London afternoon: Stocks keep climbing
18th Jan 2010 14:49
Ongoing bid speculation, stronger retailers and buoyant miners have pushed London above 5,500. International Power is top of the pile on press reports that French power giant GDF Suez has made a takeover approach to the group, but there has been no statement from either side over the truth of the s
Read moreLondon midday: Good morning for blue chips
18th Jan 2010 12:20
London's leading share index has enjoyed a good morning on hopes of a bid for International Power and a higher offer for Cadbury. IP is up nearly 5% after press reports that French power giant GDF Suez has made a takeover approach to the group, but there has been no statement from either side over
Read moreLondon open: M&A rumours in focus
18th Jan 2010 08:19
London's blue chips have made a good start to the new week, with International Power leading the way on takeover rumours. International Power is up more than 5% after press reports that French power giant GDF Suez has made a takeover approach to the group. Cadbury is also among this morning's rise
Read moreTullow gatecrashes Heritage's $1.5bn asset sale
18th Jan 2010 08:12
Tullow Oil has exercised a pre-emption right to snap up the Ugandan oil fields half-owned by partner Heritage Oil for $1.5bn. Italian state oil company Eni had agreed in November to buy Heritage's 50% stake in Blocks 1 and 3A for $1.35bn in cash and a deferred consideration of $150m. But Tullow ha
Read moreLondon midday: Ferrero pulls out of Cadbury chase
13th Jan 2010 11:56
Oils and banks are dragging the Footsie down, with sentiment also soured by disappointing manufacturing output figures. While industrial production showed a 0.4% rise in November, better than the 0.3% rise economists had been predicting, manufacturing output remained unchanged from October's level
Read moreLondon afternoon: Chinese banking move sparks selling
12th Jan 2010 14:47
News that China has raised the reserve requirements for its banks in an attempt to choke growth in the economy has spooked global markets, including London. The prospect of China slowing down economic expansion does not sit well with miners such as Fresnillo, Lonmin, Kazakhmys, Vedanta and Xstrata,
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Miners head lower
12th Jan 2010 12:18
Footsie is well down on the day as world economic concerns take the spotlight. The fallers are dominated by mining companies. News that China is trying to dampen down the growth in its economy hit commodities. Disappointing results from aluminium producer Alcoa didn't help, either. Fresnillo, Lo
Read moreREO raises Dublin rents
12th Jan 2010 10:44
UK and Ireland focused property investment and development group Real Estate Opportunities has received a boost from a rent hike for its largest tenant, Vodafone. Following a rent review, the rent paid by Vodafone on its Central Park offices in Dublin will rise by 12% to €7.2m per annum. Two other
Read moreLondon close: Footsie gives up gains
11th Jan 2010 16:41
The leading share index gave up early gains to finish only slightly higher as euphoria over strong trade figures from China in December gave way to renewed fears over recovery prospects. China's December imports jumped by 55.9% from the same month the previous year, while exports were 17.7% higher
Read moreSector movers: Oils stocks gush higher
11th Jan 2010 15:26
Cairn Energy is lifting the oil sector higher after being upgraded to 'buy' from 'hold' by the broker Citigroup. The broker sees strong potential in the oil explorer's accelerated activities in Greenland. Among smaller companies, shares in oil and gas firm Aminex jumped after it announced the spudd
Read moreLondon afternoon: Stocks back on the climb
11th Jan 2010 14:16
Leading shares, which had been surrendering early gains at the end of the morning, picked up again over the lunch time session, helped by expectations of a firm start by Wall Street. In the absence of much in the way of corporate events to attract attention, traders have been focused on broker note
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie loses some sparkle
11th Jan 2010 11:38
Footsie has lost some sheen as miners and property groups have given back some of their early gains. Brokers have been busy with a Citigroup review of the oil sector boosting Cairn Energy. The broker says that fast-tracking the multiwell exploration drilling programme in Greenland has made the grou
Read moreSmall cap round-up: Aminex, TSE Group, Greystar...
11th Jan 2010 11:01
Shares in oil and gas firm Aminex jumped after it announced the spudding of the Likonde-1 Well in southern Tanzania, in which it has a 37.5% interest. The well is 50% owned by Tullow Oil, with Solo Oil owning the remaining 12.5%. A new contract to improve Brazil's elite performance planning ahead
Read moreLondon close: Footsie at 15-month high
24th Dec 2009 12:28
Miners pushed London sharply higher in a shortened trading session Thursday, getting the leading index up to 5,400 briefly and to its highest close since September 2008. Silver producer Fresnillo is top of the table on stronger metal prices, with BHP Billiton, Vedanta Resources and Rio Tinto also h
Read moreLondon close: Footsie hits one-month high
23rd Dec 2009 16:23
The UK's leading index lost a chunk of its gains late on as weak housing data hurt Wall Street, although London still registered its best close in over a month. Despite predictably quiet trade, the FTSE 100 ended ahead for the third session in a row and as high as it's been since 16 November. It w
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