London midday: UK credit rating fear sparks sell-off
21st May 2009 12:00
Fears that the UK may lose its triple-A credit rating has given equities the jitters. Credit-rating agency Standard & Poor's said: 'We have revised the outlook on the UK to negative due to our view that, even assuming additional fiscal tightening, the net general government debt burden could approac
Read moreLondon open: Shares start lower
21st May 2009 08:17
London's top stocks opened lower on Thursday, with Cable & Wireless and British Land leading the fallers after reporting full-year figures. Full-year profit from Cable & Wireless was roughly in line with expectations, but the telecom group forecasts EBITDA of more than £1bn for the current year.
Read moreLondon pre-open: Sharp losses in store
21st May 2009 07:42
London is expected to start about 50 points lower following losses on Wall Street last night. Pub group Mitchells & Butlers has parted company with chief executive Tim Clarke after reporting a 48% slump in half year pre-tax profit. Profit before tax and exceptional items for the 28 weeks ended 11
Read moreSSE hikes final dividend
21st May 2009 07:04
Utility company Scottish & Southern Energy (SSE) has hiked its final dividend by 9% to 46.2p and said it plans an increase of at least 4% more than inflation for 2009/10. Adjusted pre-tax profit rose by 2% to £1,253.7m in the year ended 31 March on revenue of £25,424m. The group said it is aiming
Read moreThursday preview: Mitchells & Butlers, British Land, Cable & Wireless
20th May 2009 15:31
Pub group Mitchells & Butlers interim results are expected to show a sharp fall, with broker KBC Peel Hunt going for pre-tax profit of £35m, down 42% from last year's interim figure. KBC said the company is likely to attribute the decline to expiring food and energy contracts. Evolution Securities
Read moreWeek Ahead: British Land, C&W, SSE
15th May 2009 11:33
Thursday looks like being the big day for results again next week, with British Land, Cable & Wireless and Scottish & Southern Energy all announcing full-year results that day. If this week’s results from fellow property company Land Securities are any guide, British Land shareholders must be await
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