London midday: Footsie tops 5,900
20th Dec 2010 12:00
Things turned around dramatically in the hour before lunch as the session came alive after a rather dull start, nudging a 2½-year high by midday. Defensive issues are still going well. National Grid, Scottish & Southern Energy and British Gas owner Centrica are expected to benefit from the cold sn
Read moreGreen energy drive to lift electricity bills
16th Dec 2010 13:05
Electricity bills could climb by as much as £500 a year as the government seeks to push energy companies towards low carbon power plants, according to analysts. The price comparison website uSwitch said that taxing traditional energy sources such as coal and gas to pay for investment in renewables
Read moreNpower raises prices by 5.1%
10th Dec 2010 15:36
The cold snap may have eased, but there is no respite for electricity and gas users with Npower raising its tariffs just a day before a price hike from British Gas kicks in. The increase also comes just a fortnight after regulator Ofgem launched a new investigation into energy companies after fresh
Read moreSnowy weather hits retailers
2nd Dec 2010 13:25
The current spell of wintery weather has already begun taking its toll on businesses. The sportswear and equipment retailer JJB Sports and the department store group John Lewis have both complained that the wintery conditions have been keeping shoppers away. While bad weather does not usually have
Read moreLondon close: Rally falters as eurozone worries continue
26th Nov 2010 16:53
A sharp rally following earlier heavy losses nearly lifted Footsie into positive territory in the afternoon but the rally fizzled out and the leading share index closed lower, with European debt concerns still looming large. Portugal is currently going down the path trodden by Ireland and denying i
Read moreLondon afternoon: Losses pared
26th Nov 2010 14:39
After briefly dipping below 5600 this morning Footsie more or less halved its losses over the lunchtime session, though heavy falls are still being sustained by miners and banks. Portugal is currently going down the path trodden by Ireland and denying it is in need of a bail-out and, as with Irelan
Read moreLondon midday: Shares slide amid euro concerns
26th Nov 2010 12:01
The leading share index's losses are almost in the triple-digits now as worries over the euro-debt crisis persist. Portugal's insistence that it is not under pressure to follow Ireland in accepting a bail-out failed to reassure investors. Bond yields in Portugal and other debt-plagued eurozone coun
Read moreLondon open: Early falls for blue chips
26th Nov 2010 08:47
Losses in Asia, a lack of direction from Wall Street, where traders sat out Thursday's session for Thanksgiving, and little company news have made for a dull start. Power companies are the main point of interest after Ofgem launched a new investigation after fresh data revealed a sharp increase in
Read moreScottish Power announces price rises
19th Nov 2010 16:26
ScottishPower has become the latest energy company to announce a rise in gas and electricity prices for winter. Tariffs for 2.5m households will climb by an average of 2% for gas and by 8.9% for electricity, the power group said. Last week, British Gas (owned by Centrica) followed in the footstep
Read moreLondon close: Footsie rallies to narrow losses
12th Nov 2010 16:47
Footsie recovered from an early slump to close just a few points lower as well-received company updates nearly cancelled out losses in the mining sector. Miners were big fallers on disappointment with the outcome at the G20 meeting and the possibility of a currency free-for-all. Talk that China is
Read moreLondon afternoon: Imagination hit by Samsung rumour
12th Nov 2010 14:27
Considering mining shares are in the dumper Footsie, though lower on the day, is faring reasonably well, after a lunch time session that saw share prices move sideways. Miners are big fallers on disappointment with the outcome at the G20 meeting and the possibility of a currency free-for-all. Talk
Read moreBritish Gas lifts prices by 7%
12th Nov 2010 09:35
British Gas will raise householders' gas and electricity bills by an average of 7% from 10 December, the utility group's owner Centrica has announced. The price change will amount to a weekly increase of £1.50 on the average bill and will affect about 8m customers on British Gas's standard and vari
Read moreLondon close: Shares fall back amid global worries
10th Nov 2010 16:34
Footsie was posting substantial losses by trading's close as losses in the mining sector cancelled out any optimism engendered by company updates. As usual, it was global economic concerns that weighed on the mining sector. US stocks are under pressure amid worries over China's efforts to curb infl
Read moreLondon afternoon: BAE takes off
10th Nov 2010 15:10
Mining stocks are dragging London lower as copper and precious metal prices come off the boil. Kazakhmys, Lonmin and ENRC are the worst performers while precious metals miners Randgold and Fresnillo fare little better. BAE Systems is the best performing blue-chip after holding an investor day ye
Read moreSector movers: Elecricity surges after SSE update
10th Nov 2010 14:36
The electricity sector has been given a jump start by a bullish update from Scottish and Southern Energy. "SSE's key financial objective is dividend growth, and we are on course to meet our target of a 2% real increase for the full year 2010/11, while maintaining a dividend cover in line with our
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