Sector movers: Miners strike as dollar dives
25th Oct 2010 14:59
A weaker dollar has done wonders for the mining sector, making the dollar-denominated commodities cheaper to foreign buyers. Antofagasta, Kazakhmys and Rio Tinto are among the best of the bunch, although a number of resource plays are trading around two-year highs. Automobiles & Parts also stands
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie hit by debt worries
29th Sep 2010 12:19
Footsie is now in the red after a bright start, with European debt issues again clouding the mood. Debt-stricken Ireland is the focus of attention again. The rating agency Standard & Poors says the price of bailing out nationalised bank Anglo Irish could exceed $47bn. Banks RBS, Lloyds and Barclays
Read moreLondon open: Transatlantic lift for Footsie
29th Sep 2010 08:51
London has opened handily ahead after the decent close on Wall Street overnight. In company news, British Airways has finally signed its well-flagged transatlantic ticketing and revenue share agreement with American Airlines and merger partner Iberia. It starts in October and is worth a combined $7
Read moreLondon pre-open: Footsie to inch higher
29th Sep 2010 07:40
US stocks battled away last night to finish with a decent lead, but that hasn't impressed traders over here, with London expected to make just small gains in opening deals. Futures prices indicate a 5-point advance at the start. In company news, British Airways has signed a huge transatlantic tick
Read moreSSE making solid progress
29th Sep 2010 07:04
Energy supplier Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) has assured the market it is on course to deliver on its pledge of above-inflation dividend increases. The company has set a principal financial objective for 2010/11 of an increase in the dividend of at least two percentage points above the Retail
Read moreLondon close: Stocks close lower as rally fizzles out
22nd Sep 2010 17:00
Footsie gave up a brief rally to close in the red on an uncertain day's trading in the wake of Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke's nervous comments on US economic prospects yesterday. Shares in the US moved lower despite having rallied earlier. Similar sentiments to those expressed by Bernank
Read moreLondon afternoon: Miners shore up Footsie
22nd Sep 2010 14:45
Leading shares made steady progress over the lunch time session returning the blue-chip index more or less back to where it finished overnight. Mining stocks are primarily responsible for the Footsie's level position, with industrial metal miners such as Antofagasta, Kazakhmys and Rio Tinto now do
Read moreLondon midday: Gold stocks shine in dull market
22nd Sep 2010 12:11
The market has been absorbed in interpreting smoke signals from the US and UK central banks today. In the US, the Federal Reserve left interest rates at just above 0% and said yesterday it expects the recovery to continue, but added "the pace of economic recovery is likely to be modest in the near-t
Read moreLondon open: Banks behind weak start
22nd Sep 2010 08:51
Reports that the government is mulling a new bank windfall tax has unsettled share prices this morning. Vince Cable, the Business Secretary, will say in a speech today that bankers present more of a threat to Britain than trade unions, adding that the corporate world is "murky" and that the capita
Read moreLondon pre-open: Small improvement likely
22nd Sep 2010 07:37
Wall Street's move into the black last Tuesday is set to reflect well on London this morning, though gains are expected to be modest first thing. Futures prices indicate an initial 15-point rise for the FTSE 100. Imperial Tobacco is still on track to meet forecasts for the year, though growth in t
Read moreSSE to develop embedded network for Nissan UK
22nd Sep 2010 07:09
The utility solutions arm of energy supplier Scottish and Southern Energy is to develop an embedded electricity network for Nissan Motor manufacturing UK. The network will be the one-hundredth embedded electricity network developed by the company outside the areas served by its economically-regulat
Read moreSSE launches smart energy kit
15th Sep 2010 07:51
Energy supplier Scottish & Southern Energy (SSE) has announced the nationwide launch of a smart energy kit called 'iplan'. The kit enables customers to track their energy use in real time and provides archived information on energy usage. "The development of new products is central to success in B
Read moreLondon close: Footsie little changed
2nd Sep 2010 16:31
Leading shares struggled for direction all day and closed little changed as most blue chips traded sideways. Wall Street was similarly becalmed with the Dow Jones up just one point in the first few hours. European bourses did better as the ECB upped its forecast for eurozone growth for this year an
Read moreLondon afternoon: Bid talk spices up dull day
2nd Sep 2010 14:28
Leading shares are still lacking direction, a condition matched in the US where shares are expected to open mixed. High-flying computer chip designer ARM Holdings is flying a little lower today after Panmure Gordon reiterated its "sell" recommendation and cut its price target for the stock to 265p
Read moreLondon midday: Profit-takers weaken ARM
2nd Sep 2010 12:07
London completed an indecisive morning with the blue-chip index marginally in the red. Investors have shown little inclination to chase prices higher after yesterday's strong advance and economic data has not been helpful to sentiment. UK construction sector growth slowed for the third month in a
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