London close: Miners push Footsie higher
2nd Dec 2009 17:09
Despite being weighed down by a number of ex-dividend stocks, Footsie finished the day in positive territory, with gains on miners outweighing losses on banks. With metals prices hardening, miners were in demand. Lonmin was the best performer after being raised to 'buy' by Investec, which also upgr
Read moreLondon afternoon: Footsie in the blue
2nd Dec 2009 14:52
Though banks are still looking sickly, Footsie has struggled into positive territory on the back of a strong mining sector. Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) remains the biggest faller among blue-chips, with lingering concerns about its exposure to Dubai World's debt now overshadowed by with newspaper r
Read moreTelford Homes 'in good shape'
2nd Dec 2009 12:24
Telford Homes, the builder of homes in East London, is on course to match full-year forecasts and is confident enough in the housing recovery to start work at new sites next year. Profit before exceptional items for the six months ended 30 September leapt to £6.5m from £0.3m a year ago on revenue u
Read moreLondon midday: Banks get battered
2nd Dec 2009 12:11
After yesterday's strong gains, equities come off the boil today with banks, in particular, getting hammered, on enduring fears over exposure to Dubai debt. Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and Lloyds Banking are the big fallers among blue-chips, while elsewhere in the banking sector Barclays is also o
Read moreLondon open: Flat start for Footsie
2nd Dec 2009 08:41
London's blue chips have made a flat start despite gains for miners as gold hit a new record high. The metal rose above $1,200 per ounce again overnight in Asia as investors sought refuge from a weak dollar and Dubai's woes. Lonmin, Vedanta and Kazakhmys are all going well. Offsetting that are som
Read moreLondon pre-open: Flat start ahead
2nd Dec 2009 07:33
London's blue chips look set to open largely unchanged from yesterday's close, though commodities are likely to be in focus after gold hit a new record high. Gold rose back above $1,200 per ounce again overnight in Asia as investors sought refuge from a weak dollar and Dubai's woes. In corporate n
Read moreOlympic effect spurs Telford revival
2nd Dec 2009 07:21
Regeneration developments around the 2012 Olympics site helped Telford Homes, which builds homes in East London, buck the general gloom in the housebuilding sector to post a surge in profits. In the six months to September 30, Telford posted a rise in pre-tax profits to £6.5m from £0.3m on revenues
Read moreThursday tips round-up: Home Retail, Drax, Carillion
22nd Oct 2009 06:00
Home Retail Group, the owner of Argos and Homebase, is well placed to benefit from a sustained upturn in consumer spending. When this comes, it represents a safe pair of retail hands in the long-term. The valuation remains a concern, but given that Mervyn King, Governor of the Bank of England, is be
Read moreLondon close: Footsie finishes firmer
21st Oct 2009 16:57
After an up and down day, London's blue-chip index finished the day as it started it, in positive territory. Stocks needed the help of a firm start on Wall Street, however, to state a late rally. US shares opened higher after investment bank reported its first quarterly profit in a year after three
Read moreLondon afternoon: Miners a drag
21st Oct 2009 14:38
Mining stocks and a couple of blue-chips going ex-dividend today pushed the Footsie below 5200 in the morning session though the index showed some signs of recovery over the lunch-time session. Smiths Group and BSkyB are the highest profile stocks in the red as a result of trading in ex-dividend st
Read moreLondon midday: Blue chips turn lower
21st Oct 2009 12:03
Footsie's early drift has given way to more substantial falls as US futures point to a lower opening on Wall Street. Smiths Group and BSkyB are the highest profile stocks in the red as a result of trading in ex-dividend status today. Also on the downturn is London Stock Exchange, after Goldman Sach
Read moreLondon open: Quiet start in London
21st Oct 2009 08:54
London's top stocks are moving sideways pretty much despite a late burst on Wall Street and better than expected results after hours from US web giant Yahoo! UK company news is less dramatic. Home Retail reported a 3% rise in half year sales and said trading at both Argos and Homebase exceeded its
Read moreLondon pre-open: Small gain expected
21st Oct 2009 07:35
London's top stocks are expected to open largely flat, with traders forecasting a 10 point gain for footsie. Home Retail reported a 3% rise in half year sales and said trading at both Argos and Homebase exceeded its expectations. Sales rose to £2,805m in the 26 weeks to 29 August from £2,736m, re
Read moreOlympics interest supports Telford Homes
21st Oct 2009 07:30
Demand for property ahead of the Olympics helped East London focused housebuilder Telford Homes nearly double completions in the past six months, but a lack of mortgage finance remains a constraint. Completions in the six months to September rose to 224, from 116 last year. "Despite the constraint
Read moreTelford quartet act on optimism
18th Jun 2009 16:35
Telford Homes shares have rallied in recent weeks as the developer responsible for affordable homes in East London gave a "cautiously optimistic" view of its prospects. Founder and chief executive Andrew Wiseman has topped up his holding with the purchase of 25,000 shares at 55p. Other directors Ja
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