London close: Miners pull index lower

11th Mar 2010 17:02

London bounced off 5,600 despite a weak start on Wall Street but still closed in the red on a poor day for miners. Falling commodity prices and China inflation concerns prompted profit taking in Fresnillo, Randgold, Rio Tinto, ENRC, Kazakhmys, BHP Billiton and Xstrata. Speculation rose that Chin

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London afternoon: Footsie holds above 5,600

11th Mar 2010 14:32

A steady decline continued through lunch, but London bounced off 5,600 despite a weak start on Wall Street as mining sector losses narrowed very slightly. Falling commodity prices have damaged miners Thursday. Investors decided to take profits in Fresnillo, Randgold, Rio Tinto, ENRC, Kazakhmys, BHP

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London midday: Thos. Cook a ray of sunshine

11th Mar 2010 12:08

The Footsie has drifted into the red, weighed down by the weakness of mining stocks. Among the miners Fresnillo, Randgold Resources, Rio Tinto, ENRC, Kazakhmys, BHP Billiton and Xstrata are all on offer, as metals prices retreat. Smith & Nephew is under the weather after coming out on the wrong

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London close: Oils and pharmas shine

22nd Dec 2009 17:09

London equities added to the previous day's gains although a late pull-back ensured that rises were not as extensive as yesterday. Oil stocks and pharmaceuticals led the way higher. Cairn Energy enjoyed another strong day after it announced yesterday that it would start its drilling programme in G

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London afternoon: Shares off the top

22nd Dec 2009 14:28

Leading shares came off the top over the lunch time period but most are still sporting reasonable gains, leaving the Footsie still within striking distance of its high for the year. Oil stocks are driving the index higher, particularly Cairn Energy and Royal Dutch Shell. Cairn Energy is enjoying

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London midday: Shell leads advance

22nd Dec 2009 11:50

With two of its five most heavily weighted constituents notching up rises in excess of 2%, the FTSE 100 had a good morning session. Royal Dutch Shell and GlaxoSmithKline are the two heavy hitters boosting the blue-chip index's performance. Oil giant Shell gets a boost from firmer oil prices while d

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Thomas Cook boss adds to stake

7th Dec 2009 16:27

Thomas Cook's chief executive, Manny Fontenla-Novoa, has splashed out nearly £100,000 on shares in the travel firm. The Spanish-born businessman took 44,819 shares at 221.5p a time and now has 687,172. His purchase of shares comes soon after Thomas Cook beat expectations with its results for the y

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London midday: Footsie consolidates gains

1st Dec 2009 12:00

London is participating in a global rally by stock markets, as doubts over the Dubai debt crisis ease. Buoyant manufacturing data from China is lifting miners. HSBC said the Purchasing Manager's Index (PMI) for China climbed to a seasonally adjusted 55.7 in November from 55.4 in October. The index

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Ticket price hikes boost TUI Travel

1st Dec 2009 07:04

Travel operator TUI saw profits rise in the year to September 30 despite flat revenues amid reduced demand in the tough economic climate as it managed to raise ticket prices and keep its planes full. Pre-tax profits for the year at TUI Travel, which was formed from the merger of First Choice Holida

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Tuesday tips round-up: Thomas Cook, Drax, Creston

1st Dec 2009 06:44

Annual results from Thomas Cook beat consensus expectations and also included an upbeat outlook for the coming year. With a price to earnings ratio of just 10.7 times, a considerable discount to rival TUI Travel, Thomas Cook is still a buy says the Independent. Power station Drax supplies about 7%

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Tuesday newspaper round-up: Dubai, Sovereign debt, Tesco

1st Dec 2009 06:39

The Government of Dubai has refused to honour the debt obligations of its largest company, prompting fears that international creditors could be wiped out. Dubai World, the state-owned conglomerate, was effectively abandoned to its fate by the Emirate's Government yesterday despite previous assump

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London close: Shares drop again in late trading

30th Nov 2009 16:32

London's blue chips recovered most of their losses in late afternoon trading and looked like they could be set for a positive finish before turning down again just before the close. Banks such as Lloyds Banking, Royal Bank of Scotland and Standard Chartered remained nervous about the debt situation

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London afternoon: Banks pare losses

30th Nov 2009 14:36

Leading share prices are still holding steady at lower levels as investors await further developments from Dubai. Banks such as Lloyds Banking, Royal Bank of Scotland and Standard Chartered remain nervous about the debt situation in emirate, though the morning's losses have been pared. HSBC defie

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Broker tips: Carphone Warehouse, Thomas Cook, Informa

30th Nov 2009 13:27

Carphone Warehouse pleased the market with better than expected interims last week but Nomura Securities was irked that the company did not provide an update to guidance on expected savings from its Tiscali purchase. The broker is tipping that the company will upgrade by one-third current guideline

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Broker snap: Killik bearish on Thomas Cook

30th Nov 2009 13:04

Travel operator Thomas Cook's full year results were ahead of expectations but broker Killik & Co still would not buy the shares, even though they look cheap. The shares trade on 8.4 times consensus earnings per share for the year to September 2010 and are 'not expensive at present,' concedes Killi

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