London midday: Upward trend continues
5th Jun 2009 12:11
Blue-chips shares continue to push ahead, led by minders in the wake of the decision by Rio Tinto to change tack with regards to its fund raising plans. Rio Tinto has capitulated to shareholder pressure and ditched its controversial $19.5bn refinancing deal with state-owned Chinese aluminium produc
Read moreLondon close: Footsie limps back into positive territory
27th May 2009 17:02
The movements of London's blue-chip index looked as if they were being directed by the grand old Duke of York today, with the index starting the day on the up, then heading lower over the lunchtime session before finishing roughly where it started. Sterling moved above $1.60 for the first time sin
Read moreLondon close: Footsie ends on low note
15th May 2009 16:29
London closed lower after a lacklustre afternoon session with losses on properties and travel companies outweighing gains on miners. Shocking figures from property giant Land Securities on Wednesday still cast a shadow over the real estate investment trusts (REITs). LandSecs leads the sector lowe
Read moreLondon afternoon: Travel companies trip Footsie
15th May 2009 14:10
London continues its gentle downward drift, with losses on properties and travel companies outweighing gains on miners. The market seems unlikely to get any sort of lift from Wall Street which is expected to open moderately weaker. Shocking figures from property giant Land Securities on Wednesday
Read moreLondon close: Late surge boosts blue chips
14th May 2009 16:48
A late surge helped Footsie close firmly in the blue after it traded within a narrow range for the bulk of the day. BT set a gloomy tone with worse than anticipated results and a dividend cut more severe than predicted, but other results got a more encouraging response. Insurer Prudential rose by
Read moreLondon afternoon: Footsie remains range-bound
14th May 2009 14:39
The FTSE 100 continues to trade within a narrow range, unable to move outside the 4,320 to 4,340 corridor since mid-morning. Though there has been a flood of company results, the mixed reaction to these is representative of the market's indecision today. The market was braced for bad news from BT b
Read moreBroker tips: Thomas Cook, Invensys, Prudential
14th May 2009 12:50
The Mexican flu scare has slowed bookings at holiday firm Thomas Cook but the underlying momentum is encouraging, reckons KBC Peel Hunt. 'Stripping out the short-term impact from Mexico, current booking patterns are trending towards capacity,' notes KBC analyst Nick Batram. 'Of particular note is
Read moreBroker snap: Healthy booking trends at Thos. Cook
14th May 2009 12:49
The Mexican flu scare has slowed some bookings at holiday firm Thomas Cook but the underlying momentum is encouraging, reckons KBC Peel Hunt. 'Stripping out the short-term impact from Mexico, current booking patterns are trending towards capacity,' notes KBC analyst Nick Batram. 'Of particular no
Read moreLondon midday: Shares tread water
14th May 2009 11:54
It is back to square one for London's blue-chips, with gains on banks and miners cancelled out by losses on oils and telecoms giant BT. Banks suffered some profit taking earlier in the week but are bouncing back, helped by a research note on the sector from Morgan Stanley. The US investment bank ha
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Brokers warm to Invensys
14th May 2009 10:59
Thomas Cook is under pressure today after larger than expected losses in the six months ended March. Pre-tax losses widened to £280.4m compared with £233.2m last time, while revenue rose 12.6% to £3,484.3m. Even so, the underlying momentum is encouraging, reckons broker KBC Peel Hunt. "Stripping
Read moreLondon open: BT in focus
14th May 2009 08:19
London's blue chips have opened lower with telecoms giant BT among the main fallers early on. BT suffered a 40% slump in pre-tax profit during the four quarter, forcing the firm to slash its dividend and announce plans to axe another 15,000 jobs. Fourth quarter pre-tax profit plunged to £429m from
Read moreThomas Cook H1 loss widens, full-year on track
14th May 2009 07:29
Travel firm Thomas Cook said it is on track to meet full year exceptions despite reporting a wider pre-tax loss in the six month ended March. Pre-tax losses widened to £280.4m compared with £233.2m last time, while revenue rose 12.6% to £3,484.3m. The group also upped its interim dividend by 15.4%
Read moreThursday preview: BT, Thomas Cook, KESA
13th May 2009 15:54
Expectations of massive write-downs, pension shortfalls, job cuts and a slashed dividend should make sure that embattled telecommunications colossus BT will feature prominently on the TV news tomorrow as well as the financial pages of the press when it declares full-year results. A maintained divid
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