London pre-open: Early strength predicted
13th May 2010 07:36
Triple-digit gains on Wall Street last night and a rally in Asia is just what the doctor ordered and should be enough to get the leading index back trading at levels not seen for over a week. City forecasters reckon the FTSE 100 will open about 46 points higher, near the 5,430 mark. It's not been t
Read moreVolcano disruption to cost Thomas Cook £70m
13th May 2010 07:26
Travel group Thomas Cook posted narrower losses in the six months to the end of March after continuing to cut capacity to cope with tough economic conditions and said that the impact of the volcano cloud disruption in April would be about £70m. Pre-tax losses totalled £252.2, less than the £309m sh
Read moreLondon afternoon: Coalition hopes lift Footsie
12th May 2010 15:07
Investors' attention remains firmly focused on the assembly of prime minister David Cameron's new government and his first press conference with new partner Nick Clegg. The pair seemed indistinguishable as they stood on the lawns of No 10 Downing St, but they were given an indication of the econom
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Positive oils can't stop fall
28th Apr 2010 15:25
Strong figures from Royal Dutch Shell have also boosted the share price of fellow oil company BP but this has not been enough for FTSE 100 to hang on to positive territory. The banks, which were the worst performers earlier in the day, have recovered the majority of their earlier losses but remain
Read moreLondon close: Higher finish for FTSE 100
23rd Apr 2010 16:38
It was a typically quiet Friday on the company news front, but stocks posted good gains as investors took heart from the apparent stabilisation of the Greek debt situation. Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou has asked the European Union and the International Monetary Fund to activate their €45b
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Good day for most
23rd Apr 2010 15:11
It's good day for blue chips despite the problems in Greece.The number of FTSE 100 constituents in the red is in single figures. Prudential is one of them. It announced today that it would price its $20bn rights issue on 5 May while also seeking a listing in Singapore and Hong Kong to encourage som
Read moreLondon afternoon: Insurers left behind
23rd Apr 2010 14:07
The blue-chip index edged higher over the lunch time session but has not yet recouped all of yesterday's losses, and barring a late flourish looks set to end the week lower than it started it. The number of FTSE 100 constituents in the red is in single figures and comprises a large number of insure
Read moreThursday newspaper round-up: Arriva, Tui Travel, Thomas Cook
22nd Apr 2010 06:12
Arriva is on Thursday expected to recommend a £1.54bn cash takeover by Deutsche Bahn, marking the first foreign purchase of one of the UK's big five bus and rail groups. The operator of the CrossCountry and Wales train franchises and a clutch of UK bus services was on Wednesday night poised to agree
Read moreAer Lingus and BAA update on volcano disruption
20th Apr 2010 11:27
With flights starting to take off again in parts of the UK and travel stocks having updated the market on costs incurred as a result of the volcano cloud that enveloped Europe, clarity is starting to emerge on economic effects of the disruption. Some internal flights have taken off from Glasgow an
Read moreLondon close: Volcano disruption holds back shares
19th Apr 2010 16:47
Trading was overshadowed by the volcano cloud that is keeping planes grounded across Europe, with updates on the impact of the disruption appearing throughout the day, but the leading share index finished just a few points lower. British Airways fell after saying it estimates that lost passenger an
Read moreThomas Cook losing £7m a day from airspace closure
19th Apr 2010 16:27
Tour operator Thomas Cook says that the volcanic ash cloud from Iceland is losing it £7m a day. The closure of airports and airspace has disrupted the firm's flight and holiday programme. The precise financial impact is difficult to calculate but the lost contribution and additional costs are esti
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: RBS litigation boost
19th Apr 2010 15:47
Part-nationalised bank Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) is said to be one of the big losers from the activities of Goldman Sachs which the SEC is investigating for fraud. The UK and German authorities also intend to investigate the US investment bank. Press reports suggest that RBS lost £550m as a res
Read moreLondon afternoon: RBS defies the trend
19th Apr 2010 14:37
The FTSE 100 briefly dropped below 5700 over the lunchtime session as share prices continued to drift lower. Travel stocks remain the big story as the major players start to count the cost of the disruption from the Icelandic volcano cloud. IATA, the international air transport association, has es
Read moreLondon midday: Shares still under a cloud
19th Apr 2010 12:28
UK shares remain under a cloud, with travel stocks coming under selling pressure as the disruption from the Icelandic volcano cloud continues to disrupt air travel. IATA, the international air transport association, has estimated that the airlines industry has lost $250m per day from the grounding o
Read moreUpdate: British Airways seeks volcano compensation
19th Apr 2010 09:36
Shares in travel stocks continued falling as they updated the market on expected losses from the cloud of volcano ash that is keeping flights grounded across Europe. Normal air traffic is expected to resume from seven o 'clock on Tuesday morning as airports in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the nor
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