London afternoon: G4S locked out of market rally
16th Mar 2010 14:49
The Footsie stopped just short of dipping into negative territory over the lunchtime session before buyers moved back in just before 2pm. Banks and miners continue to provide many of the bright spots, with the latter benefitting from higher metal prices. In banking, Royal Bank of Scotland is want
Read moreLondon midday: Early gains trimmed
16th Mar 2010 12:03
The FTSE 100 was clinging on to positive territory at the start of the lunchtime session after share prices went into a late morning swoon. Banks and miners continue to provide most of the bright spots, with the latter benefitting from higher metal prices. In banking, Royal Bank of Scotland is wa
Read moreLondon open: US gives Footsie a lift
16th Mar 2010 08:53
Footsie opened higher on the back of a strong performance from US shares late yesterday and strong gains for Royal Bank of Scotland. RBS is mulling a buy back of at least £10bn (€11bn) of the bank's £28bn of debt at a premium to current prices according to the FT. It is one of the best performers t
Read moreLondon pre-open: Strong start expected
16th Mar 2010 07:34
Footsie is expected to open higher on the back of a strong performance from US shares late yesterday. Department store Debenhams said it saw a strong performance in the six months to 27 February as it continues its strategy of lifting margins and expanding market share. Gross transaction value was
Read moreSerco names Alastair Lyons non-executive chairman
16th Mar 2010 07:03
International service company Serco announce the appointment of Alastair Lyons CBE as non-executive chairman. He joins the board of Serco with immediate effect as a non-executive director, and will take up the chairmanship of the company after the Annual General Meeting on 11 May 2010. Lyons, who
Read morePersimmon's Jonathan Davie lays foundations
5th Mar 2010 16:23
Persimmon non-executive Jonathan Davie started building a stake in the housebuilder with the purchase of £42,000 in shares. Davie, who was appointed to the board on January 1, bought 10,000 shares at 419.9p a time. His purchase comes soon after the company said it completed 8,976 house sales last
Read moreLondon close: Blue chips surge forward
26th Feb 2010 16:52
Footsie surged forward and closed in buoyant mood as buyers returned across a number of sectors despite disappointment with Lloyds Banking's results. Serco remains the best performer among Footsie stocks. The outsourcing group increased the dividend by a quarter as it ramped up profits by almost a
Read moreLondon afternoon: Stocks belcamed at higher levels
26th Feb 2010 14:23
Leading shares traded sideways over the lunchtime session, lacking any sort of lead from Wall Street, which is expected to open mixed as traders struggle through the snow storm engulfing New York to get into work. Serco remains the best performer among Footsie stocks. The outsourcing group increase
Read moreLondon midday:Stocks off the top
26th Feb 2010 12:22
Hopes that Footsie would claw back all of yesterday's losses look less likely to be realised after share prices came off the top late in the morning, though most stocks are still trading in positive territory. Serco remains the best performer among Footsie stocks. The outsourcing group increased t
Read moreLondon open: Footsie makes bright start
26th Feb 2010 08:50
London's blue chips have made a bright start after the late pick-up on Wall Street overnight, even though there is some disappointment with the figures from Lloyds Banking. The state-controlled bank joined sector peers Barclays and Royal Bank of Scotland in reporting better than expected figures.
Read moreLondon pre-open: Stellar gains ahead
26th Feb 2010 07:37
London's blue chips are expected to open sharply higher, with banking shares likely to be in focus after Lloyds reported full-year figures. Traders anticipate a 60 points gain when the market opens. Lloyds Banking joined sector peers Barclays and Royal Bank of Scotland in reporting better than expe
Read moreSerco profits up 30%
26th Feb 2010 07:04
Outsourcing group Serco has increased the dividend by a quarter as it ramped up profits by almost a third in 2009 and ended the year with a record order book. Profit before tax for the 12 months ended 31 December hit £177.1m, up from £136.1m in 2008, on revenue up 27.1%, or 20.8% excluding currency
Read moreSerco to run Business Link in South East
7th Jan 2010 09:05
Outsourcing group Serco has signed a contract with the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) to provide Business Link services across the region. The group, which was chosen last year to run the London cycle hire scheme, was named in August as preferred bidder for today's deal, expected to
Read moreWednesday tips round-up: Serco, Informa, Robert Walters
16th Dec 2009 06:42
Serco is usually billed as the company that runs London's Docklands Light Railway, but it does everything from business process outsourcing to defence to education. Outsourcers of Serco's ilk stand to be among the few winners from the slash and burn in the public sector over the next five years. b
Read moreLondon close: Losses narrow
15th Dec 2009 16:33
Top shares fought back late afternoon to halve losses, but most financial issues stayed lower, while oil plays also ended friendless. Turmoil in the Greek banking sector since credit ratings agency Fitch downgraded the country's sovereign debt last week continued to hurt. Barclays and HSBC were am
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