendation. Aviva:
Read moreLondon close: Miners lead FTSE 100 higher after Bernanke comments
11th Jul 2013 16:46
Dovish comments from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke sparked a sharp fall in the dollar and a strong rise in commodity prices on Thursday, sending mining equities soaring in London. The FTSE 100 finished the session up 38 points (+0.6%) at 6,543, a level not seen since June 4th, with resource
Read moreUK refers G4S to Serious Fraud Office
11th Jul 2013 13:37
The government has asked the Serious Fraud Office to investigate G4S for overcharging on contracts to tag offenders electronically. The Cabinet Office will also review all contracts held by G4S and rival outsourcer Serco after an audit found they had charged tens of millions of pounds to tag people
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