London close: Footsie jumps on euro hopes
15th Sep 2011 16:27
After an already strong start to trading on Thursday on the back of a Franco-German statement on Greece, markets across Europe surged following a European Central Bank (ECB) announcement in mid-afternoon, helping the Footsie in London finish over 2% higher. Early on, investors celebrated last night
Read moreLondon close: Good gains as FTSE 100 rallies
13th Sep 2011 16:58
Stocks rediscovered their earlier buoyancy to finish with strong gains as hopes of a resolution of the euro crisis attracted buyers. Today's big mover, Cairn Energy, fell sharply after reporting disappointing results from its drilling campaign offshore Greenland, with one well coming up dry and ano
Read moreLondon midday: Eurozone worries resurface
13th Sep 2011 12:07
This morning's bright start seems a distant memory now, with shares firmly in the red as worries over the Eurozone situation take centre stage again. Today's big mover, Cairn Energy is sharply lower after reporting disappointing results from its offshore drilling campaign offshore Greenland, with o
Read moreLondon open: M&B leads the rise after offer rejection
13th Sep 2011 08:32
Reports that China is planning to provide support to the Eurozone helped UK stocks higher on Tuesday morning, following a late recovery on Wall Street last night. Wall Street's rally was prompted by reports that Italy's government is negotiating with the Chinese government in the hope that Beijing
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks stuck lower but Lloyds bucks trend
12th Sep 2011 12:03
The top share index is stuck firmly in negative territory as worries over the Eurozone crisis and possible effects on global growth continue. The UK has its own concerns though after the government-appointed Independent Commission on Banking has said British banks should separate their retail bank
Read moreLondon open: Stocks tumble after banking report
12th Sep 2011 08:24
Footsie has dived more than 100 points at the outset as the markets get to grips with the details of the Vickers report from the Independent Commission on Banking. British banks should separate their retail banking and investment banking divisions, the government-appointed Independent Commission o
Read moreLondon pre-open: Triple digit fall as market digests ICB report
12th Sep 2011 07:32
The Footsie is set to dive more than 100 points at the outset as the markets get to grips with the details of the Vickers report from the Independent Commission on Banking. British banks should separate their retail banking and investment banking divisions, the government-appointed Independent Com
Read moreUK financial reform could be delayed as banks scramble to avoid taxes
1st Sep 2011 10:49
Rumours are flying that reform of the UK's financial sector could be delayed until 2015 - after the next election. Reports from the Financial Times and the BBC claim legislation could be passed to split banks' retail and investment arms before 2015 but not implemented until later. Banks have been
Read moreSector movers: GSK gives pharma sector a booster
22nd Aug 2011 15:27
The pharmaceuticals and biotechnology sector was among the best performing sectors on Monday, helped by its giant constituent GlaxoSmithKline. The FTSE 100 drugs and healthcare firm announced that it is to buy up over a quarter of UK-based biotech firm Autifony Therapeutics through its wholly-owned
Read moreLondon close: Calmer start to the week, Footsie edges 31 higher
15th Aug 2011 16:35
A strong start on Wall Street and large gains from the miners helped London's blue chip index finish 0.57% higher on Monday. Meanwhile the banks limited gains on the Footsie over concerns over their level of exposure to Eurozone debt. Fluctuations in trading on Monday were not as severe as in recen
Read moreSector movers: Spectris bolsters gains in electronic sector
15th Aug 2011 15:17
Gains for FTSE 250 precision instrumentation and controls company Spectris are bolstering the electronic and electrical equipment sector on Monday. Spectris's shares rose 5% to 1,416p (3.35pm) after it announced that it is to acquire Omega, a privately held US business providing measurement and con
Read moreBroker tips: CSC, Standard Chartered, Misys
4th Aug 2011 12:36
UBS has cut its target price from 405p to 380p for shopping centre development outfit Capital Shopping Centres (CSC) due to a lower net asset value (NAV) forecasts and increased uncertainty in the retail market. "The retail market remains tough with few signs of a near term improvement as austerity
Read moreBroker snap: Standard Chartered 'maintaining the story', says Nomura
4th Aug 2011 11:51
First-half results at Standard Chartered met expectations, says Nomura, who keeps its positive view on the shares and maintains its buy rating. The broker notes that the firm's numbers for the six months ended 30 June were in line, with double-digit income and pre-tax profit growth and flat operati
Read moreStandard Chartered goes on hiring spree
4th Aug 2011 08:04
Standard Chartered, the UK's second biggest bank by market value, is to take on an extra 2,000 staff by the end of the year, according to its head of Asian operations. The news comes in stark contrast to rivals HSBC and Barclays who have both announced large job cuts this week. Jaspal Singh Bindra
Read moreLondon open: Footsie plummets in early trading
3rd Aug 2011 08:31
The Footsie plummeted in early trading and stood firmly below the 5,700 level, losing more than 1.5%. Disappointing US economic data has more than offset relief that the US debt ceiling law has been passed, and is overshadowing a busy morning for company announcements. Meanwhile, renewed fears o
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