London 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
Read moreWednesday broker round-up UPDATE
3rd Jul 2013 09:16
Aberdeen Asset Management: Bank of America reduces target price from 410p to 360p maintaining an underperform rating. ARM Holdings: UBS upgrades to buy from neutral, keeps target price at 970p. Cineworld: Investec ups target price from 347p to 360p and keeps a buy recommendation. N+1 Singer moves
Read moreLondon close: Stocks erase losses after late US-inspired rally
2nd Jul 2013 16:34
A strong start on Wall Street helped the FTSE 100 erase its earlier losses on Tuesday, though markets still ended flat ahead of some key 'risk events' expected later on in the week. After hitting an intraday low of 6,268 earlier on, London's benchmark index rallied strongly in afternoon trade to fi
Read moreSerco receives contract worth up to 1.25bn dollars with US Dept. of Health
2nd Jul 2013 15:11
Outsourcing specialist Serco Group has confirmed that it may potentially have been awarded a contract by the United States Department of Health and Human Services' Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Under the terms of the same it would support the federally-facilitated marketplace and sta
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Serco, Burberry, Antofagasta
2nd Jul 2013 13:44
Serco Group climbed the FTSE ladder following reports the British outsourcing company won a 1.25bn dollar contract with the US Department of Health. Under the 12-month agreement, Serco will handle applications for health plans, medicaid and other insurance programmes. The company may also be benefit
Read moreLondon midday: Markets pull back ahead of key risk events
2nd Jul 2013 11:32
The FTSE 100 was trading firmly lower on Tuesday morning with profit-taking evident after a strong performance over the past week, as investors gear up for central-bank meetings and key US data later in the week. London's benchmark index jumped 1.5% yesterday as it continued to rebound strongly af
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Serco gains on growth forecast
28th Jun 2013 12:59
Public services outsourcing company Serco Group led the FTSE 100 race on Friday after saying it expects to report strong revenue growth in its full-year results. Schroders edged higher as the asset manager was upgraded by analysts at BNP Paribas to an 'outperform' rating in a research report on Fr
Read moreLondon midday: Markets rangebound after recent gains
28th Jun 2013 11:23
The FTSE 100 erased early gains by Friday lunchtime with markets rangebound on the last day of trading before the end of the second quarter, with traders pausing for breath after strong gains seen over the past three sessions. Since hitting a five-month low of 6,029 on Monday, the benchmark index h
Read moreBroker tips: Vodafone, Serco, SABMiller
28th Jun 2013 10:51
Deutsche Bank has upgraded its rating for Vodafone from 'hold' to 'buy', saying that a takeover of Kabel Deutschland (KDG) could push the British telecoms group towards potential value crystallisation. "We think a KDG deal, consistent with our convergent thesis, is likely the tipping point for a Ve
Read moreBroker snap: Investec cautious about second half at Serco
28th Jun 2013 10:16
Investec has maintained its 'sell' rating and 550p target price for outsourcing group Serco in spite of a well-received trading update on Friday, saying that it is concerned about trading going into the second half. The company announced a broadly in-line second-quarter update, with top-line outper
Read moreLondon open: Gains extended into fourth day
28th Jun 2013 08:38
The FTSE 100 looked set to deliver its fourth consecutive day of gains on Friday, as it begins the final day of trading in the second quarter in a positive fashion. Since hitting a five-month low of 6,029 on Monday, the benchmark index has rebounded strongly over the past few sessions, gaining nea
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