Wednesday preview: Standard Chartered, ITV, Carillion
2nd Mar 2010 18:07
The banking results season trundles on with Standard Chartered set to release full year figures on Wednesday. Whenever results of banks are spoken of, mention of bonuses usually follows soon after, but while the top bosses of some of the High Street banks have responded to public pressure and waive
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Standard boost
2nd Mar 2010 15:22
Financials and commodities are pushing the Footsie forward although Prudential is still falling back. Standard Chartered is rising ahead of its 2009 figures tomorrow. The Asia-focused bank is expected to announce profit before tax of $5.1bn. Market consensus is for earnings per share to fall somew
Read moreLondon midday: Banks bounce back
2nd Mar 2010 12:08
Although base metal miners have reversed course and are now heading south the FTSE 100 index has added to early gains, helped by a surge in interest in banking shares. Ahead of results tomorrow Standard Chartered is leading the banking sector higher. Part-nationalised lenders Royal Bank of Scotland
Read moreLondon close: Strong finish for FTSE 100
1st Mar 2010 16:30
The leading share index finished on a strong footing as strength in the mining sector and gains on the back of company updates helped offset a weak performance from financial stocks. Miners were in demand following a rise in copper prices following the earthquake in Chile, the world's number one p
Read moreLondon afternoon: Copper-bottomed advance
1st Mar 2010 14:15
Gains on mining stocks are more than offsetting losses in an insurance sector that has been rocked by the prospect of a huge rights call from Prudential. Confirmation that Pru may pay $35bn (£23bn) for the Asian business of troubled US insurer AIG has unsettled the insurers. Any deal would need to
Read moreWeek Ahead: HSBC, Standard Chartered, BoE rate decision
26th Feb 2010 11:36
The banking results season has coincided with 'bonus waiving' season this time round and when Asia-focused banking groups HSBC and Standard Chartered release full year figures next week attention is sure to be focused as much on management bonuses as on the numbers. The board of HSBC reportedly met
Read moreLondon afternoon: Footsie falls as miners switch sides
3rd Feb 2010 14:32
Mining stocks headed south over the lunch time session, taking the blue-chip index with them. Antofagasta is the worst performer in the mining sector. The copper miner produced 442,500 tonnes of the red metal in 2009, ahead of its original forecast of 433,000 tonnes but lower than the 477,700 tonne
Read moreLondon midday: Merrills takes a shine to banks
3rd Feb 2010 12:08
Footsie ended the morning at an intra-day high, driven by a strong performance from financial stocks and miners. Standard Life is the top riser after it announced a 'significant increase' in flows and sales in the fourth quarter. Life and pensions net inflows more than tripled to £1.3bn from £0.4bn
Read moreLondon close: Strong finish for FTSE 100
29th Jan 2010 16:38
Footsie gave up a recent weak spell to finish the week with good gains. Whitbread was the star performer. Following an investor day yesterday, Barclays Capital raised its price target on the Costa Coffee and Premier Inn owner to 1,700p from 1,600p. The broker thinks Whitbread will benefit from new
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Banks and miners recover
29th Jan 2010 15:34
The FTSE 100 index is recovering today with banks and miners leading the way. Negative broker comment has not hampered the banks. FBR Capital Markets has been running its rule over UK banks and has cut its price target for HSBC from 893p a share to 800p a share "to reflect a similar level of conse
Read moreLondon midday: RBS unit sued for $8bn
29th Jan 2010 12:10
After a mid-morning dip blue-chips are on the rise again, though it is not the sort of advance that is likely to change investors' view that January was a month to forget. For once, the miners are not moving in lock step with each other. Sector giants Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton are firmer, while go
Read moreThursday newspaper round-up: HSBC, Barclays, Morrison
28th Jan 2010 05:58
Alistair Darling is to meet the chiefs of top British and American banks at a secret meeting in Davos tomorrow to hear their concerns about the introduction of tough new sanctions against the banking sector. The Times has learnt that the bosses of HSBC, Barclays and Standard Chartered, and top exec
Read moreBankers line up to slam 'over-regulation'
27th Jan 2010 13:37
World bankers presented a united front in condemning moves to regulate the industry further with chief after chief stepping up at the World Economic Forum in Davos to slam planned bank reforms. Bob Diamond, Barclays president and head of its investment bank BarCap, led the assault. "If you say th
Read moreLondon close: Footsie snaps 4-day losing streak
26th Jan 2010 16:25
Top stocks staged a recovery late afternoon as Wall Street reacted well to US consumer confidence at a 16-month high. Standard Chartered was a bright spot after Nomura said the recent share price fall represents a buying opportunity. The Japanese broker upgraded the Far East focused bank to 'buy'
Read moreLondon afternoon: Losses pared
26th Jan 2010 14:19
Leading shares cut back their losses over the lunch time session but resource stocks remain under the cosh on fears that the Chinese authorities will step up its campaign to cool down its overheating economy and lift interest rates. Fresnillo, Xstrata and Kazakhmys lead the mining sector lower, wh
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