London close: Footsie bounds ahead
1st Apr 2010 16:57
London's blue chips moved forward again with miners and resource stocks driving the index upwards ahead of the Easter break. Footsie is now up by over 6% since the start of the year and by 45% over the past 12 months. Miners and oil companies were lifted as manufacturing activity accelerated in C
Read moreLondon afternoon: Footsie rise continues
1st Apr 2010 15:26
London's blue chips are being dragged forward by the US, which has opened very strongly ahead of the Easter break. Miners and oil companies continue to do well after manufacturing activity accelerated in China, while confidence in the Japanese manufacturing sector also improved. Xstrata, Randgold
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: MIners higher , Vodafone down
1st Apr 2010 15:11
Miners and oil companies are in vogue again today, helped by bullish manufacturing reports from both China and Japan. Kazakhmys, Xstrata and Antofagasta continue to do well after manufacturing activity accelerated in China, while confidence in the Japanese manufacturing sector also improved. Petr
Read moreSector movers: Petrofac upgrade boosts oil service stocks
1st Apr 2010 15:02
Petrofac leads the oil services sector higher after an upgrade to 'add' from 'neutral' from the broker Evolution Securities in expectation of strong growth from the oil services group's exploration and construction business. Mobile phone stocks are lower after Britain's four mobile phone groups wer
Read moreLondon midday: Miners drive Footsie higher
1st Apr 2010 11:59
Resource stocks drove Footsie higher this morning ahead of the Easter break as commodity prices advance. Manufacturing activity has accelerated in China, while confidence in the Japanese manufacturing sector also improved. Xstrata, Randgold Resources, Rio Tinto and Vedanta Resources are the best p
Read moreLondon open: Miners and retailers in focus
1st Apr 2010 08:13
Miners are leading London's top stocks higher in early dealings, while investors also ponder a mixed bag of retail-related updates. Xstrata, Randgold Resources, Rio Tinto and Vedanta Resources are the best performers in the mining sector. The cold snap in the early part of the year and tougher com
Read moreLondon pre-open: Slight gains expected
1st Apr 2010 07:33
Footsie is expected to edge higher in early dealings as investors ponder retail-related updates. The cold snap in the early part of the year and tougher comparatives contributed to a drop in fourth quarter like for like (LFL) sales at baby products retailer Mothercare. On the positive side, the int
Read moreMobile phone firms told to slash charges
1st Apr 2010 07:13
Britain's four mobile phone groups have been told to slash charges for calls between different networks and between land lines and mobiles over the next four years by telecoms regulator Ofcom. Vodafone, Orange, O2 and 3UK currently charge either 4.6p or 4.3p a minute for calls to another network -
Read moreLondon close: Shares limp higher
29th Mar 2010 17:02
A late recovery helped Footsie return to the blue by trading's close, though all in all it was a fairly directionless day. Vodafone climbed on reports over the weekend it is in talks about resolving the future of its US mobile phone joint venture, Verizon Wireless. Several options are being discus
Read moreC&W Worldwide boss adds to holding
29th Mar 2010 16:31
Chief executive Jim Marsh has been buying shares in Cable & Wireless Worldwide following its demerger from Cable & Wireless Communications last week. He bought 43,500 shares at 94.27p each on Friday and 203,000 at 91.8p each on Monday. The total investment was just over £227,000. Marsh owns 651,
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Miners move ahead
29th Mar 2010 15:52
Miners are moving higher on the back of rising metal prices but they can't stop the Footsie falling slightly on the day. Even Rio Tinto shares are rising following the miner's attempts to distance itself from executive Stern Hu, who was sentenced to 12 years in jail in China on charges of bribery
Read moreSector movers: Vodafone lifts mobile sector on divi talk
29th Mar 2010 15:34
Vodafone leads the mobile telecommunications sector higher on talk it could get a dividend from US joint venture Verizon Wireless. Several options are being discussed including a full merger of the two companies or dividends. CCTV developer and supplier COE Group is among the stocks dragging the el
Read moreLondon afternoon: Into the red
29th Mar 2010 14:23
All of Footsie's early gains have now been pulled back despite futures pointing to a decent start on Wall Street. Banks are dragging the index lower with losses now for both state-controlled banks, Lloyds and Royal Bank of Scotland. Vodafone is higher on reports over the weekend it is in talks a
Read moreLondon midday: Hanging onto gains
29th Mar 2010 12:33
Telecoms firms and miners are just about keeping blue chips in the blue, though most of the early gains have now been given back. Vodafone is higher on reports over the weekend it is in talks about resolving the future of its US mobile phone joint venture, Verizon Wireless. Several options are bei
Read moreLondon open: Footsie starts brightly
29th Mar 2010 08:50
London has opened the shortened week on the front foot with telecoms and miners leading the index higher. Vodafone is higher on reports over the weekend it is in talks about resolving the future of its US mobile phone joint venture, Verizon Wireless. Several options are being discussed including a
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