Bank regulator identifies 27bn-pound capital shortfall at five UK banks
20th Jun 2013 07:49
The Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) said that five of the major eight banks in the UK fell short of their capital requirements at the end of 2012 with a combined shortfall of 27.1bn pounds. This is larger than the £25bn deficit calculated back in March by the Financial Policy Committee. Reg
Read moreSector movers: Banks gain on China rate-cut speculation
18th Jun 2013 15:14
Banking stocks were in demand on Tuesday on the back of reports that China could move to cut interest rates in an effort to combat a slowdown. An article in the China Securities Journal suggested that the People's Bank of China could reduce interest rates to reduce the debt burden on companies. M
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks rise as markets await Fed policy decision
18th Jun 2013 11:20
Markets were issuing decent gains on Tuesday morning with investors choosing to be optimistic ahead of the all-important monetary policy meeting in the States which concludes tomorrow. Helping sentiment this morning was Germany's closely-watched ZEW survey which showed that the economic sentiment i
Read moreTuesday broker round-up UPDATE
18th Jun 2013 08:19
Alternative Networks: Westhouse Securities upgrades from neutral to add with a target price of 350p. Andes Energia: Westhouse Securities initiates with a target price of 60p and a buy recommendation. Andor Technology: Investec reduces target price from 525p to 360p downgrading from buy to hold. A
Read moreBroker snap: Citi upgrades HSBC to 'buy'
18th Jun 2013 08:10
Citigroup has upgraded its recommendation for HSBC from 'neutral' to 'buy', saying that the future looks better for the global banking giant. The stock is down 10% over the last month and up just 5.0% so far this year, compared to -6.0% and +7.0% for the UK banking sector, respectively. The broker
Read moreLondon open: Stocks gain but traders nervous ahead of Fed meeting
17th Jun 2013 08:23
Stocks registered decent gains in early trading on Monday though upside is expected to be limited throughout the day as traders nervously await a policy meeting at the Federal Reserve in a few days' time. Both the economic and corporate earnings schedules for today are looking pretty light, so the
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Mining, property stocks gain as traders 'buy on the dip'
14th Jun 2013 14:25
A calmer session on financial markets prompted decent gains in the mining and property sectors on Friday, as bargain-hunters moved in to 'buy on the dip' after the recent volatility hit both sectors hard. Anglo American, Glencore, Antofagasta, Vedanta and Randgold led the resources sector higher to
Read moreRBS, Barclays and StanChart hit with Singapore rate censure
14th Jun 2013 13:31
UK banks have been reprimanded and ordered to make one billion pounds of new provisions due to suspected interbank rate manipulation in Singapore. Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), Barclays and Standard Chartered were three of the 20 banks to have been upbraided by the Singapore central bank. Eschewi
Read moreLondon midday: Financials pull markets lower after Hester exit from RBS
13th Jun 2013 11:38
Uncertainty regarding central-bank stimulus, reductions in global growth forecasts and the surprise departure of the head of one of the UK's biggest domestic banks prompted a sell-off on the FTSE 100 on Thursday, as volatility continued on markets across the globe. London's benchmark index slumped
Read moreLondon open: RBS leads market sell-off early on after Hester exit
13th Jun 2013 08:33
Markets sunk sharply from the off on Thursday morning as the FTSE 100's losing streak was extended into its fourth day, with RBS in focus after shocking the City with the surprise resignation of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Stephen Hester. Following the impressive rise seen at the start of the ye
Read moreSector movers: Barclays leads banks lower as risk appetite sours
6th Jun 2013 15:01
Ongoing market volatility and policy decisions from central banks saw risk appetite diminish on Thursday, with the banking sector in London the worst affected. Policy announcements from the Bank of England and European Central Bank - as well as ongoing uncertainty regarding the Federal Reserve's po
Read moreLondon midday: FTSE 100 down one per cent as volatility continues
31st May 2013 11:26
The volatile trade seen over the past week continued on Friday with investors turning nervous ahead of another raft of economic indicators from the US later on. "European markets have taken a leg lower this morning as traders look to scale back risk heading into the month's end, with the central ba
Read moreLondon close: Stimulus hopes drive triple-digit gains for FTSE 100
28th May 2013 16:49
While hopes have now faded for a long-term continuation of stimulus measures in the US, speculation surrounding continued monetary easing in Europe and Japan sparked a huge surge on equity markets on Tuesday. After reaching a 13-year high on Wednesday, the FTSE 100 dropped sharply in the latter par
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks bounce back after recent sell-off
28th May 2013 11:20
UK markets were registering impressive gains on Tuesday morning with hopes of continued monetary easing in the Eurozone lifting sentiment as stocks bounced back following last week's sharp sell-off. After reaching a 13-year high on Wednesday, the FTSE 100 dropped sharply in the latter part of last
Read moreLondon open: Stocks surge as markets play catch up after long weekend
28th May 2013 08:30
UK markets surged in early trading on Tuesday with traders wasting no time in playing catch up as they returned to their desks following the three-day weekend. After reaching a 13-year high on Wednesday, the FTSE 100 dropped sharply in the latter part of last week on fears of a scaling back of stim
Read more