London pre-open: Footsie set to dip below 5700
16th Jun 2011 07:35
The market is still fretting about the situation in Greece and is set to open lower, with the top-share index predicted to open around 44 points lower, which would take it just below the 5,700 level. Greek prime minister George Papandreou is to seek a vote of confidence in the Greek parliament toda
Read moreEasyJet to fly from Stobart's Southend Airport
16th Jun 2011 07:10
Budget airline easyJet is to start operating flights from Southend Airport in Essex next year, the airport's owner, logistics firm Stobart, has announced. The flights will start in April, ahead of the London Olympics, and will begin flying to about 10 destinations including Barcelona and Ibiza in S
Read moreStobart's Alan Kelsey jumps aboard
8th Jun 2011 15:38
New Stobart director Alan Kelsey has wasted no time opening his account with the logistics giant, spending nearly £77,000 on shares. He took 55,000 shares at just under 140p a time. Kelsey, 62, joined Stobart last month. He has been corporate development director at the rail and bus group National
Read moreSector movers: Metals prices boost demand for miners
27th May 2011 14:39
The mining sector is heading higher on Friday afternoon, as stocks track metals prices upwards. Copper, gold and silver prices are firmer on a weak US dollar, as investors look to 'safe-haven' qualities of precious metals. Blue chips Antofagasta, Kazakhmys, Lonmin and Randgold Resources are all in
Read moreElevator man buys BP shares
24th May 2011 15:36
Non-executive director George David bought more than £800,000 of shares in BP yesterday, the oil giant announced today. He bought 30,000 American Depositary Receipts (ADS), which is equivalent to 180,000 ordinary BP shares. He paid $43.99 each for half of the ADSs and $43.98 for the other half. Da
Read moreTuesday tips round-up: Stobart, Vectura, Mitie
24th May 2011 06:25
Yesterday, the logistics group Stobart issued full-year figures, with pre-tax profits falling short of market hopes. But the share price rose as the focus turned to the confident outlook statement. Moreover, the stock is down more than 20% since the recent February peak. That, unsurprisingly, has hi
Read moreLondon close: Stocks slump as euro debt worries continue
23rd May 2011 16:51
The top share index was nursing triple-digit losses by the close of play as the eurozone debt crisis continued to rumble on. The spotlight has turned to Italy, with the ratings agency Standard & Poors changing its stance on the Mediterranean country to "negative" from "stable." The situation is of
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Profits jump at MITIE
23rd May 2011 15:42
Outsourced service provider MITIE is the highest riser of the day after posting a sharp rise in profits for the year to 31 March. Pre-tax profits jumped to £86.8m from £79.7m the previous year on revenues that were up to £1.89bn from £1.72bn. "The opportunities in outsourcing and energy services in
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks slump on euro worries
23rd May 2011 12:04
Stocks are firmly in the red as the eurozone crisis continues to drag on. The spotlight has turned to Italy, with the ratings agency Standard & Poors changing its stance on the Mediterranean country to "negative" from "stable." The situation is of global concern and metals prices have taken a knoc
Read moreLondon open: Stocks dive as euro worries drag on
23rd May 2011 08:30
Continuing worries over the Eurozone debt crisis are casting a shadow over trading this morning, helping send stocks sharply lower. The spotlight has turned to Italy, with the ratings agency Standard & Poors changing its stance on the Mediterranean country to "negative" from "stable." The situatio
Read moreLondon pre-open: Stocks find reverse gear
23rd May 2011 07:39
Most of London's leading stocks are set to head south at the outset, with City traders expecting the top-shares index to dive 56 points from Friday's close of 5,948. Property group British Land reported continuing strong demand for its retail and office properties in spite of economic weakness as i
Read moreDiversification to accelerate at Stobart
23rd May 2011 07:13
Stobart Group's revenue topped the half billion pounds mark but underlying profits at the logistics firm eased a tad in a year characterised by a tough operating environment. Revenue from continuing operations in the year to 28 February rose to £500.4m from £447.7m the year before. Market consensus
Read moreLondon close: Stocks give up gains
13th May 2011 17:01
Stocks ran out of puff following the US open and closed in the red giving up the gains they had posted on the back of buoyancy on Wall Street overnight. Oil services group Petrofac said it is "increasingly confident" that it will deliver profit growth in line with previous guidance after a strong p
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Stobart leads the fallers
13th May 2011 15:51
The worst performing stock on the FTSE 250 is distribution group Stobart, which issued a strongly-worded statement denying a "speculative" story in the Daily Telegraph that alleges that the Financial Services Authority (FSA) is examining a deal that will see Stobart buy a property portfolio from its
Read moreLondon midday: Thumbs up for company updates
13th May 2011 12:04
Stocks have reacted well to company updates and the FTSE 100 is in touching distance of the 6,000 point mark again. Oil services group Petrofac leads the FTSE 100 higher after saying it is "increasingly confident" that it will deliver profit growth in line with previous guidance after a strong perf
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