Broker tips: RBS, water companies, Wolseley
26th Feb 2010 13:47
Initial response to Thursday's results from Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) was generally positive, but the figures have not made a believer out of JP Morgan. The US investment house is advising its clients to remain underweight in the part-nationalised lender after loss before tax at £6.2bn came in a
Read moreBroker snap: Water companies ripe for takeover
26th Feb 2010 08:28
Now that the haggling with the regulator over price controls is out of the way Royal Bank of Scotland has been poring over the numbers for the water sector and concludes that there is value to be had. 'We conclude that the sector looks cheap. We estimate that UU [United Utilities] and Severn Trent
Read moreLondon close: Third day of gains
2nd Feb 2010 16:39
A strong start in the US helped London rise for the third day in a row and finish at its highest in over a week, with commodity plays the pick of the bunch. Investors piled into miners as metal prices took off and brokers backed a further recovery in share prices. Eurasian Natural Resources (ENRC)
Read moreLondon close: Water groups lift Footsie
1st Feb 2010 16:43
Bid speculation helped Footsie to a good start to the week, with water groups in focus. Northumbrian Water spurted higher on reports a Canadian pension fund is poised to bid. Sector peers United Utilities, Pennon Water and Severn Trent rise in sympathy. JP Morgan, which was named two weeks ago as
Read moreSector movers: Water stocks wanted
1st Feb 2010 15:52
Water companies are the stand-out sector. Northumbrian Water has spurted higher on reports a Canadian pension fund is poised to bid. Sector peers United Utilities, Pennon Water and Severn Trent rise in sympathy. With stocks broadly higher, defensively-oriented tobacco stocks miss out, with Imperi
Read moreLondon afternoon: Blue chips boosted by bid chatter
1st Feb 2010 14:19
US futures point to a good start on Wall Street, with the Dow tipped to add over 60 points in early trading. It's helped London's blue chips move ahead further with water companies the stand-out sector. Northumbrian Water has spurted higher on reports a Canadian pension fund is poised to bid. Secto
Read moreLondon midday: Water companies float higher
1st Feb 2010 11:57
The FTSE 100 ended a quiet morning session marginally in positive territory, helped by some speculative attention focused on utility companies. Northumbrian Water has spurted higher on reports a Canadian pension fund is poised to bid. Sector peers United Utilities, Pennon Water and Severn Trent ris
Read moreLondon open: Footsie starts flat
1st Feb 2010 09:07
London's blue chips have opened flat with utilities and airlines the bright spots on bid and recovery talk respectively. Irish no-frills airline Ryanair's third quarter loss came in lower than expected and it upped its profit estimate for the full year as new routes meant yields fall by less than
Read moreOlliff reduces City of London stake
27th Jan 2010 16:07
Barry Olliff, chief executive and founder of City of London Investment Group (CLIG), has sold 100,000 shares at 310p each. Oliff still owns 19.7% of CLIG, which makes him the largest shareholder in the investment management company. Last October, Olliff announced that he planned to sell 500,000
Read moreWednesday tips round-up: Severn Trent, De La Rue, Gulfsands
27th Jan 2010 06:56
Severn Trent's chief executive, Tony Wray, has now confirmed the water utility has no plans for a rights issue, although it is cutting the dividend by 10%. The Independent generally is bearish about the water sector, but Severn Trent, which trades at about 1.5 times next year's earnings and yield mo
Read moreLondon close: Footsie snaps 4-day losing streak
26th Jan 2010 16:25
Top stocks staged a recovery late afternoon as Wall Street reacted well to US consumer confidence at a 16-month high. Standard Chartered was a bright spot after Nomura said the recent share price fall represents a buying opportunity. The Japanese broker upgraded the Far East focused bank to 'buy'
Read moreLondon afternoon: Losses pared
26th Jan 2010 14:19
Leading shares cut back their losses over the lunch time session but resource stocks remain under the cosh on fears that the Chinese authorities will step up its campaign to cool down its overheating economy and lift interest rates. Fresnillo, Xstrata and Kazakhmys lead the mining sector lower, wh
Read moreLondon midday: GDP figures no comfort
26th Jan 2010 12:03
News that the UK economy limped out of recession in the fourth quarter has failed to cheer equities, which remain more concerned about China and the possibility its government will slam the economic brakes on. The UK economy grew just 0.1% in the fourth quarter, far less than expected. Economists h
Read moreLondon open: Blue chips struggle
26th Jan 2010 08:49
Footsie has fallen again in early dealing with miners again under pressure on worries about overheating in China and the possibility its government will slam the economic brakes on. The big mining names are all lower this morning. Rio Tinto, Anglo American and Lonmin are the worst affected, but fal
Read moreLondon pre-open: More losses expected
26th Jan 2010 07:35
Footsie is expected to continue the decline that began last week in early dealings. The decline in consumption by non-residential customers tailed off in the fourth quarter, water company Severn Trent said. The company, which said it has been trading in line with expectations since 1 October, estim
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