London midday: FTSE 100 shrugs off deflation reading as ECB ready to step up easing
19th May 2015 11:33
Despite confirmation of the UK's first deflation since the 1960s, London's blue chip shares passed midday on Tuesday in continuing positive territory. UK inflation fell 0.1% in the year to April, the first annual fall in the consumer prices index since the 1960s. Data from the Office for National S
Read moreBroker tips: DCC, Vodafone, Land Securities
19th May 2015 11:31
Support services group DCC maintained its track record after another year of strong earnings growth, analysts at Berenberg said in a note on Tuesday. Dublin-based company said its pre-tax profit for the year to 31 March rose 8.1% year-on-year to £163.3m, while earnings before interest, tax, deprecia
Read moreVodafone's Project Spring fails to deliver bounce for Nomura and SocGen
19th May 2015 10:07
Analysts were somewhat disappointed in full-year results from Vodafone, with Nomura bemoaning the lack of profits bounce generated Project Spring in its first year, while Societe General wondered if the giant £19bn investment programme should be renamed Project Summer. Thanks to a return to growth i
Read moreLondon open: FTSE rises ahead of inflation reading
19th May 2015 08:25
London investors began in more optimistic mood than was expected on Tuesday, boosted by bullish comments from the European Central Bank. The FTSE 100, which had been expected to move lower on worries of a US rate hike, spiked through the 7,000 mark for the third day running, standing at 7,001, up 0.
Read moreLondon pre-open: Stocks set to rise ahead of UK inflation data
19th May 2015 07:21
London's blue chip equities are expected to rise on Tuesday morning as the economic data schedule picks up after a quiet start to the week. City sources predict the FTSE 100 will open 13 points higher than Monday's close of 6,968.87. The UK consumer price index will be in focus for investors when i
Read moreVodafone returns to organic reveue growth but Project Spring disappoints
19th May 2015 07:07
Final results from Vodafone showed a return to organic growth in the fourth quarter, with organic service revenue up 0.1%, beating consensus forecasts, but an expected profits bounce from its massive Project Spring investment were largely dashed. The telecoms giant's service revenue growth of 6.0%
Read moreLondon close: Stocks creep higher but risk appetite limited ahead of elections
6th May 2015 16:32
UK stocks finished a choppy session marginally in positive territory on Wednesday as investor risk appetite was curbed by pre-election uncertainty and cautious comments from Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen. The FTSE 100 closed up 6.16 points (+0.09%) at 6,933.74, rebounding slightly after settlin
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Sainsbury plummets on first loss in decade, miners lower
6th May 2015 13:24
Sainsbury's led the fallers after swinging to its first annual loss in a decade, though results still came in ahead of analysts' expectations. The grocer reported a pre-tax of £72m for the year ended March, compared with a £898m profit previously, prompting it to slash it full-year dividend by 23.7%
Read moreSector movers: Metals, telcos shares lead London market higher
6th May 2015 11:38
Metals, mobile telecommunications and big tobacco stocks were among the few sectors to trade higher in pre-election trading on the London Stock Exchange on Wednesday. The FTSE 100 closed up 6.16 points or 0.09% at 6,933.74, rebounding slightly after settling at a one-month low the previous session.
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks pare gains as election uncertainty kicks in
6th May 2015 11:30
UK stocks bounced off a one-month low on Wednesday though gains were quickly trimmed as mining stocks dropped into the red and Sainsbury's extended losses after an underwhelming annual report. The FTSE 100 was up just 0.11% at 6,935.50 by midday, having pulled back after reaching a high of 6,974.82
Read moreBroker tips: Vodafone, Sainsbury's, Aberdeen, Greene King
6th May 2015 11:27
Exane BNP Paribas said it sees "much better times ahead" for Vodafone as it upgraded its view on the stock from 'neutral' to 'outperform'. "The combination of a dramatically improved proposition (both absolute and relative), the secular trend of increased data consumption and the benefits of an impr
Read moreVodafone shares "too cheap" as Exane BNP Paribas upgrades to 'outperform'
6th May 2015 09:08
Exane BNP Paribas said it sees "much better times ahead" for Vodafone as it upgraded its view on the stock from 'neutral' to 'outperform'. The broker also hiked its target price from 220p to 270p, which implies 17% upside from Tuesday's closing price. Exane analyst Michael Williams said the telecom
Read moreLondon open: FTSE bounces as corporate earnings impress
6th May 2015 08:27
UK stocks bounced on Wednesday morning as investors picked up bargains after the FTSE 100 dropped to a one-month low the previous session. Blue chips Imperial Tobacco, Legal & General and GKN were leading the rise after impressing investors with results, while Vodafone was boosted by a broker upgrad
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Weir rockets on quarterly beat, Antofagasta hit by production cuts
29th Apr 2015 13:19
Industrial engineer Weir Group topped the risers after delivering a better-than-expected first quarter from minerals, its largest division. However, the company did say it was "taking further action to support profitability" in its oil and gas division amid tough conditions. Shares of Intercontinent
Read moreBroker tips: BP, Vodafone, Next
29th Apr 2015 12:11
BP smashed consensus forecasts with its first-quarter results on Tuesday, though analysts at UBS said that the read-through for future years is limited for the moment. The Swiss bank maintained a 'neutral' rating and 450p target price for the oil major, saying that changes to outer-year forecasts ar
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