London afternoon: Resource stocks lose favour
14th Sep 2009 14:11
Resource stocks are friendless today as oil and metals prices shift into reverse. Reports over the weekend suggested some commentators are concerned by the amount of speculative money that is flowing into the minerals sector. Meanwhile copper prices have fallen for the fourth day in a row on over-s
Read moreWednesday newspaper round-up: RBS, energy firms, General Motors
26th Aug 2009 06:48
The sale of Royal Bank of Scotland's retail and commercial assets in China has hit a stumbling block that could derail negotiations with preferred bidder Standard Chartered, according to people familiar with the matter, according to the Financial Times. Standard Chartered entered exclusive talks wit
Read moreFriday newspaper round-up: Scrappage scheme, Northern Rock, UBS,
21st Aug 2009 06:19
The US cash-for-clunkers car scrappage scheme has become a victim of its own success, with the government announcing that the incentives will come to an end on Monday evening, just a month after they were introduced, says the FT. Private investors who bought permanent interest-bearing shares or Pib
Read moreSSE preferred bidder for streetlighting deal
20th Aug 2009 14:48
Power supplier Scottish & Southern Energy (SSE) has been appointed preferred bidder for the £225m, 25-year South Coast Streetlighting Private Finance Initiative (PFI). The South Coast Street Lighting PFI is the largest street lighting PFI project in the UK and includes lighting services for Hampshi
Read moreLondon close: Late rally leaves Footsie little changed
19th Aug 2009 17:14
Share prices of London's leading stocks closed mixed, thanks to a late rally, after the market had spent most of the day in retreat. ENRC was the day's star performer despite reporting a 63% slide in pre-tax profits for the first half of 2009. The dividend has been cut in half but investors were e
Read moreLondon afternoon: Lloyds provides some cheer
19th Aug 2009 14:14
The bears are back in command today with the blue-chip index in the red, though the size of the decline has been exacerbated by a number of index constituents trading in ex-dividend form. Former Bank of Ireland governor Richard Burrows is to be the new chairman of Lucky Strike maker British Americ
Read moreLondon midday: Shares stable at lower levels
19th Aug 2009 11:54
Equities are back on the slide again today with little hope of a boost from the other side of the Atlantic where the Dow Jones 30 is expected to open around 80 points lower. ENRC is a bright spot despite reporting a 63% slide in pre-tax profits for the first half of 2009. The dividend has been cut
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: ENRC up on positive outlook
19th Aug 2009 11:41
ENRC is a bright spot despite reporting a 63% slide in pre-tax profits for the first half of 2009. The dividend has been cut in half but investors were encouraged by a strong set of second quarter production figures and optimistic noises made by the management about prospects for the rest of the yea
Read moreSector movers: LiDCO gives health care equipment a boost
19th Aug 2009 11:36
The health care equipment sector received a shot in the arm from news that heart monitoring equipment supplier LiDCO is on track to deliver a maiden profit in the coming full year. The company said it has shown a strong sales performance during the six months ended 31 July and expects revenues to
Read moreLondon open: Ex-divs weigh
19th Aug 2009 08:20
Footsie is in the red following yesterday's good gains and despite decent performance on Wall Street overnight. Former Bank of Ireland governor Richard Burrows is to be the new chairman of Lucky Strike maker British American Tobacco when Jan du Plessis steps down from the position on 1 November. B
Read moreWednesday preview: BoE minutes provide focus
18th Aug 2009 17:27
All eyes will be on the Bank of England midweek as economists study minutes from the Monetary Policy Committee's meeting earlier this month. They'll be keen for more information on why the central bank made its surprise decision to extend its quantitative easing programme by £50bn. In an otherwise
Read moreRock fall halts SSE's hydro power station
17th Aug 2009 14:14
Power supplier Scottish & Southern Energy (SSE) said it cannot predict when electricity will next be generated at its Glendoe hydro power station following a partial blockage caused by internal rock falls near the top of the tunnel carrying water from the reservoir to the power station. The tunnel
Read moreScottish and Southern buys Uskmouth for £27m
13th Aug 2009 16:23
Scottish and Southern Energy is paying £27m in cash for the firm which owns and operates the 363MW (megawatt) Uskmouth coal-fired power station. The acquisition of Uskmouth Power Company from Welsh Power Group Limited will take SSE's total electricity generation portfolio past 11,000MW for the firs
Read moreSector movers: International Power surges on results
11th Aug 2009 12:25
Strong results from International Power have jolted the electricity sector higher. The power generator reported a rise in profit in the six month period, thanks to improved contributions from Australia and Asia. It is the strongest riser in the sector, with fellow electricity stocks such as Scottis
Read moreFriday tips round-up: Kingfisher, Colt Telecom, Capita
24th Jul 2009 06:44
Kingfisher issued its second-quarter trading update yesterday, topping most analysts' expectations. With the Office for National Statistics also saying yesterday that retail sales rose in June, the group should be feeling confident about the rest of the year. Kingfisher probably deserves a small pr
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