London close: Strong finish for FTSE 100
1st Mar 2010 16:30
The leading share index finished on a strong footing as strength in the mining sector and gains on the back of company updates helped offset a weak performance from financial stocks. Miners were in demand following a rise in copper prices following the earthquake in Chile, the world's number one p
Read moreLondon afternoon: Copper-bottomed advance
1st Mar 2010 14:15
Gains on mining stocks are more than offsetting losses in an insurance sector that has been rocked by the prospect of a huge rights call from Prudential. Confirmation that Pru may pay $35bn (£23bn) for the Asian business of troubled US insurer AIG has unsettled the insurers. Any deal would need to
Read moreUltra Electronics swings back into profit
1st Mar 2010 07:33
Defence industry supplier Ultra Electronics returned to the black in 2009 boosted by acquisitions and the weak pound. The group, which supplies pneumatic compressors for weapons release and missile cooling, reported a pre-tax profit of £107.9m for the year ended 31 December 2009 compared with a los
Read moreLondon close: Footsie slips back
22nd Feb 2010 16:36
Footsie struggled to find any sense of direction on a quiet day's trading, closing slightly in the red. Bunzl showed a healthy rise as the market was encouraged by a strong second half for the group that saw margins improve. Foreign exchange tailwinds enabled the outsourcing and distribution group
Read moreLondon afternoon: RBS heads the field
22nd Feb 2010 14:45
The lunch-time session was a positive one for blue-chip equities despite Wall Street opening modestly lower, with banks and miners leading the advance. Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has usurped Bunzl as the best performer of the day. The part-nationalised lender, like its counterpart Lloyds Banking,
Read moreLondon close: Third day of gains
2nd Feb 2010 16:39
A strong start in the US helped London rise for the third day in a row and finish at its highest in over a week, with commodity plays the pick of the bunch. Investors piled into miners as metal prices took off and brokers backed a further recovery in share prices. Eurasian Natural Resources (ENRC)
Read moreLondon afternoon: Stocks in consolidation mode
2nd Feb 2010 13:57
Leading shares drifted sideways over the lunchtime session, leaving the Footsie in the blue, largely thanks to the strength of miners, which are getting lots of love from brokers. Eurasian Natural Resources (ENRC), Kazakhmys and Rio Tinto, Lonmin, Xstrata and Anglo American are the best performers
Read moreLondon midday: Miners lead strong rally
2nd Feb 2010 12:15
Footsie has moved into the blue as gains in the mining sector help offset falls among oil stocks after BP's fourth quarter figures failed to impress. BP chief executive Tony Hayward described it as a 'very good' year for the company with a sharp increase in fourth quarter profits, but they came in
Read moreLondon open: BP drags Footsie down
2nd Feb 2010 08:50
Footsie has fallen in early dealings on a poor response to BP's fourth quarter figures, while the decision by Australia not to increase interest rates has raised more questions over the strength of the global economy. BP capped what chief executive Tony Hayward termed a 'very good' year for the com
Read moreUltra bags British Energy contract
2nd Feb 2010 07:30
Defence industry supplier Ultra Electronics has won a contract for nuclear sensors from British Energy. The contract is worth more than £20m, and is for the long term supply and management of neutron flux detectors to a number of reactors in the British Energy fleet. Ultra will be required to val
Read moreUltra wins armoured vehicle contract
11th Jan 2010 07:56
Defence industry supplier Ultra Electronics has won a contract to provide electronic controls for armoured vehicles produced by a joint venture between BAE Systems and Nexter. The joint venture, CTAI, has developed a a unique Cased Telescope Ammunition System (CTAS) which allows more ammunition and
Read moreUltra boss sells
4th Dec 2009 16:26
Ultra Electronics chief executive Douglas Caster has generated £5.85m from the sale of just over two-fifths of his shareholding in the defence electronics supplier. He states in the announcement that the sale was for "family and tax planning reasons". Caster has also transferred his remaining 63
Read moreThursday tips round-up: International Power, Micro Focus, Balfour Beatty
12th Nov 2009 06:04
International Power is one of those companies that is a staple of the FTSE100 and yet somehow manages to be largely unknown. Yesterday's bullish statement sent the shares up sharply. Possible new projects in North Africa, Asia and the Gulf, make for strong growth prospects when world economies pick
Read moreTechMARK movers: Micro Focus pleases investors
11th Nov 2009 15:11
Software company Micro Focus International reported better than expected first half trading and this led to sharp upgrades in forecasts. Micro Focus expects to publish an increase in revenues from $136m to $195m in the six months to October 2009. This growth was helped by acquisitions but organic
Read moreSector movers: Miners on the march
11th Nov 2009 14:02
Strong metals prices are lifting mining stocks higher. Randgold Resources rebounds after falling yesterday on the back of third quarter production figures that failed to please the market. It is pipped to the top spot by Fresnillo, which mines for silver in Mexico. Meanwhile, industrial metals f
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