Tuesday preview: Legal & General, Standard Chartered report
5th Aug 2013 13:42
Legal & General Group (L&G) will unveil its half-year results on Tuesday after declaring that it wants to increase its investment in Britain's infrastructure. The financial services company signalled a £12bn boost to the UK economy, saying it wants to raise investment in infrastructure from £3.0bn
Read moreLondon open: Markets rise as earnings impress
24th Jul 2013 08:53
Well-received updates and results from easyJet, ARM Holdings, Tate & Lyle, Compass and Kingfisher pushed the FTSE 100 firmly into positive territory on Wednesday morning, as markets shrugged off disappointing economic data from China. HSBC's flash China manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI
Read moreLondon open: Stocks fall ahead of busy week for earnings
22nd Jul 2013 08:23
The FTSE 100 opened slightly lower on Monday morning as investors turned cautious ahead of a busy week for corporate earnings across the globe. Markets are in for a "bumpy ride" this week with nearly a third of S&P 500 companies set to report their quarterly earnings, according to Financial Sales T
Read moreLondon open: Stocks fall after gloomy figures from Microsoft, Google
19th Jul 2013 08:13
The FTSE 100 pulled back from a seven-week high on Friday morning after disappointing results from some Wall Street heavyweights last night. London's benchmark index closed at 6,634 on Thursday; the last time the index finished higher was on May 30th when it closed at 6,657. Both the S&P 500 and
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Aberdeen, Resolution lead financials higher
12th Jul 2013 14:08
Financial stocks were performing well on Friday with asset manager Aberdeen and insurance group Resolution leading the way after positive comments from analysts. UBS reiterated its 'buy' rating for Aberdeen and added the stock to its 'most preferred' list, saying that the recent share price falls h
Read moreLondon midday: Markets extend gains despite concerns over China
12th Jul 2013 12:11
Strong gains in the financial sectors were lifting markets higher on Friday despite concerns over a slowdown in China, as investors continued to focus on dovish comments from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke. Stock futures on Wall Street were pointing to a positive start on Friday, extending g
Read moreLondon open: Markets extend gains after record highs on Wall Street
12th Jul 2013 08:51
Markets looked set to end the week on a high note with financial stocks lifting the FTSE 100 higher in early trading on Friday, as sentiment was buoyed by record highs on Wall Street last night. Both the Dow Jones and S&P 500 indices closed at their highest ever levels on Thursday, while the Nasdaq
Read moreLondon midday: Miners drag markets lower after Chinese data
10th Jul 2013 11:33
The FTSE 100 had slipped into the red on Wednesday morning with markets turning cautious ahead of a statement from the Federal Reserve, hoping for indications of when the central bank will begin to taper stimulus. Disappointing trade figures from China were also weighing on sentiment today, pressur
Read moreMoody's upgrades UK banking sector
10th Jul 2013 10:24
Moody's has changed its outlook on the UK banking system to 'stable' from 'negative' to reflect Britain's improved economic prospects. The ratings agency said the more stable UK economy had improved the outlook for borrowers being able to repay debts. There were also encouraging signs for profitabi
Read moreLondon midday: Banks, miners lead markets higher
9th Jul 2013 11:30
Improved appetite for risk helped equities in the banking and mining sectors on Tuesday morning, pushing the FTSE 100 to levels not seen in over a month. London's benchmark index was trading at around 6,500 this morning, a mark not reached since the start of June when markets were beginning to pric
Read moreLondon open: Miners give markets a boost
9th Jul 2013 08:29
Strong gains from mining and banking stocks ensured a strong open for the FTSE 100 on Tuesday morning as sentiment was lifted by improving hopes for the US economy and a bailout deal in Greece. London's benchmark index opened over one per cent higher early on advancing past 6,500, a level not seen
Read moreLloyds stake to receive bid from group led by Mervyn Davies
8th Jul 2013 11:38
Former Standard Chartered Chairman Mervyn Davies plans to form a consortium of investors to bid for part of the UK government's 39 per cent stake in Lloyds Banking Group, according to reports on Monday. Davies has approached Standard Life and sovereign wealth funds about assembling a group to make
Read moreSector movers: RBS leads banks higher as markets surge
4th Jul 2013 14:51
Every sector in London was trading in positive territory on Thursday as dovish comments by central banks in the UK and Europe sparked a market-wide surge with the FTSE 100 up around three per cent by late afternoon. The Bank of England and European Central Bank both dampened expectations of potenti
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks rise as BoE holds fire, markets eye ECB
4th Jul 2013 11:28
The FTSE 100 issued decent gains on Thursday morning, taking advantage of expected low volumes on the back of the Independence Day holiday in the States, with all eyes on central banks in the UK and Europe in the absence of any major economic data today. As expected, the Bank of England (BoE) stood
Read moreBroker tips: Lloyds, ASOS, Dunelm
4th Jul 2013 10:49
An improving picture of the housing market should start to rub off on UK banks, according to Nomura, which is viewing the the sector with 'guarded optimism'. Nomura has upgraded its rating for Lloyds from 'reduce' to 'neutral', saying that the company is now its top pick in the domestic UK banking
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