Standard Chartered 'still the best in the world' says Investec
6th Aug 2014 11:50
Investec says Standard Chartered coped well with a difficult first half of the year and is "still probably the best bank in the world". The broker acknowledges that 2014 "may not be a stellar year", but it expects a kick-start for revenue-led growth in the second half of the year and beyond. With
Read moreStandard Chartered sees H1 profits fall 20%, faces another US fine
6th Aug 2014 10:31
- Pre-tax profit down 20%, but ahead of forecasts - Financial Markets, Korea weigh on bottom line - Bank facing potential fine regarding anti-money laundering systems Asia-focused banking group Standard Chartered saw profits drop by a fifth in the first half on the back of continued weakness in th
Read moreLondon open: UK stocks drop as Ukraine crisis intensifies
6th Aug 2014 09:10
- Russia builds up troop numbers along border - German factory orders slump 3.2% - Ex-div stocks fall, Sage rises after appointing new CEO techMARK 2,728.84 -0.47% FTSE 100 6,646.91 -0.53% FTSE 250 15,263.85 -0.57% UK stocks dropped on Wednesday morning as heightened geopolitical tensions hit risk
Read moreWednesday preview: Standard Chartered in focus
5th Aug 2014 16:47
A pair of FTSE 100 financial services companies will draw much attention on Wednesday, with Standard Chartered and Friends Life reporting together with a smattering of mid-caps. The market will be keenly watching Standard Chartered results, released at 09.15, after management signaled on 26 June t
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Intertek, HSBC lead risers after H1 results
4th Aug 2014 15:27
Product testing, inspection and certification group Intertek saw its share price surge 7% after half-year profits beat estimates despite sales falling short of forecasts. The company said that earnings per share slipped to 61.2p in the first six months of the year, down 1.1% on the year but above th
Read moreLondon midday: UK stocks snap three-day decline as HSBC rises
4th Aug 2014 12:12
- HSBC leads banks higher, Intertek rises - UK construction PMI beats forecasts - Portugal concerns ease after BES rescue techMARK 2,748.21 -0.12% FTSE 100 6,711.03 +0.48% FTSE 250 15,387.53 -0.10% UK stocks pushed higher on Monday as the FTSE 100 rebounded after three straight days of losses, as
Read moreSunday newspaper round-up: Carillion-Balfour, share sell-off, Lloyds Banking
3rd Aug 2014 18:04
Carillion plans to put Balfour Beatty in a "bear hug" to tempt Balfour's shareholders to support its attempted takeover, the Sunday Times said. Carillion last week scuppered a planned all-share merger when it backtracked on the agreed sale of Balfour's Parsons Brinckerhoff US design consultancy. Wit
Read moreSector movers: Barclays results receive warm reaction, boost banks
30th Jul 2014 16:19
Well-received interim results from Barclays saw the London-listed banking sector rise to the top of the pile on Wednesday as the UK lender bettered analysts' forecasts. The lender reported an 8% fall in adjusted pre-tax profit in the second quarter to £1.656m, which it blamed on currency movements
Read moreWednesday broker round-up UPDATE
30th Jul 2014 09:50
Antofagasta: Westhouse Securities downgrades from add to neutral with a target price of 885p. Investec places its target price (prev.: 690p) under review, while keeping its sell recommendation. Aureus Mining: FinnCap lowers target price from 66p to 62p maintaining a buy recommendation. British Ame
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: GKN leads after profits rise
29th Jul 2014 15:55
GKN climbed to the top spot after saying that a good performance by its automotive business fuelled 6% higher profits at the engineering group in the first half to £296m. However, a strong pound saw sales fall 1%. High street giant Next rose after lifting its sales and profit guidance for the full
Read moreBank of England to impose tough new bonus clawback rules
29th Jul 2014 15:31
The Bank of England (BoE) has decided to push ahead on its plans for super-tough bonus clawbacks on City bankers. The rules have been described as the toughest in the banking world but also "unreasonable" and even "unenforceable". A BoE consultation paper in March suggested bankers could be force
Read moreJPMorgan upgrades StanChart after "material underperformance"
29th Jul 2014 13:32
Standard Chartered's share price was making gains on Tuesday after analysts at JPMorgan Cazenove upgraded their rating on the stock from 'neutral' to 'overweight' following a "material underperformance" over the past year. JPMorgan said that shares of the emerging markets-focused bank have underper
Read moreBroker tips: Standard Chartered, GKN, St James's Place
29th Jul 2014 13:11
Standard Chartered's share price was making gains on Tuesday after analysts at JPMorgan Cazenove upgraded their rating on the stock from 'neutral' to 'overweight' following a "material underperformance" over the past year. JPMorgan said that shares of the emerging markets-focused bank have underper
Read moreLondon midday: UK stocks rise as blue-chip earnings impress
29th Jul 2014 12:08
- GKN, Next and Mondi impress, StanChart upgraded - St James's Place and BP fall - Gains capped by geopolitics, upcoming US data - Petra Diamonds sinks as shareholders sell stake techMARK 2,786.59 +0.38% FTSE 100 6,811.75 +0.35% FTSE 250 15,712.91 +0.62% UK stocks snapped a two-day losing streak
Read moreSunday newspaper round-up: Home Retail, strong pound, Lloyds Banking Group
27th Jul 2014 18:00
Home Retail Group is considering a sale of its £1.5bn Homebase DIY chain, the Mail on Sunday said. Home Retail wants to concentrate on its core Argos business under new group Chief Executive John Walden, who turned around Argos in the previous two years. Stronger sales and profitability at Homebase
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