London close: US retail sales lift markets off lows
13th Mar 2013 17:01
Disappointing production data from the Eurozone dampened stocks on Wednesday morning in London, but a better-than-expected reading of US retail sales saw markets rally off their lows in afternoon trade. The monthly measure of American retail sales increased by 1.1% in February, an acceleration from
Read moreJohn Whittaker increases stake in Intu
13th Mar 2013 16:21
The Deputy Chairman of Intu (formerly Capital Shopping Centres), John Whittaker, has boosted his stake in the group by 60,000 shares two weeks after the company posted a stable set of full year results. Whittaker, who joined the board after selling the well-known Trafford Centre shopping mall to C
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Prudential gains on strong profit rise
13th Mar 2013 15:13
Prudential was the strongest riser after posting a 25 per cent increase in its annual operating profits, saying its performance was largely driven by its "sweet-spot" markets including Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand. Food retailer Sainsbury was up on the back of comme
Read moreLondon midday: FTSE 100 pulls back from five-year highs
13th Mar 2013 11:33
Stocks pulled back from five-year highs on Wednesday morning as traders took profits after industrial production data from the Eurozone disappointed. So far this year, the FTSE 100 index has gained nearly 10% and was yesterday trading near levels not seen since late 2007. Weighing on markets this
Read moreTuesday broker round-up UPDATE
12th Mar 2013 07:19
Abcam:Investec shifts target price from 484p to 487p and keeps a buy recommendation. Admiral Group: UBS ups target price from 1200p to 1275p and reiterates a neutral rating. Amlin: Westhouse Securities raises target price from 440p to 455p, but downgrades from add to neutral. Anite: Numis reduce
Read moreMonday broker round-up UPDATE
11th Mar 2013 07:23
Admiral Group: Berenberg ups target price from 1000p to 1060p, but still recommends selling. Amlin: Westhouse Securities raises target price from 440p to 455p, but downgrades from add to neutral. Anite Group: Invetsec downgrades from buy to hold with a target price of 157p. Aviva: Citigroup reduc
Read moreLondon close: Markets cement gains after strong US jobs data
8th Mar 2013 16:56
The FTSE 100 registered its highest closing price in over five years on Friday after a key indicator of the US labour market smashed expectations. However, the figures failed to give stocks a boost in afternoon trade as investors pondered whether the data is strong enough to prompt the Federal Rese
Read moreSector movers: Barclays, HSBC lead banks higher
8th Mar 2013 15:50
Strong economic data from the States pushed markets higher on Friday, with the banks benefitting from the bullish mood. UK banking heavyweights Barclays and HSBC were among the best performers on the FTSE 100 in afternoon trade. Barclays hit the headlines on Thursday night after its Chief Executiv
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks rise as market prices in strong US jobs data
8th Mar 2013 11:36
Markets maintained their positive bias on Friday morning as traders showed confidence ahead of a key reading of labour-market strength in the US later on, the February employment report. Increased risk appetite in London meant that financial stocks were leading the way higher today. Expectations r
Read moreLondon open: Risk appetite increases ahead of US jobs report
8th Mar 2013 08:25
The FTSE 100 was firmly in positive territory on Friday morning ahead of the crucial US employment report due out this afternoon, with traders hoping that jobs figures could beat forecasts given the solid economic data seen as of late. The US jobs report, out at 13:30 London time, is expected to gi
Read moreLondon close: Stocks pare gains ahead of policy decisions
6th Mar 2013 16:51
After a solid rise early on, the FTSE 100 had trimmed gains by the close of trade on Wednesday as investors took profits after stocks hit fresh multi-year highs the day before. Markets across Europe finished mixed this afternoon, slipping from the best levels of the day "as caution once again tempe
Read moreWednesday broker round-up UPDATE
6th Mar 2013 07:03
Advanced Medical Solutions: Investec takes target price from 68p to 74p and maintains a buy recommendation. Aggreko: Citigroup reduces target price from 2550p to 2100p, while keeping a buy rating. Ashtead Group: Citigroup raises target price from 590p to 660p leaving its buy recommendation unalter
Read moreBroker tips: Stanchart, Intertek, Ophir Energy
5th Mar 2013 16:00
Analysts at Credit Suisse expect shares of Intertek to gain, as margins recover in the second half of the year. Hence, they have lifted their target on the firm's stock to 3,850p from 3,550p before, while reiterating their outperform rating. The Swiss broker is forecasting that the quality and sa
Read moreBroker Snap: Investec says Standard Chartered is "top pick"
5th Mar 2013 14:32
Investec has reiterated its "buy" recommendation for Standard Chartered after the bank unveiled "quality" results on Tuesday morning. Ian Gordon, an analyst at Investec, said: "Normalised EPS [earnings per share] of 225.2 cents is 2.0% ahead of consensus, stated profit before taxation of $6.9bn is
Read moreBroker snap: Investec upgrades HSBC as disposals continue
27th Feb 2013 10:05
Investec has upgraded its recommendation for global banking giant HSBC from 'hold' to 'add' after the stock's recent underperformance. "After RBS (rated 'sell'), HSBC has been the worst performing UK bank year-to-date," according to Investec analyst Ian Gordon. Including Wednesday's 1.26% gain (to
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