London open: Footsie shrugs off bank weakness
18th Dec 2009 08:45
London's blue chips have opened higher despite another weak showing from the banks after harsher than expected recommendations from the Basel Committee yesterday. Shares in all four fell heavily yesterday on the news and Barclays, Lloyds, Royal Bank of Scotland and Standard Chartered are all lower
Read moreLondon close: Banks spooked by higher capital call
17th Dec 2009 16:34
Banks sank on a call for tougher capital requirements and coupled with a weak mining sector it meant a poor day in London. Lloyds Banking took a pasting, while Standard Chartered and Barclays were also among the worst performers. The Basel Committee of central bankers and supervisors called for st
Read moreLondon afternoon: Barclays hit by lawsuit
17th Dec 2009 13:55
Footsie remains deep in negative territory, and with US markets set to open lower, there is no prospect of a boost from Wall Street. Banks and miners are responsible for much of the blue-chip index's fall. Lloyds Banking is leading the fallers, while Standard Chartered and Barclays are also among t
Read moreLondon open: Banks and miners lead fall
17th Dec 2009 08:49
Weak miners and banking shares are leading London's top stocks lower in early dealings on Thursday. UK shares were expected to start the session in the red after Wall Street fell following the latest Federal Reserve rate decision and stimulus update. The central bank said interest rates would stay
Read moreLondon close: Financials lift Footsie
14th Dec 2009 16:58
Footsie began the week with good gains as the day got off to a strong start following news that Abu Dhabi is to bail out its troubled fellow Emirate Dubai. Investors piled into LSE, Standard Chartered and HSBC as the threat of possible huge bad debts recedes. An upgrade by Credit Suisse, which hi
Read moreLondon afternoon: Footsie up over 1%
14th Dec 2009 14:52
The UK's leading shares are finding plenty of support after a strong start on Wall Street and the Dubai bail-out. Investors have piled into LSE, Standard Chartered and HSBC as the threat of possible huge bad debts recedes. An upgrade by Credit Suisse, which highlighted the low exposure to Dubai a
Read moreLondon midday: Dubai gives general boost
14th Dec 2009 12:11
London's bue chips are still posting healthy gains, helped by the decision of Abu Dhabi to bail-out Dubai, its financially embarrassed neighbour. LSE, Standard Chartered and Royal Bank of Scotland are up on the Dubai news, which should lift the cloud of possible huge bad debts hitting the sector.
Read moreSector movers: Dubai bailout buoys banks
14th Dec 2009 10:17
Banks have moved higher following the decision of Abu Dhabi to bail out Dubai, its financially embarrassed neighbour. Standard Chartered leads the sector higher after receiving a boost in the form of an upgrade by Credit Suisse, which highlighted the low exposure to Dubai as well as the bullish tra
Read moreLondon open: Bright start as Dubai fears ease
14th Dec 2009 08:49
London's top stocks have opened more than 50 points higher with sentiment buoyed by the decision of Abu Dhabi to bail-out Dubai, its financially embarrassed neighbour. LSE, Standard Chartered and Royal Bank of Scotland are up on the Dubai news, which should lift the cloud of possible huge bad debts
Read moreFormer South Korea PM joins Standard Chartered
11th Dec 2009 14:36
Standard Chartered has appointed former South Korean Prime Minister Han Seung-Soo as a non-executive director in a shake-up of the Asia-focused bank's board. It also appointed Richard Delbridge, former finance director of bank HSBC, and Simon Lowth, chief financial officer of drug group AstraZeneca
Read moreThursday tips round-up: Stagecoach, Standard Chartered, Imagination
10th Dec 2009 06:05
Stagecoach, the bus and rail operator, proclaimed itself pleased with yesterday's half-year results: pre-tax profits were £75.5m, versus £105.2m this time last year, while earnings per share dropped to 9p, from 12.1p in 2008. The wheels could certainly come off, but on balance, we're happy to hop on
Read moreLondon close: Afternoon rally fizzles out
9th Dec 2009 17:13
The Chancellor's pre-Budget Report speech had little effect on UK equities, with much of its content widely expected while others subscribed to the view espoused by the Shadow Chancellor that it was more of a 'pre-election report' than a pre-Budget report. As expected, banks that pay excessive bonu
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Financials and miners head lower
9th Dec 2009 15:50
Financials and mining companies dominate the fallers in the FTSE 100. The index was in positive territory before the Pre-Budget Report but it fell back in the early afternoon. The financials heading downwards include Old Mutual, Man Group, Legal & General, Barclays and Resolution. Barclays will ce
Read moreLondon afternoon: Cautious response to Pre-Budget
9th Dec 2009 14:27
London's blue chips have reacted cautiously to the chancellor's pre-Budget speech even though the big numbers were better than feared. The government's borrowing forecast for this year came in ahead of market predictions with a slight upward revison to £178bn, while Alistair Darling stuck to his fo
Read moreLondon midday: Shares hold steady
9th Dec 2009 12:06
With less than half an hour to go before the Chancellor's pre-Budget Report speech, leading equities are back to square one, as investors wait to see what the Chancellor has in store. Speculation is he'll announce the biggest squeeze in public spending for a generation, with only schools, hospital
Read more