London close: Footsie fades late
27th Jan 2011 16:32
Footsie closed lower after an afternoon rally, following a downgrade of Japan's credit weighting by ratings agency Standard & Poors, fizzled out. Life insurers moved to the top of the pile led by Old Mutual, Prudential and Aviva. Mining stocks did well after the US Federal Reserve indicated yesterd
Read moreLondon afternoon: Stocks edge higher
27th Jan 2011 14:23
Footsie remains marginally in positive territory after trading sideways over the lunchtime session, with the downgrade of Japan's credit weighting by ratings agency Standard & Poors continuing to weigh on sentiment. Mining stocks are going well, however, after the US Federal Reserve indicated yeste
Read moreLondon midday: Shares still seeking direction
27th Jan 2011 12:07
Shares remain uncertain following a raft of company statements this morning. Updates have been broadly well received, but ratings agency Standard & Poors' downgrade of Japan's credit rating weighing on sentiment. S&P now rates the far eastern nation at AA-, citing worries over its large debt burden
Read moreTullow Uganda talks rumble on
27th Jan 2011 11:03
Tullow Oil is still trying to get approval from the Ugandan government for the sale of oil blocks within the Lake Albert rift basin to French firm Total and China's CNOOC. The Irish oil company paid almost $1.5bn for the 50% stake in the blocks, previously owned by Heritage Oil, in July last year,
Read moreLondon open: Flat start despite strong updates
27th Jan 2011 08:38
Company updates have been given a good reception but the top share index is pausing for breath after good gains recently. BSkyB has demonstrated why newspaper group NewsCorp is so keen to take over the satellite broadcaster, with a strong rise in profits in the six months to 31 December. Pre-tax pr
Read moreLondon pre-open: Astra defies expectations
27th Jan 2011 07:41
London is set to open modestly higher despite yesterday's late swoon in the US. After the US market closed yesterday the Federal Reserve Open Markets Committee retained its cautious stance on the US economic recovery. Interest rates were unchanged near historic lows, with the additional $600bn bond
Read moreLondon close: Miners hold back FTSE 100
10th Jan 2011 17:01
The top share index was firmly in negative territory at the close of trading, despite M&A excitement concerning Smith & Nephew The joint replacement specialist jumped more than 10% following reports it turned down a bid approach from US rival Johnson & Johnson just before Christmas. Sticking with
Read moreLondon afternoon: Miners a drag
10th Jan 2011 14:20
Footsie moved sideways over the lunch time trading session. Mining stocks continue to weigh the blue-chip index down, but oil stocks provide some cheer. A decline in copper imports into commodity-hungry China sent prices for the red metal lower. Kazakhmys, which transports copper from its Kazakhsta
Read moreLondon midday: FTSE 100 stuck lower
10th Jan 2011 12:11
Shares remain rooted in negative territory in spite of a big jump from artificial joint specialist Smith & Nephew following reports of an offer from Johnson & Johnson. Miners are holding back the top share index. A decline in copper imports into commodity-hungry China sent prices for the red metal
Read moreLondon open: Poor start to week
10th Jan 2011 08:23
A fresh round of takeover speculation and well-received numbers from Morrisons hasn't been enough to cancel losses across the mining sector. Artificial joint specialist Smith & Nephew rallied Monday following reports it turned down a bid approach from US rival Johnson & Johnson just before Christma
Read moreLondon pre-open: Retailers in focus
10th Jan 2011 07:34
A subdued start to the week is in prospect, with Friday's disappointing US jobs data still casting a shadow over proceedings. City traders expect the Footsie will open around 12 points below Friday's closing level. The Christmas trading updates from retailers are starting to come through, and the d
Read moreMixed news from Tullow
10th Jan 2011 07:18
Tullow Oil had mixed news on Monday morning with success on one well in Ghana but a disappointing outcome on a prospect in Mauritania. The Tweneboa-3 appraisal well in the Deepwater Tano licence offshore Ghana has successfully encountered gas condensate in excellent quality sandstone reservoirs. Re
Read moreLondon close: Footsie recovers as M&A action heats up
15th Nov 2010 16:37
The top share index snapped out of a weak start to finish in positive territory Monday as jitters over the Irish debt situation eased and bid speculation and company updates attracted attention. Shares in Invensys moved higher despite the engineering firm denying press reports that it has received
Read moreLondon afternoon: Bid activity keeps the pot bubbling
15th Nov 2010 14:07
A sprinkling of bid speculation is livening up markets this Monday, as traders wait for the Irish sovereign debt situation to play itself out. Shares in Invensys are higher despite the engineering firm denying press reports that it has received an approach. The company's chief executive Ulf Henrik
Read moreGood result for Tullow in Sierra Leone
15th Nov 2010 07:36
Oil and gas company Tullow Oil has had a favourable result on its 10% owned Mercury-1 exploration well in Sierra Leone. Anadarko Petroleum, which has a 65% interest in the well, said the company's second deepwater test in the Sierra Leone-Liberian Basin encountered about 135 net feet of oil pay in
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