London midday: Stocks edge higher as BoE holds rates
4th Oct 2012 11:47
- Middle-East tensions dampen sentiment - BoE holds rates; ECB decision eyed - Investors await US jobless claims After swinging into negative territory briefly, the FTSE 100 was back above water by Thursday lunchtime ahead of interest rate decisions in the UK and Europe. Meanwhile, investors were s
Read moreLondon open: Stocks gain ahead of central bank announcements
4th Oct 2012 08:23
- Investors await BoE and ECB decisions, FOMC minutes - Tate & Lyle jumps after Credit Suisse upgrades - Halfords appoints new CEO after strong Q2 European stock markets have opened with moderate gains ahead of what is likely to be a busy day on the economic front, with rate decisions due out from
Read moreThursday broker round-up - UPDATE
4th Oct 2012 07:57
BHP Billiton: Morgan Stanley cuts target from 2,180p to 2,100p, overweight rating kept. BTG: Deutsche Bank raises target from 384p to 394p, buy rating kept. Capita: Panmure Gordon keeps hold rating and 620p target. Carillion: Seymour Pierce keeps buy rating and 395p target; Panmure Gordon maintai
Read moreLondon close: US data provides a late boost
3rd Oct 2012 16:34
- US services and labour figures lift stocks - Mixed economic data in China, UK and Europe - FTSE 100 finishes up 0.3 per cent The UK benchmark finished with mild gains on Wednesday afternoon after some better-than-expected data from the US managed to brighten the mood, which was dampened earlier b
Read moreSector movers: Tesco drags retail sector lower
3rd Oct 2012 16:20
The food and drug retail sector was the worst performing sector on Wednesday afternoon after a disappointing set of results from Tesco offset a solid trading update from supermarket peer Sainsbury. After an earlier fall, Sainsbury was higher after saying it had outperformed the market in the second
Read moreTesco still a basket case
3rd Oct 2012 16:05
If Tesco was hoping that a return to like-for-like sales growth in the UK in the second quarter would earn it some love in the market, it was sadly disillusioned. Not when supermarket rival Sainsbury reported second quarter like-for-like (LFL) sales growth year-on-year of 1.9%, which put Tesco's 0.
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Sainsbury rises while Tesco drops
3rd Oct 2012 15:48
International Airlines Group (IAG) said September traffic figures had been boosted by heavy promotional activity by British Airways during and after the Olympic Games. "This has positively impacted our volumes in both premium and non-premium cabins, the carrier British Airways' September traffic, m
Read moreTesco: analysts comment
3rd Oct 2012 14:50
We've assembled the views of some leading analysts on the prospects for Tesco, along with their price targets. Philip Dorgan at Panmure Gordon "We are buyers of Tesco, with a target price of 440p, because we believe that its UK business is fixable and because we believe that management buys into th
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks flat as economic data disappoints
3rd Oct 2012 11:21
- Gloomy Chinese, UK and Eurozone data - Rajoy denies bailout - FirstGroup sinks after West Coast disappointment. The FTSE 100 was trading broadly flat by midday on Wednesday as investors remained cautious after a raft of disappointing economic data. China's non-manufacturing purchasing managers'
Read moreBroker tips: Tesco, Schroders, FirstGroup
3rd Oct 2012 11:01
Seymour Pierce has retained its 'reduce' rating for supermarket giant Tesco after the group's first-half profits came in well below expectations. Tesco this morning reported a 15% drop in first-half profit before tax (pre exceptionals and property profits) to £1,497m, under Seymour Pierce's £1,603m
Read moreBroker snap: Profits disappoint at Tesco, says Seymour Pierce
3rd Oct 2012 10:56
Seymour Pierce has retained its 'reduce' rating for supermarket giant Tesco after the group's first-half profits came in well below expectations. Tesco this morning reported a 15% drop in first-half profit before tax (pre exceptionals and property profits) to £1,497m, under Seymour Pierce's £1,603m
Read moreWednesday broker round-up - UPDATE
3rd Oct 2012 09:06
African Barrick Gold: Westhouse Secuirites raises target from 464p to 495p. AG Barr: Panmure Gordon keeps hold rating and 440p target. AstraZeneca: Panmure Gordon downgrades from buy to hold, target cut from 3,100p to 3,000p. Barclays: UBS downgrades from buy to neutral, 235p target unchanged. B
Read moreLondon open: Sentiment dampened by Spain, Chinese data
3rd Oct 2012 08:27
- Rajoy denies Spanish bailout request - Chinese data disappoints - Tesco and Sainsbury's fall after updates - FirstGroup sinks after West Coast failure Stocks in the UK slipped in early trading on Wednesday as concerns about a Spanish bailout and weak economic data from China spooked investors. S
Read moreTesco sacrifices margin to return to LFL growth - UPDATE
3rd Oct 2012 07:39
Supermarket colossus Tesco saw a return to like-for-like (LFL) sales growth in the second quarter, although it has had to sacrifice margin to do so. Reporting on trading in the 29 weeks ended August 25th, the group said statutory profit before tax fell 11.6% to £1,662m from £1,881m in the correspon
Read moreLondon pre-open: FTSE to open lower on Europe worries
3rd Oct 2012 07:31
City sources predict the FTSE 100 will open down 18 points from yesterday's close of 5,809, as attention once again focuses on the situation in Europe, particularly Spain, where on Tuesday Spanish Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy, dismissed talk that his country would be requesting a bailout in the nea
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