Unilever to buy Sara Lee personal care business
25th Sep 2009 11:50
Food and households goods giant Unilever is to pay €1.275bn for the personal care business from its US rival Sara Lee. The acquisition would bring brands such as Brylcreem and Sanex skin cream into Unilever's already extensive portfolio, which includes Lynx deodorant and Dove soap. Unilever said t
Read moreLondon close: US data sinks Footsie
24th Sep 2009 16:46
Footsie turned down sharply in the last couple of hours of trading as US shares retreated on weak home sales and lower commodity prices, especially oil. Property companies led the UK lower after Canary Wharf property owner Songbird announced it would issue 62bn shares at a penny each as part of a
Read moreLondon afternoon: Property stocks a drag
24th Sep 2009 15:03
After spending the lunchtime session in positive territory the Footsie has fallen back into the red, with property companies leading the way down. Land Securities, British Land, SEGRO and Hammerson are all under the cosh as investors cool on the sector following huge cash calls this week by Liberty
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie rally falls short
24th Sep 2009 12:22
Footsie still sits in the red after giving up an attempt to launch a foray into positive territory. London Stock Exchange is the heaviest faller after it said the average daily value traded on its SETS electronic trading system declined by 43% in the five month ended August. 3i is also down. The p
Read moreFriday tips round-up: Unilever, Schroders, RSA
7th Aug 2009 06:44
The long-term case for Unilever is that it has the highest emerging market exposure of its peers ? about 50% of sales ? and so will benefit as deodorant, detergent and salad dressings become staples for more of the world's population. Yesterday's numbers show recovery from years of underperformance
Read moreFriday newspaper round-up: Royal Bank of Scotland, Barclays, Twitter
7th Aug 2009 06:14
The Government made a £1bn paper profit on its 70% stake in Royal Bank of Scotland yesterday on growing optimism that the lender will follow Lloyds today in predicting that the worst is over for the economy. But RBS, the UK's biggest bank in balance-sheet terms, is likely to adopt a more cautious
Read moreLondon close: Financials spark good gains
6th Aug 2009 16:22
Footsie fell back in the afternoon session after the Bank of England increased its quantitative easing programme, but still finished healthily in the blue. Banks continued to rise with Royal Bank of Scotland, Lloyds Banking and Barclays all up. RBS reports its interim figures tomorrow. It is being
Read moreLondon afternoon: Footsie eases back from day's highs
6th Aug 2009 14:35
Footsie fallen back in the wake of the £50bn increase to £175bn in the Bank of England's quantitative easing programme. Interest rates, as expected, remained on hold at 0.5%. Banks continue to rise with Royal Bank of Scotland, Lloyds Banking and Barclays all up. RBS reports its interim figures tomo
Read moreSector movers: Banks dominate
6th Aug 2009 13:29
This week's well-received results from Lloyds, Barclays and HSBC continue to keep buyers active. All three are sharply higher Thursday, sending Banks to the top of the tree. Royal Bank of Scotland is also better ahead of tomorrow's interim results. Unilever has given Food Producers & Processors a
Read moreLondon midday: QE increase boosts Footsie
6th Aug 2009 12:13
Footsie has reacted calmly to a surprise £50bn increase to £175bn in the Bank of England's quantitative easing programme. Interest rates, as expected, remained on hold at 0.5%. Insurer Aviva is the best performer and leads a life sector rally despite a 31% cut in the interim dividend. A plan for a
Read moreTechnical Analysis Snap: Unilever tests the highs as profits slip
6th Aug 2009 11:47
Food and household goods giant Unilever posted a drop in earnings as consumers cut back on branded products. The group's pre-tax profits have slipped by over 10% to €1.20bn, but it has been seeing growth in sales volumes. The share price managed to rally as the market seems able to shrug off nega
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Lloyds and RBS climb again
6th Aug 2009 09:26
Part-nationalised banks Lloyds and Royal Bank of Scotland rose again on hopes that the worst of the credit crunch write-offs have now passed. Lloyds suggested yesterday that bad debt charges for HBOS's portfolio may have peaked. RBS reports tomorrow and is is being tipped to return to profit of aro
Read moreLondon open: Stocks surge ahead
6th Aug 2009 08:53
London's top stocks charge off the blocks as financials set a fast pace in early deals. Insurer Aviva is the main riser after it cut interim dividend by 31% and announced plans for a partial IPO of its Dutch business. IFRS operating profit fell to £1.05bn for the six months ended 30 June 2009 from
Read moreLondon pre-open: Footsie to resume rally
6th Aug 2009 07:54
Modest gains are expected from Footsie in early dealings after a slight fall yesterday. Insurer Aviva has cut its interim dividend by 31% and announced plans for a partial IPO of its Dutch business following a 14% drop in half year operating profit. IFRS operating profit fell to £1.05bn for the si
Read moreUnilever lifts sales
6th Aug 2009 07:17
Shares in Unilever advanced after the food and household goods giant managed to lift sales volumes as it cut prices and launched new products. Turnover at the maker of Surf washing powder and Knorr soups in the second quarter of 2009 climbed to €10.46bn from €10.37bn over the same period a year pr
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