London close: Shares shake off US blues
6th Nov 2009 17:15
The Footsie finished a see-saw day in positive territory, shrugging off concerns about the worse than expected US jobless figures, which revealed the US unemployment rate has risen above the 10% level. Banks enjoyed a day in the sun, helped by a positive response to results from Royal Bank of Scotl
Read moreSector movers: Banks make it higher
6th Nov 2009 12:36
Banks are going well Friday as investors take huge losses from RBS in their stride and a broker upgrade for Lloyds. More huge write-offs sent Royal Bank of Scotland deep into loss over the past three months. The state-controlled bank that on Tuesday announced another £33bn cash injection from the
Read moreLondon close: US sparks late rally
5th Nov 2009 16:21
A smaller than expected increase to the Bank of England's quantitative easing programme and and early surge on Wall Street helped Footsie overcome early losses and close in the blue. The central bank voted to pump an additional £25bn into the economy, taking QE to £200bn. It also kept interest rate
Read moreLondon afternoon: Footsie climbs into blue
5th Nov 2009 14:13
A smaller than expected increase to the Bank of England's quantitative easing (QE) programme and stronger US futures have hauled London into the blue. The central bank voted to pump an additional £25bn into the economy, taking QE to £200bn. It also kept interest rates at 0.5%. "The fact that the M
Read moreLondon midday: BoE expands QE programme
5th Nov 2009 10:41
London's top stocks are trading quietly after their initial fall as investors mull the Bank of England's decision to extend its quantitative easing programme by a further £25bn to £200bn. Telecoms group Cable & Wireless has dropped after it revived plans to split itself in to two parts. The announc
Read moreiPhone goes Orange on 10 November
2nd Nov 2009 14:58
Mobile phone network operator Orange has confirmed it is to start selling iPhones in the UK from 10 November, thereby ending O2's exclusive hold on the UK market for the wildly successful Apple smartphone. Orange and O2 are not about to engage in a price war this side of Christmas, however, and of
Read moreLondon close: Triple-digit losses for FTSE 100
28th Oct 2009 16:26
A poor performance from mining and financial stocks ensured that Footsie ended with triple-digit losses. Insurer Prudential, which saw a surge in US business but posted a fall in UK sales, was a heavy faller. The Pru lifted group-wide retail sales by 10% to £699m in the third quarter thanks largel
Read moreTechMark movers: Phytopharm continues drift lower
28th Oct 2009 15:13
Shares in drugs developer Phytopharm have been drifting lower since the initial jump in the share price following positive news concerning the efficacy study for Parkinson's Disease treatment Cogane. This news was released on 14 October and the share price soared from 6p to 26.75p. A fortnight lat
Read moreLondon afternoon: Stocks steady at lower levels
28th Oct 2009 14:10
Miners and financials remain a dead weight around Footsie's neck, but elsewhere, leading shares are slowly beginning to claw back losses. Prudential, which saw a surge in US business but posted a fall in UK sales, is still among the heaviest fallers. The Pru lifted group-wide retail sales by 10% to
Read moreBroker tips: BG, ARM, telecoms
28th Oct 2009 12:57
Third quarter earnings from gas and oil behemoth BG Group were slightly ahead of expectations, according to Charles Stanley, which has retained its 'accumulate' rating for the stock. 'Although Q3 [third quarter] production volumes were slower than expected at +5%, the final quarter is up 12% on Q4/
Read moreBroker snap: BarCap dials into telecoms
28th Oct 2009 12:36
Barclays Capital has initiated coverage of the European telecoms sector with generally positive views of three of the UK's big players. The broker has a price target of 169p for BT , where it sees a chance of rising dividends once the company's cost cutting programme starts delivering. 'We are mind
Read moreLondon midday: Miners join financials on the slide
28th Oct 2009 12:05
Miners have joined financial stocks in the dog house as the Footsie dives below 5200 and threatens to carry on going to sub-5100 levels. With metal prices in retreat miners such as Xstrata, Lonmin and Kazakhmys have muscled aside insurer Prudential in the race to be worst performing Footsie stock.
Read moreBroker tips: Income stocks, miners
23rd Oct 2009 13:13
US bank Citigroup has been casting its eye on income shares and reckons the sectors to focus on are telecoms and insurance, which look cheap when compared to banks and utilities. The US bank says UK equities still look good value on a dividend basis, and highlighted telecoms giant Vodafone and mini
Read moreBroker snap: Look to equities for income, Citi says
23rd Oct 2009 13:11
US bank Citigroup has been casting its eye on income shares and reckons the sectors to focus on are telecoms and insurance, which look cheap when compared to banks and utilities. The US bank says UK equities still look good value on a dividend basis, and highlighted telecoms giant Vodafone and mini
Read moreLondon close: Tough day for Footsie
22nd Oct 2009 16:41
Blue chips rallied late in the day, but it was a tough session generally with miners and insurance companies under pressure. Telcos led the rally with Vodafone, British Telecom and satellite group Inmarsat all making gains near the close. Lloyds was also a late riser as on reports that it is close
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