FTSE 100 movers: CRH surges on Holcim and Lafarge deal, Easyjet and IAG hit by rising oil prices
2nd Feb 2015 14:07
Irish building materials group CRH rose nearly 6% after confirming it will spend €6.5bn on assets from Holcim and Lafarge as the two European cement makers dispose of operations to win approval for their merger. CRH said it expected the deal to make it the "global number-three building materials pla
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks trim gains, but CRH and Tullow surge
2nd Feb 2015 12:06
CRH and energy stocks pushed the FTSE 100 higher by Monday lunchtime, though gains were pared as investors digested data and watched developments in Greece. London's benchmark index was up 0.3% at 6,771 by midday, having pulled back after hitting a high of 6,795.52 early on. CRH was on the rise aft
Read moreSector movers: Shell dampens energy stocks, gold miners track bullion lower
29th Jan 2015 16:01
Worse-than-expected results from one of the biggest oil companies in the world hit stocks in the energy sector on Thursday. Royal Dutch Shell delivered a 12% year-on-year increase in adjusted profits in the fourth quarter to $3.3bn, well below the consensus forecast of $4.2bn. The company also anno
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: CRH and Reckitt rise, while commodity stocks feel the pinch
23rd Jan 2015 13:15
Irish cement maker CRH jumped on Friday after news emerged it was leading the race to buy assets from rivals Holcim and Lafarge. Both firms are offloading businesses to ensure their proposed merger is approved and CRH has reportedly bid as much as €6bn for the assets. The firm confirmed it is in dis
Read moreTullow Oil delivers positive update on drilling onshore Kenya
22nd Jan 2015 08:00
Tullow Oil has delivered a mostly positive update on its drilling activities onshore Kenya, with testing on a number of wells showing the presence of hydrocarbons. Drilling on the Ngamia-5, Ngamia-6 and Amosing-3 appraisal wells all encountered net oil pay and the sites have been suspended for furth
Read moreLondon close: Chinese data offsets IMF downgrade
20th Jan 2015 17:23
Stocks ended the session with modest gains on the heels of better-than-expected growth figures in China. The FTSE 100 gained 34.57 points to finish the day at 6,629. China's gross domestic product expanded at a 7.4% clip in 2014, markets seemed to draw comfort from the fact that the rate of expansi
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Chinese data boosts commodities and retail, Unilever sinks on dissapointing growth
20th Jan 2015 13:57
Fast-moving consumer goods giant Unilever was among the fallers after revealing slower-than-expected growth in 2014. Underlying sales were up 2.9%, faster than the markets they operate in but lower than analyst forecasts, with volumes higher by 1% and prices advancing by 1.9%. The company's core
Read moreBroker tips: Tesco, Tullow Oil, Greene King, KAZ Minerals
19th Jan 2015 14:18
Supermarket operator Tesco has scope to materially improve its UK operations, according to Morgan Stanley which upgraded the stock from 'equalweight' to 'overweight' and hiked its target price from 155p to 260p. Together with moves to optimise its portfolio, that should drive the shares to outperfor
Read moreTullow facing funding risk, UBS slashes target price by 30%
19th Jan 2015 11:44
Tullow Oil has $2.4bn of headroom on its debt facilities, but UBS still reckoned that the oil and gas group faced a "funding risk" as it slashed its target price for the stock from 465p to 335p. "A cyclical downturn in E&P asset markets has thwarted Tullow's execution of a key leg of its strategy -
Read moreLondon close: Stocks rally strongly after Swiss move as ECB stimulus hopes rise
15th Jan 2015 16:36
A surprise policy move by the Swiss National Bank (SNB) resulted in a choppy day for UK markets on Thursday, though stocks were able to regain their composure and rally strongly as the dust settled. The FTSE 100 finished the session 110.32 points higher at 6,498.78, up 1.7% on the day due to increas
Read moreLondon midday: Surprise Swiss policy move sinks stocks, FTSE near one-month low
15th Jan 2015 11:57
Markets were back in the red by Thursday lunchtime, erasing earlier gains after a surprise announcement by the Swiss central bank. The FTSE 100, which rebounded to an intraday high of 6,472.91 early on, was down 0.6% at 6,349 by midday after Switzerland scrapping the franc's minimum exchange rate ag
Read moreBroker tips: Tullow Oil, Experian, Home Retail
15th Jan 2015 11:27
News of a multibillion-dollar write-down at Tullow Oil sent the share price in the exploration company lower on Thursday, though analysts at Westhouse Securities retained their positive rating on the stock. While the size of the $2.3bn write-down (after tax), is likely to disappoint investors, the b
Read moreWesthouse upbeat on Tullow despite write-down woe
15th Jan 2015 09:19
News of a multibillion-dollar write-down at Tullow Oil sent the share price in the exploration company lower on Thursday, though analysts at Westhouse Securities retained their positive rating on the stock. The broker kept its 'buy' stance, recommending investors to pick up shares on any weakness.
Read moreLondon open: Stocks rebound after sell-off as earnings impress
15th Jan 2015 08:25
UK stocks advanced on Thursday morning but only partly clawed back losses after a heavy sell-off the previous session. The FTSE 100 was up 1.1% at 6,458 early on, with updates from blue chips Experian, Associated British Foods and Tullow Oil being well-received by the market. The index had dropped
Read moreLondon pre-open: Stocks to rebound after heavy sell-off
15th Jan 2015 07:55
UK stocks are expected to rebound on Thursday after a massive sell-off the previous session on the back of concerns about global growth and plunging commodity prices. City sources predict the FTSE 100 will open 57 points higher than Wednesday's close of 6,388.46. The index dropped 2.4% the previous
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