London open: UK markets flat despite decent gains from banks
11th Sep 2014 08:28
Despite decent gains by Royal Bank of Scotland, the UK stock market opened more or less flat on Thursday morning as investors speculated about stimulus measures in China. London's FTSE 100 was trading at 6,828 in early deals, down slightly on Wednesday's close of 6,830.11. While concerns about the
Read moreEnergy companies to refund around 3m customers
10th Sep 2014 11:05
Around three million households will be able to claim back money from the so-called "big six" energy companies from Wednesday. The move comes after industry regulator Ofgem uncovered accumulated funds resulting from unclaimed balances by customers who had switched to a different energy supplier or m
Read moreWednesday newspaper round-up: Scottish referendum, Apple, UK energy...
10th Sep 2014 07:18
Buckingham Palace has taken the unprecedented step of warning politicians not to drag the Queen into the battle over Scottish independence. In unusually forceful language betraying signs of irritation at the highest level, a palace spokesman rejected calls from MPs, including Labour’s Simon Da
Read moreLondon close: Referendum jitters weigh on stocks
9th Sep 2014 18:20
London shares ended Tuesday’s session in the red as jitters about the Scottish independence referendum offset more positive economic news. The FTSE 100 Index closed 5.77 points down at 6,829 as investors chewed over one poll giving Scottish separatists the lead and another with the ‘no&r
Read moreSector movers: Scottish referendum uncertainty hits electricity stocks, insurers
8th Sep 2014 13:32
Sectors with the most exposure to Scotland were bearing the brunt of the selling pressure on Monday after an opinion poll revealed that the 'yes' campaign on independence had taken the lead. The electricity sector was the hardest hit with Perth-based energy supplier SSE down 2.7%, life insurers were
Read moreLondon midday: UK stocks sink on fears over Scottish referendum, Ukraine
8th Sep 2014 11:36
Concerns surrounding the upcoming referendum on Scottish independence and a fragile ceasefire agreement in Ukraine were weighing heavily on UK stocks on Monday. London's FTSE 100 was trading down 1% at 6,789 by midday. The index has not closed below the 6,800 mark since 22 August when it settled at
Read moreLondon midday: UK stocks retreat on rate-hike uncertainty
20th Aug 2014 12:00
- MPC split on rate decision for first time since 2011 - FOMC minutes due out after the close - Ex-dividend stocks, Balfour Beatty weigh on market - Beverage shares hit by Carlsberg results techMARK 2,798.96 -0.07% FTSE 100 6,752.88 -0.39% FTSE 250 15,794.83 -0.63% UK equities retreated from a thr
Read moreLondon open: Stocks snap five-day win streak ahead of central bank minutes
20th Aug 2014 09:00
- MPC, FOMC minutes in focus - FTSE 100 pulls back from three-week high - Balfour drops after rejecting Carillion bid - Glencore announces $1bn buyback techMARK 2,802.00 +0.04% FTSE 100 6,769.90 -0.14% FTSE 250 15,859.07 -0.23% UK stocks snapped a five-day winning streak on Wednesday ahead of the
Read moreTuesday broker round-up
19th Aug 2014 09:19
Amlin: Deutsche Bank cuts target price from 472p to 461p and reiterates a hold recommendation. Anglo Pacific: FinnCap lowers target price from 184p to 180p retaining a hold recommendation. Bovis Homes Group: Deutsche Bank shifts target price from 1057p to 1063p and keeps a buy recommendation. Libe
Read moreFriday broker round-up UPDATE
15th Aug 2014 09:47
Admiral Group: Berenberg raises target price from 1090p to 1168p, but still recommends selling. Canaccord Genuity reduces target price from 1400p to 1220p keeping a sell recommendation. Centamin: Numis downgrades from buy to hold with a target price of 70p. Direct Line Group: Berenberg shifts targ
Read moreFriday newspaper round-up: Kurdish forces, SSE, Barclays
15th Aug 2014 07:08
David Cameron has said he is prepared to arm Kurdish forces in Iraq after a week of demands by Tory MPs and military figures for Britain to intervene in the conflict. Philip Hammond, the Foreign Secretary, is on Friday expected to tell his EU counterparts in Brussels that Britain is prepared to join
Read moreRBS hands directors £3.5m in shares
12th Aug 2014 21:17
Royal Bank of Scotland on Tuesday handed 10 directors share allowances worth £3.5m under a new plan by the bank to work around strict rules on bonuses. The directors were given just under 1.02m shares, but sold around 0.48m to satisfy an associated tax liability, the bank said. The sales raised aro
Read moreSunday newspaper round-up: Barclays, Carillion-Balfour, Ofgem
10th Aug 2014 18:30
Rona Fairhead, the former boss of the Financial Times, and Howard Davies, the ex-chief City regulator, are the two leading candidates to chair Barclays, the Sunday Times reported. Fairhead ran the FT for seven years and is a non-executive director at HSBC. Davies is the Government's favourite troubl
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Pharma stocks drop as regulation looks to derail M&A
6th Aug 2014 14:26
Shire, the pharmaceutical group which has agreed to a £32bn takeover by Abbvie, saw its shares decline sharply on Wednesday on concerns that stricter rules on so-called 'tax inversion' in the States could scupper the deal. Sector peer Astrazeneca, which had recently been the target of a failed £69b
Read moreSunday newspaper round-up: Carillion-Balfour, share sell-off, Lloyds Banking
3rd Aug 2014 18:04
Carillion plans to put Balfour Beatty in a "bear hug" to tempt Balfour's shareholders to support its attempted takeover, the Sunday Times said. Carillion last week scuppered a planned all-share merger when it backtracked on the agreed sale of Balfour's Parsons Brinckerhoff US design consultancy. Wit
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