London open: Capita, BHP Billiton lead gains ahead of BoE minutes

23rd Jul 2014 09:03

- FTSE 100 on track for highest finish since July 7th - BoE minutes eyed amid rate-hike speculation - Capita gains after strong first half - BHP leads miners higher as production rises techMARK 2,836.01 +0.33% FTSE 100 6,799.25 +0.06% FTSE 250 15,704.44 +0.34% After an initial fall, UK stocks push

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FTSE 100 movers: ITV jumps as Liberty Global buys stake

17th Jul 2014 15:14

Shares in broadcaster ITV were up nearly 7% on Thursday afternoon after Liberty Global spent £481m buying a 6.4% stake in the group from BSkyB, sparking speculation that the US company could return with a bid for the whole company. While Liberty has said that the deal was "an opportunistic and attra

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London midday: UK stocks sink as West imposes new sanctions on Russia

17th Jul 2014 12:10

- US imposes harsher sanctions on Russia, EU to follow suit - Sanctions to have "devastating consequeunces", says VTB boss - ITV shares surge on M&A hopes techMARK 2,791.26 -0.58% FTSE 100 6,739.98 -0.66% FTSE 250 15,516.69 -0.54% UK stocks pulled back sharply on Thursday morning as increased ten

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London open: UK stocks retreat, but ITV jumps

17th Jul 2014 09:10

- Stock slip after strong gains yesterday - Upbeat Beige Book leads to another record for the Dow - ITV surges on Liberty Global M&A hopes techMARK 2,795.17 -0.44% FTSE 100 6,769.28 -0.23% FTSE 250 15,542.03 -0.37% London's FTSE 100 slipped on Thursday morning, retreating after a big jump the prev

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SSE set to match or top 2013/14 earnings but sees tougher year ahead

17th Jul 2014 07:53

Electricity generator and retailer SSE forecast higher earnings in 2014/15 but warned that it would be harder to lift them again the year after. SSE said it expected adjusted earnings per share for 2014/15 to be around or slightly greater than the 123.4p achieved in 2013/14. But the group said: "H

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London pre-open: Stocks expected to pull back after strong gains

17th Jul 2014 07:51

After the strong gains made yesterday and another all-time high on Wall Street last night, UK stocks are expected to pull back slightly on Thursday morning. City sources predict the FTSE 100 will open around 17 points lower than Wednesday's close of 6,784.67 following a 1.1% jump for the index yes

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Sunday newspaper round-up: Shire, Mothercare, Blinkx, Barclays

6th Jul 2014 17:18

AbbVie is expected to make an improved offer for Shire in the next few days after its Chief Executive Rick Gonzalez visited Shire's biggest investors in London, The Sunday Times said. Gonzalez is back in the US mulling his options after having three bid approaches turned down with the most recent va

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Sector movers: Electricity and utility stocks lead the rise

2nd Jul 2014 15:30

Negative headlines failed to stop electricity and utility stocks from advancing on Wednesday. One week after regulator Ofgem referred the energy market for a full competition investigation to rebuild consumer trust, investors were largely shrugging off the news of new mis-selling scandals and devel

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Energy competition probe an opportunity to "restore investor trust", says Investec

27th Jun 2014 12:59

Investec has said it was not surprised by Ofgem's move to refer the UK energy market for a full competition investigation, saying it should be a positive for the industry. The broker said its view on stocks in the sector remains unchanged despite the developments, as it kept 'buy' ratings on Drax a

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Broker tips: Energy stocks, Housebuilders, Meggitt

27th Jun 2014 12:23

Investec has said it was not surprised by Ofgem's move to refer the UK energy market for a full competition investigation, saying it should be a positive for the industry. "We believe this is an opportunity to restore investor trust in an important part of the GB energy market, which has recently b

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Ofgem refers energy market for full competition investigation

26th Jun 2014 12:02

Ofgem is to refer the energy market for a full competition investigation, the regulator announced on Thursday, in a move to "rebuild consumer trust and provide confidence for investors". Following the proposal made in March, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is now being tasked to "ensure

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Wednesday newspaper round-up: Bank of England, MySale, Help to Buy

18th Jun 2014 07:18

The Bank of England "will not hesitate" to take further action to cool Britain's booming housing market and stop the economy from boiling over, Mark Carney has said. On the day official data showed the average UK house price is ten times bigger than the average salary, the Governor used the Bank's a

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Friday newspaper round-up: Oil prices, Mortgage lending, SSE...

13th Jun 2014 07:30

Oil prices surged to a three-year high after insurgents took control of Iraq's second city and threatened to advance on Baghdad amid fears that the escalating conflict would disrupt oil exports. The price of Brent crude in London jumped $2 to hit $112 a barrel at one point yesterday, a level last se

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Analysts see 10% downside from Ofgem warning to energy suppliers

11th Jun 2014 11:09

Analysts predict around 10% downside to earnings for the 'Big 6' energy suppliers after regulator Ofgem urged them to explain to consumers why falling wholesale prices had not been passed through to household bills. The regulator wrote to the energy suppliers, outlining that "failure to engage with

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FTSE 100 movers: Petrofac rises on Barclays upgrade

21st May 2014 15:28

Petrofac climbed after Barclays raised its recommendation for the UK's largest oil and gas engineer. An increase in oil prices also boosted the sector with both Brent and West Texas Intermediate crude futures higher. Burberry's annual revenue rose 17% to £2.3bn, boosted by strong retail sales. The

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