FTSE 250 movers: Melrose oil production impresses
24th Feb 2010 10:13
Shares in Melrose Resources gushed higher after the oil and gas explorer and producer gave an update of its daily production in 2009 that was slightly ahead of its latest guidance. Output during the year amounted to 38.6m barrels of oil a day (Mboepd), compared with guidance of 38.5Mboepd. Price co
Read moreLondon open: Early gains for blue chips
24th Feb 2010 08:54
Financials are keeping Footsie moving forward this morning. Standard Life, HSBC and Aviva are all in demand despite the 100-point fall on the Dow overnight. Reckitt Benckiser is lower again on worries over the inquiry into its sales methods for Gaviscon heartburn products. Mining giant BHP Billit
Read moreTravis Perkins cautious over consumer spending
24th Feb 2010 07:39
Wickes owner Travis Perkins gave a gloomy assessment of the mindset of consumers as sales and underlying profits fell last year with revenues also down in the current year. "We are concerned in particular about weak consumer spending trends in 2010 as inflation rises and the cushion of falling mort
Read moreBroker tips: Tesco, building materials, chipmakers
13th Jan 2010 12:17
A 'solid' Christmas at Tesco's UK stores has impressed JP Morgan, which raised its price target on the supermarket chain and promised to review its rating if the performance continues. UK like for like sales in the six weeks to 9 January, excluding petrol and VAT, rose 4.9%, better than the 3.7% pr
Read moreBroker snap: Upside 'limited' for building material plays
13th Jan 2010 09:08
The European building materials sector has had a strong 12 months and Credit Suisse thinks further upside is limited for the next few months, so cuts its stance to 'market weight' from 'overweight'. 'We believe that the sector fairly reflects the prospects for moderate volume and margin improvement
Read moreTravis Perkins earnings to be at top end
17th Dec 2009 07:39
Sales in last two months at builders merchant Travis Perkins have been a tad ahead of expectations. The group's retail division, which essentially comprises the Wickes chain of home improvement stores, saw total turnover rise 2.6% in the 48 weeks to 28 November from a year earlier, with like for li
Read moreThursday preview: Arriva, Travis Perkins, Wood Group
16th Dec 2009 15:08
Rail and bus group Arriva issues a trading statement in which the bus division is expected to outperform the rail side. In the nine months to September 30 it saw 4.9% revenue growth at is bus division, while in the 42 weeks to October 24 it saw 1.3% growth at the Cross Country rail franchise and 6.
Read moreNew Travis chairman buys
30th Oct 2009 16:31
Robert Walker, the chairman-designate of Travis Perkins, has bought his first shares in the builders' merchant. Walker was appointed to the Travis Perkins board on 30 September 2009 and he is due to take over as chairman from Tim Stevenson in May 2010. Walker has bought a total of 25,000 shares at
Read moreLondon close: Best ever quarterly gain for Footsie
30th Sep 2009 17:00
Wall Street fell out of bed at the start of its trading day after the release of disappointing business activity data and London quickly followed the US market downwards. However, a rally in the last half hour ensured that the FTSE 100 enjoyed its best ever quarterly percentage gain since the index
Read moreLondon afternoon: Footsie still lacking direction
30th Sep 2009 14:20
Footsie has continued its recent sluggish run, with company updates pulling the leading share index in both directions, but remains set for a record quarterly gain. Hedge fund manger Man is the best performer after a bullish trading update. "Investor sentiment is continuing to improve across the in
Read moreLondon midday: FTSE 100 on course for record quarter
30th Sep 2009 12:13
Footsie still looks on course for a record quarterly gain, but early strong rises have been whittled away ahead of the US open. Hedge fund manger Man is the best performer after a bullish trading update. "Investor sentiment is continuing to improve across the industry, the performance outlook is h
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Rail and bus stocks slow down
30th Sep 2009 10:56
Transport stocks have hit the buffers slightly after FirstGroup said overall trading remains in line with management expectations but warned the transport industry faces a challenging year ahead. The rail and bus group is joined lower by peer Stagecoach. Support services specialist Babcock is hurt
Read moreLondon open: Early gains for Footsie
30th Sep 2009 08:47
Footsie has shrugged off a sluggish performance in the US overnight and is now pushing ahead again. Hedge fund manger Man is the best performer after a bullish trading update. "Investor sentiment is continuing to improve across the industry, the performance outlook is healthy and the prospects for
Read moreLondon pre-open: Slight fall expected
30th Sep 2009 07:45
Footsie is expected to fall by a couple of points in early dealings, continuing its rather sluggish performance of recent days. Fashion and food retailer Marks & Spencer posted a 0.5% fall in like-for-like sales in the 13 weeks to 26 September as recession-hit shoppers stayed frugal. Chairman Sir S
Read moreTravis Perkins says sales trend ahead of expectations
30th Sep 2009 07:22
Travis Perkins, the leading UK builders' merchant, said sales trends for the last three months are ahead of expectations but its current market consensus for 2010 remains unchanged. The group said turnover for the nine months to the end of September is down 11%. Total turnover in its merchanting
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