Tuesday broker round-up
12th May 2015 12:59
HSBC: Macquarie downgrades to underperform and lowers target to 520p from 600p. StanChart: Macquarie downgrades to underperform and lowers target to 850p from 950p. easyJet: Panmure Gordon reiterates buy with 2,000p target, Numis stays at buy with 2,100p target. Mitchells&Butlers: JP Morgan Cazeno
Read moreLondon midday: Bond sell-off and Greek uncertainty hammer stock markets
12th May 2015 11:26
UK stocks dropped sharply on Tuesday as a sell-off on sovereign debt markets and ongoing fears about Greece's finances hammered sentiment. The FTSE 100 was down 1.63% at 6,915.17 by midday, with Easyjet leading the decline with a 10% share-price fall following its interim results. The Footsie hit a
Read moreBroker tips: Easyjet, Royal Mail, Thomas Cook
12th May 2015 11:21
Easyjet's share price dropped back down to earth on Tuesday after the budget airline delivered a cautious outlook, with the market consensus stance on the stock as a 'buy' likely to come under pressure. "Given that the shares have risen 19% over the last six months alone, as compared to a 6% hike fo
Read moreCredit Suisse upgrades Thomas Cook to 'outperform'
12th May 2015 10:53
Credit Suisse said it sees an attractive risk-reward balance at Thomas Cook Group as it upgraded its rating on the travel tour operator from 'neutral' to 'outperform'. The bank pointed out that TCG has underperformed sector rival TUI by around 45% since September last year and now trades at a 30% di
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Evraz higher on pledge to buy back shares, RPC reverses
1st Apr 2015 13:19
Russia-focused steelmaker Evraz surged after pledging to buy-back shares despite reporting a net loss of $1.28bn last year. FirstGroup rose strongly after saying trading for the year to the end of March had remained in line with expectations, with progress continuing on its medium-term transformatio
Read moreWednesday tips round-up: Lloyds, Thomas Cook
1st Apr 2015 10:31
You should always pay your debts, or maybe not. In the depths of the past financial crisis Lloyds Banking Group issued £8.3bn of so-called enhanced capital notes (ECN). Those pay a coupon of up to what is now a scandalous 16.1%. But they came with two caveats. First, should the lender's core tier on
Read moreThomas Cook expresses sunny outlook despite continued price pressure
31st Mar 2015 07:40
Although recent trading has not been universally good and prices have remained under pressure, holidays group Thomas Cook has taken confidence from improved trading in continental and northern Europe in recent weeks. While trading remained tough in some markets, the FTSE 250 company said the improvi
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Centamin surges on strong dividend, energy stocks higher
23rd Mar 2015 12:52
Profits at gold miner Centamin more than halved in 2014, as higher production was offset by increased output costs and lower commodity prices, yet the stock surged after the company's maiden dividend smashed analysts' expectations on the back of stronger cash generation. Other miners were also tradi
Read moreLondon close: Stocks retreat as Fed rate fears outweigh ECB stimulus
6th Mar 2015 16:36
One day after loose monetary policy in Europe pushed UK stocks to a new record high, fears about a sooner-than-expected tightening in the States dragged markets lower on Friday after a forecast-smashing US jobs report. Mining stocks were providing a drag in London as commodity prices weakened in the
Read moreShoreCap sees 'exciting potential' in Thomas Cook's China partnership
6th Mar 2015 13:52
After Thomas Cook confirmed that Fosun International, the Chinese conglomerate that recently snaffled France's Club Med, has invested £92m via a new share issue, Shore Capital maintained its 'hold' stance on the UK travel group but hailed the "exciting" potential. With Fosun taking a 5% stake in new
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Thomas Cook up on new partnership, Just Retirement lower as shareholder sells stake
6th Mar 2015 12:46
Thomas Cook jumped after the company announced a new strategic partnership with Chinese investment giant Fosun International which will see the latter take a 5% stake in the travel operator. Fosun is investing £91.8m and intends over time to increase its shareholding to around 10%. DCC was boosted o
Read moreBroker tips: Schroders, Kingfisher, Royal Mail, Thomas Cook
6th Mar 2015 11:44
Surging flows into funds at Schroders support the asset manager's premium rating to the sector, according to Berenberg, which hiked its target price for the stock on Friday. "Schroders is a best-in-class asset/wealth manager with strongly performing funds and global reach," Berenberg said. The broke
Read moreLondon midday: FTSE pulls back from record highs ahead of US jobs data
6th Mar 2015 11:36
UK stocks were lower on Friday morning but trading within a narrow range with investors cautious ahead of the all-important US non-farm jobs report. Markets were also trading near never-before-seen heights, giving participants an extra reason to tread lightly in London. The FTSE 100 was down 0.12%
Read moreLondon open: Stocks pause ahead of non-farm payrolls with FTSE at record high
6th Mar 2015 08:19
UK stocks declined on Friday in spite of some upbeat economic data from Germany, as markets paused at record highs ahead of some key labour-market data in the States later on. The FTSE 100 was down 0.09% at 6,955 early on, pulling back from Thursday's all-time closing high of 6,961.14. Thursday's g
Read moreLondon pre-open: Slow start expected as investors await US jobs data
6th Mar 2015 07:50
After setting a new record high the previous session, UK stock markets are expected to open on cautious note on Friday ahead of the all-important US jobs report. City sources predict the FTSE 100 will open around five points lower than Thursday's all-time closing high of 6,961.14. Thursday's gains
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