London midday: Stocks higher as UK unemployment falls, M&A activity in focus
12th Jun 2013 12:04
M&A activity was the theme of the day in London on Wednesday as heavyweight stocks British Sky Broadcasting, Severn Trent and Vodafone grabbed the headlines. Nevertheless, after a choppy start, the FTSE 100 managed to register moderate gains by lunchtime. Helping sentiment this morning was UK unemp
Read moreLondon open: Stocks flat on fragile market sentiment
12th Jun 2013 09:01
The FTSE 100 was swinging between gains and losses in early trading on Wednesday as traders remained nervous amid the ongoing market volatility that has been seen over the last few weeks. "Persisting fears about impending Federal Reserve tapering of asset purchases together with the Bank of Japan's
Read moreVodafone confirms preliminary approach for Kabel Deutschland
12th Jun 2013 08:58
Mobile telecommunications giant Vodafone Grouphas confirmed a preliminary approach to German cable operator Kabel Deutschland. In an announcement issued early on Wednesday morning, the group said it had noted the recent speculation regarding a potential offer for Kabel Deutschland and confirmed tha
Read moreTelecoms giant Vodafone launches two new smartphones
12th Jun 2013 07:55
FTSE 100-listed mobile communications company Vodafone has today announced the addition of two new high performance smartphones designed to accelerate the adoption of mobile internet usage within the mass market. The Smart III is a smartphone with a high-resolution four-inch screen at a price belo
Read moreMonday newspaper round-up: ENRC, Vodafone, AB Foods...
3rd Jun 2013 06:39
The Times cites an internal review at mining group ENRC which recommended the firm to dismiss 20 of its senior staff for fraud and discipline more than 60. "The alleged wrongdoing at the FTSE 100 miner included employees using company money to buy a guesthouse, a farming business and a horse farm, a
Read moreVodafone and China Mobile withdraw from Myanmar licence process
31st May 2013 11:11
Vodafone Group and China Mobile have pulled out from proceedings to award two telecommunication licences in Myanmar. In a statement Friday, Vodafone said its consortium with China Mobile the proposed deal failed to meet their "strict internal investment criteria". The Vodafone-China Mobile consor
Read moreWednesday broker round-up UPDATE
29th May 2013 08:59
AEC Education: WH Ireland lowers target price from 16p to 11p retaining a buy recommendation. Bodycote: JP Morgan downgrades to underweight with a target price of 495p. BTG: Deutsche Bank ups target price from 440p to 475p retaining a buy recommendation. De La Rue: Investec raises target price fr
Read moreSector movers: Defensives thrive as investors scale back risk
24th May 2013 15:27
With market sentiment still fragile following the heavy sell-off of the past two days, defensive sectors were thriving on Friday as investors refrained from taking risk ahead of the long weekend. Concerns about a scaling back of stimulus in the US and a slowdown in China saw the FTSE 100 drop 2.1%
Read moreWednesday tips round-up: Vodafone, Carnival, Telecom Plus
22nd May 2013 06:57
Despite the falls evident in yesterday´s quarterly results, in what has traditionally been its main performance metric -organic service revenues - any weakness in Vodafone´s share price looks like it would be a buying opportunity, says The Times´s Tempus. Above all, it is hard to see how the situati
Read moreLondon close: Stocks surge as earnings impress, inflation eases
21st May 2013 16:46
Well-received results from a number of FTSE 100 heavyweights and a sharp drop in consumer-price inflation in the UK lifted London's benchmark index to fresh multiyear highs on Tuesday. The Footsie finished at a closing price of 6,803.87 (up 0.7% on the day), trading at levels not seen in over a dec
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks extend gains as inflation falls sharply
21st May 2013 11:38
Stocks held on to 12-year highs on Tuesday morning as a sharp drop in consumer-price inflation lifted the outlook for the UK economy. Helping to keep markets in positive territory this morning was falling inflation in the UK. The rise in consumer prices slowed sharply from an annual rate of 2.8% to
Read moreLondon open: Markets hold on to 12-year highs
21st May 2013 08:30
Markets were trading within a narrow range on Tuesday morning after finishing at 12-year highs the day before, as traders consider how much further the impressive year-to-date rally has to go. The FTSE 100 finished at 6,755.63 on Monday afternoon, a level not seen since September 2000, while other
Read moreVodafone sales fizzle, no bonus VZW dividend
21st May 2013 07:10
Final results from Vodafone were hit by weak European markets, leading to the company deciding to reinvest the bumper dividend it received from Verizon Wireless. The group only registered an increase in profits due to its 45% share in Verizon Wireless (VZW), a joint venture with US telecoms giant
Read moreTuesday preview: M&S and Vodafone report
20th May 2013 14:54
Marks & Spencer (M&S) and Vodafone are expected to make waves Tuesday when they release their full-year results. Analysts forecast M&S will report its lowest annual profit in four years, as the retailer's struggling general merchandise division continues to offset a rise in food sales. The firm's
Read moreVodafone ends talks with BT for new contract
20th May 2013 14:10
Vodafone has bowed out of negotiations to provide a mobile service to fixed-line operator BT Group, Reuters reported Monday. Vodafone has provided BT with mobile services for the past nine years but was in the running for a new agreement. Talks over the contract were dropped after Vodafone acquire
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