Sunday newspaper round-up: Tesco, Oil explorers, Sainsbury´s
28th Dec 2014 17:17
Tesco is testing a discount format in its One Stop chain, indicating the group could be considering new ways to combat Aldi and Lidl, the Sunday Times said. Three One Stop branches have been trading as discounters with low prices and limited ranges for the past seven weeks. The trial is the idea of
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks rise for seventh straight session ahead of Christmas break
24th Dec 2014 11:21
The UK stock market looked set to record its seventh straight day in positive territory on Christmas Eve, with just an hour to go before the end of a shortened session. The FTSE 100 was up just 0.1% at 6,603 by midday, trading within a narrow range as investors refrained from taking on too much risk
Read moreLondon open: Stocks edge higher on ahead of Christmas, Smith & Nephew jumps
24th Dec 2014 08:26
UK stocks posted their seventh straight day of gains on Wednesday, though upside was modest with markets winding down on a shortened Christmas Eve session. London's FTSE 100 was up 0.1% at 6,608 early on, having finished Tuesday at a two-week closing high of 6,598.18. With very few catalysts expect
Read moreLondon close: Santa Rally continues as UK stocks rise for sixth straight day
23rd Dec 2014 16:51
UK stocks rose again on Tuesday as the Santa Rally continued into its sixth straight day, with markets boosted by some upbeat economic data from the States. Third-quarter US annualised gross domestic product (GDP) growth was revised to 5% from an initial estimate of 3.9%, representing the strongest
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Centrica boosted by directorate change, oil and gas stocks strong
23rd Dec 2014 14:07
Centrica shares were boosted as the company appointed Carlos Pascual as a new non-executive director, who is said to have extensive geopolitical, economic and commercial development experience in the energy industry. "He brings a wealth of experience with his exceptionally strong international b
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks rise but gains pared after UK GDP data
23rd Dec 2014 11:56
UK stocks rose again on Tuesday as the pre-Christmas rally continued, though gains were trimmed by lunchtime after some disappointing data. On a day lacking of corporate news, investors were also showing caution ahead of a flurry of economic indicators Stateside. Stock futures on Wall Street were on
Read moreLondon close: UK equities rise to two-week high despite weak commodity stocks
22nd Dec 2014 16:26
Weakness in the resource sectors limited gains in London on Monday, though equity markets still managed to register their fifth straight day of gains as investors readied themselves for the Christmas break. The FTSE 100 finished 0.5% higher at 6,577, but pulled back after reaching a high of 6,620.95
Read moreLondon open: Late Santa Rally puts UK stocks on track for two-week high
22nd Dec 2014 08:48
UK stocks rose for the fifth straight session on Monday and were set to hit a two-week high with the so-called 'Santa Rally' finally taking hold ahead of a shortened trading week. London's FTSE 100 was trading 0.8% higher at 6,598 in early deals. It has not closed above this mark since 8 December.
Read moreLondon close: Stable oil prices and upbeat retail news buoys Santa rally
19th Dec 2014 16:03
The Santa rally continued on its merry way on Friday as oil prices rose and upbeat retail data boosted supermarkets. The FTSE 100 Index closed 79.27 points ahead at 6545.27, its fourth session of gains in a row. Oil heavyweights rose as the price of Brent and US crude recovered from earlier falls t
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Oil stocks gain as crude prices rebound
19th Dec 2014 14:25
Oil and gas stocks were advancing on Friday after a strong rebound in crude prices, with Tullow Oil, BP, Shell and BG Group putting in decent gains. Brent futures were up 2.7% at $60.85 a barrel on the back of optimistic comments about future demand from Saudi Arabia's oil minister. The price droppe
Read moreLondon midday: UK stocks extends gains as markets track Wall Street higher
19th Dec 2014 11:07
UK stocks extended their winning streak into the fourth day on Friday as a welcome, albeit late, Santa Rally kicked in following the recent sell-off. The FTSE 100 was trading 0.3% higher at 6,486 by noon and has now gained nearly 5% since Tuesday. "He left it late this year, but Santa finally provi
Read moreLondon midday: UK stocks back in the red ahead of Fed meeting
17th Dec 2014 12:18
UK stocks were back in the red on Wednesday after their first gain in seven days the previous session, with investors scaling back risk appetite ahead of a number of risk events. Along with a host of economic data due out during the session, markets were keeping an eye out for minutes for the latest
Read moreLondon open: UK stocks extend slide as Chinese data disappoints
16th Dec 2014 08:20
Yet more disappointing economic data from China pushed UK stocks lower for the seventh straight session on Tuesday, with markets extending losses despite plunging to an 18-month low the previous session. Not even the news that the Bank of England (BoE) has given a clean bill of health to seven out o
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Miners sink while oil companies recover slightly
15th Dec 2014 14:48
Anglo-Australian miner BHP Billiton dipped following a downgrade at RBC Capital Markets to 'underperform' from 'sector-perform'. Other mining companies, including Fresnillo, Randgold Resources and Glencore, were also hit by a forecast of an extended period of low iron ore prices, due to over-supply
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Oil stocks track oil price lower
12th Dec 2014 15:15
Petrofac, Tullow Oil, BP, Shell and a host of stocks exposed to the oil price were suffering heavy losses on Friday. Oil and gas engineer Weir, however, was bouncing back after recent declines following an upgrade by Canaccord Genuity from 'hold' to 'buy'. The broker said the stock's valuation now l
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