London midday: Cadbury hits new high
23rd Nov 2009 12:06
London shares are racing ahead as the dollar's recent strength wanes, prompting renewed interest in mining shares. Gold has hit new highs, and that has led to sharp mark-ups in the price of gold miner Randgold and silver and gold miner Fresnillo. Elsewhere in the sector ENRC, Lonmin, Xstrata, Rio
Read moreLondon open: Miners propel Footsie higher
23rd Nov 2009 08:51
Miners are driving Footsie higher again, with all of the top ten gainers metals groups. Xstrata, Rio Tinto and Randgold are the top risers, but the gains are sector-wide and strong. There's also good news at Lloyds Banking Group where the bank has the part-nationalised lender enjoyed "strong dema
Read moreLondon close: Four-day rally is over
17th Nov 2009 16:31
The leading index finished near its worst levels of the session as weaker banks and mining heavyweights brought a 4-day winning streak to an end. The dollar's bounce off Monday's 15-month low hurt metal prices. Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke said last night that the Fed will conduct policy i
Read moreBritish Airways soars in best ever quarter for Footsie
30th Sep 2009 17:18
Any doubts that this is a bull-market have been quashed by the FTSE 100 putting in its best ever quarterly performance since the index's inception in 1984. After closing at 5133.90 on Wednesday, 30 September 2009, the FTSE 100 was sitting 20.82% higher than at the end of June. In points terms, the
Read moreLondon close: Shares end up but down from highs
22nd Sep 2009 16:39
London's leading shares finished with slight gains but were well below earlier highs as miners eased back slightly. Eurasian Natural Resources, Lonmin, Xstrata and Vedanta Resources still posted healthy gains, while precious metals miners Fresnillo and Randgold Resources were also on the climb. R
Read moreLondon afternoon: Shares off the top
22nd Sep 2009 14:07
Shares drifted lower over the lunchtime session but are still up on the day, helped in no small part by the strength of miners, which are rising in line with firmer metals prices. Rio Tinto is wanted after it sold off another chunk of Alcan. The heavily indebted miner sold Alcan Composites, part of
Read moreLondon midday: Rio's assets sale continues
22nd Sep 2009 12:10
Miners continue to lead the market higher as investors return to the market after yesterday's pause for breath. Rio Tinto is wanted after it sold off another chunk of Alcan. The heavily indebted miner sold Alcan Composites, part of the Alcan Engineered Products division, to Swiss firm Schweiter Tec
Read moreComment: The Post-Lehman Landscape
19th Sep 2009 11:53
This week marked the anniversary of the demise of US investment banking giant Lehman Brothers and the collapse of insurance behemoth AIG, two events that threatened to bring about the implosion of the world's financial system. Yet, here we are, a year later and the UK's major stock indices have stru
Read moreLondon afternoon: Footsie consolidates gains
16th Sep 2009 14:30
The number of FTSE 100 constituents in the red today is in single figures as investors chase up share prices in the wake of relatively upbeat comments from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke last night. Bernanke said the US recession 'is very likely over at this point,' prompting an advance by gl
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie breaks through 5100
16th Sep 2009 11:58
Leading shares rose steadily throughout the morning session pushing the FTSE 100 index through the 5100 barrier. Mining stocks are responsible for much of the rise as metals prices head north after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said the US recession 'is very likely over at this point' in a s
Read moreTechnical Analysis: Water stocks get a soaking
24th Jul 2009 16:06
This week's decision by Ofwat to propose cuts in water bills between 2010 and 2015 has seen the publicly quoted shares in the water sector take a hit. The fear is that the companies' profitability will be hit as the regulator has stipulated that the planned £21bn of investment will not be affected
Read moreFriday newspaper round-up: FSA, Lloyds/RBS, National Express
24th Jul 2009 06:11
The world's biggest banks could be penalised with onerous surcharges, forcing them to set aside proportionately far more capital than smaller rivals, Lord Turner of Ecchinswell, chairman of the Financial Services Authority, suggested yesterday. Lord Turner, speaking after the FSA's annual meeting,
Read moreLondon close: US surge extends Footsie's winning streak
23rd Jul 2009 16:32
Footsie's winning streak extended to nine days as US markets surged ahead on better than expected June home sales and forecast-busting results from a number of US household names. Trading had been quiet up until mid-afternoon, but as soon as the US markets started to pick up buyers returned in earn
Read moreSector movers: Ofwat plan sinks water firms
23rd Jul 2009 15:07
Shares in water companies fell heavily after the water regulator Ofwat outlined proposals on pricing over the next five years that were less generous than they hoped. Ofwat's plans would see the average water bill fall by £14 to £330 before inflation between 2010 and 2015, while leaving leave room
Read moreLondon afternoon: Footsie regains 4,500
23rd Jul 2009 13:46
The Footsie's eight day winning streak looks set to become nine days as the blue chip index hit 4,500 again amid more gains for US stocks. On the positive side, miners Fresnillo, Kazakhmys, Vedanta Resources, Rio Tinto, BHP Billiton, ENRC, Xstrata and Lonmin are all among the top ten risers on hope
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