London afternoon: Banks continue to weigh
15th Dec 2009 14:51
London is off its worst levels of the day, but remains deep in the red as finance plays suffer on fears about the strength of European peers. Barclays and HSBC are among the worst performers as Greek rivals slump on worries about their country's budget deficit. Reports, later denied, that Austria'
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie drifts back
15th Dec 2009 12:12
Footsie has drifted slightly lower as banks and miners join British Airways among the heaviest fallers. The airline is in focus amid expectations of a 12-day strike over Christmas. BA said it is mulling "all options" to cope with the planned action by cabin crew over the Christmas period. BA is
Read moreLondon open: Dull start as BA suffers
15th Dec 2009 09:02
London's top stocks have turned lower as investors take a breather following recent gains. British Airways has generated most headlines this morning. The embattled airline is drawing up contingency plans to cope if the planned 12-day strike by cabin crew goes ahead. An injunction is one option, but
Read moreLondon pre-open: Flat start ahead
15th Dec 2009 07:34
London's top stocks are expected to open largely flat as investors take a breather following the previous sessions gains. Costa Coffee owner Whitbread has offered to buy Eastern European coffee shop operator CoffeeHeaven for about £36m. The recommended offer of 24 pence in cash represents a premium
Read moreSerco maintains confident outlook
15th Dec 2009 07:01
Serco is confident enough about prospects to repeat forecasts for 2009 ahead of meetings with analysts prior to its financial year end on 31 December. The outsourcing group predicts double-digit revenue growth this year and a 30 basis point increase in adjusted pre-tax profit margin, excluding SI I
Read moreWednesday tips round-up: Enterprise Inns, Serco, Wellstream
18th Nov 2009 06:36
It has been a fairly depressing year for the pub industry and one of the sector's biggest operators, Enterprise Inns, did little to lift the gloom yesterday. The UK's second-biggest pub operator, which has 7,399 leased and tenanted pubs, said pre-tax profits tumbled by 95% to £11m for the year to
Read moreFriday tips round-up: Euromoney, Serco, Synergy Healthcare...
13th Nov 2009 06:37
Publisher Euromoney has cut costs by imposing pay freezes, forced holidays and redundancies on its staff, but is now seeing the benefit. Subscriptions are down, but it is looking to renewed advertising - led by the emergence of new banks such as the confusingly monikered Bank of America Merrill Lyn
Read moreLondon close: Footsie retreats after new high
12th Nov 2009 17:00
Footsie hit a new intra-day high for the year in mid-afternoon, but buyer interest tailed off near the close as US markets retreated on a mild resurgence by the dollar. British Airways was the top performer after the airline confirmed it is holding meetings with Spanish airline Iberia to discuss th
Read moreLondon afternoon: Footsie hits new 2009 peak
12th Nov 2009 15:21
Footsie has hit a new intra-day high for the year as the majority of blue-chips head higher. British Airways is the top performer after confirming that it is holding meetings with Spanish airline Iberia to discuss the possibility of a merger. 'The British Airways and Iberia boards are holding sepa
Read moreLondon midday: FTSE flat
12th Nov 2009 12:05
It is back to square one for Footsie, which is virtually unchanged on the day despite a warm reception to results from BT and confirmation from British Airways that the long awaited merger with Iberia is close to consummation. British Airways has confirmed that it is holding meetings with Spanish a
Read moreLondon open: BT turns Footsie blue
12th Nov 2009 08:32
Shares are inching higher in early deals as investors welcome second quarter results from BT, offsetting losses among insurers following results from Friends Provident owner Resolution. Telecoms giant BT reported second quarter revenue was in line with expectations and thinks it can cut costs by at
Read moreLondon pre-open: Lower start expected
12th Nov 2009 07:38
Footsie is expected to slip back slightly in early dealings following good gains yesterday. Telecoms giant BT has reported second quarter revenue in line with expectations and thinks it will generate at least £1.6bn of free cash flow this year versus its old target of over £1bn. Revenue for the thr
Read moreSerco on track to meet guidance
12th Nov 2009 07:03
Outsourcing group Serco said customers' need to improve efficiency in the current economic climate is providing it with more opportunities to win contracts as it reported continued strong trading. Serco, whose activities include operating London's Docklands Light Railway and vans used to transport
Read moreDiscount shares for new Finsbury Food boss
22nd Oct 2009 15:44
Cakes and speciality breads maker Finsbury Food's new chief executive has been issued 1.04m shares at 19.25p a share as part of his remuneration package. He received a further 201,000 shares for nothing, taking his total stake to 1.25m shares. At the current share price of 28.5p, Duffy's additional
Read moreSerco boss raises cash for retirement
20th Oct 2009 15:54
Departing Serco chairman Kevin Beeston has sold 76,800 shares in the international outsourcing services provider. Beeston sold 50,000 shares held in his own name and 26,800 in the name of his wife Jayne Beeston. All the shares were sold at 535.35p each. The disposals raised just over £410,000. Beest
Read more