Friday tips round-up: Tomkins, Thomas Cook, Greencore
14th Aug 2009 06:49
Tomkins could yet prove to be a good recovery play. And if the shares drift back down to more realistic levels over the coming weeks we would be more interested. The next couple of quarters will be the crucial ones, but at the moment these shares have gone far enough. Cash in and sell says the Indep
Read moreQuintain's Dwyer buys £50k stake
13th Aug 2009 16:33
Property company Quintain Estates has soared over 1400% from record lows in March, but bosses think the shares have further to go. Tonianne Dwyer, who joined Quintain in 2003 to head the fund management business, has spent £50,000 on 40,000 shares at 125p each. That takes 45-year-old Dwyer's stake
Read moreLondon close: US optimism lifts blue chips
13th Aug 2009 16:32
Optimism over the state of the US economy, fuelled by yesterday's statement from the Federal Reserve helped Footsie post good gains. Miners were in demand. Kazakhmys led the mining sector higher, with Xstrata, Lonmin, ENRC, Rio Tinto, Vedanta, and Antofagasta also going well. Anglo American is
Read moreLondon afternoon: Advance slowed by US retail sales data
13th Aug 2009 14:15
Optimism over the state of the US economy, fuelled by yesterday's statement from the Federal Reserve that the US economy may have seen the worse of the recession, took a knock from the release of US retail sales figures which unexpectedly showed a fall in July. The news took the shine off some of th
Read moreTechnical Analysis Snap: Thomas Cook catches a cold
13th Aug 2009 13:14
Thomas Cook shares took a hit this morning after it informed the market that it had taken a £12.6m hit due to the swine flu outbreak. It also stated that it would be unlikely to achieve its targets for 2010 and downgraded its earnings forecast accordingly. That said it did post a 10.7% rise in rev
Read moreBroker tips: Prudential, Thomas Cook, Carclo,
13th Aug 2009 12:49
Shares in life assurance giant Prudential are up nearly 40% over the last month but after the release of strong results on Thursday morning Panmure Gordon believes the shares are still worth buying. The interim results came in "well above the top end of the range of expectations" and according to t
Read moreLondon midday: Shares hold on to early gains
13th Aug 2009 12:17
The Footsie has been trading sideways since around 10:00am after a bright start that was inspired by yesterday's statement from the Federal Reserve that the US economy may have seen the worse of the recession. The news has spurred demand for commodities stocks on expectations that a recovery in the
Read moreBroker snap: KBC downgrades Thomas Cook
13th Aug 2009 11:29
Shares in travel group Thomas Cook were given the cold shoulder on Thursday morning as the company took a £12.6m hit due to the swine flu outbreak and added that it is unlikely to achieve its targets for 2010. The company's interim management statement gave broker KBC Peel Hunt the perfect opportun
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Pru soars on dividend rise
13th Aug 2009 10:46
Insurer Prudential leads the FTSE 100 after profit before tax from continuing operations increased 6% to £688m, driven by strong underlying operating performance in Asia. But it was the dividend hike that really caught the eye. After big dividend cuts from rivals Legal & General and Aviva, the Pru
Read moreLondon open: Miners help early rise
13th Aug 2009 08:17
London's top stocks have made a positive start to the day after upbeat economic data from the Continent and a strong performance on Wall Street last night. Figures out this morning showed that Germany and France staged an unexpected return to economic growth in the second quarter of the year, rais
Read moreLondon pre-open: Bright start predicted
13th Aug 2009 07:40
Footsie is expected to open higher after a strong performance from Wall Street last night. Insurer Prudential said its half-year results show continued "strong performance" in what still remains challenging market conditions. IFRS operating profit before tax from continuing operations increased 6%
Read moreThomas Cook takes £12.6m swine flu hit
13th Aug 2009 07:06
Shares in travel group Thomas Cook fell back after it posted a rise in revenues in the nine months to June 30, but said it took a £12.6m hit due to the swine flu outbreak and added that it is unlikely to achieve its targets for 2010. Revenue for the nine month period climbed by 10.7% from the same
Read moreLondon close: Stocks near session high
12th Aug 2009 16:14
Footsie closed near a session high on Wednesday as London's top stocks continued to add to gains in afternoon trade, with banks among the best performers. Lloyds Banking finished up more than 6%, closely followed by fellow part-nationalised lender Royal Bank of Scotland . The FSA unveiled a new co
Read moreLondon afternoon: Gains trimmed
12th Aug 2009 14:10
London is clinging onto positive territory as Wall Street gears up for a slow start ahead of tonight's Federal Reserve policy statement. Banks continue to do well. Royal Bank of Scotland agreed to sell its Pakistan unit to MCB Bank for $87m (£53m). The UK lender, 70%-owned by the British governmen
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie rallies despite BoE caution
12th Aug 2009 12:16
Footsie has rallied despite a mixed morning for UK economic news with unemployment hitting a new 14-year high and low key comments about UK recovery from the Bank of England. In the central bank's quarterly inflation report, Bank governor Mervyn King said the sustainability and strength of any reco
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