London close: Italian fears spark sell-off
9th Nov 2011 16:30
The top share index in London finished at its lowest levels of the day on Wednesday afternoon, as worries over the dire financial situation in Italy caused a mass sell-off across all European markets. The same worries also dampened sentiment in the US, with the three Wall Street benchmarks dropping
Read moreFTSE 100 Movers: Admiral dives more than 28%
9th Nov 2011 13:02
Shares in insurance firm Admiral tanked by more than 28% this morning after it warned 2011 profits would be at the lower end of expectations due to a jump in personal injury claims. In its third quarter statement the firm had said it expected to report record profits for the full year, around 10%
Read moreLondon midday: Financials take a hit as Italian bond yields jump
9th Nov 2011 12:14
Despite a modest start, the Footsie took a tumble during morning trade and stood at its lowest levels of the day by lunchtime, as the focus turned to Italy's soaring borrowing costs. Financials were leading the decline on the blue chip index. ITALIAN BOND YIELDS KEEP ON RISING Yields on benchmark
Read moreWednesday broker round-up - UPDATE
9th Nov 2011 09:58
Admiral: Nomura puts buy rating and 1,900p target under review Admiral: Investec keeps sell rating and 843p target. HSBC: Evolutions Securities keeps sell rating and 650p target. British American Tobacco: Alpha Value downgrades to reduce from add. Regus: Credit Suisse upgrades from neutral to o
Read moreLondon midday: Lloyds leads the way
8th Nov 2011 12:32
There has been no shortage of company announcements to keep investor occupied while they await the outcome of the keenly awaited vote in the Italian parliament this afternoon, which could determine whether Silvio Berlusconi continues his charmed life as Italian Prime Minister. PUNTERS BACK THE BLAC
Read moreLondon open: Thumbs-up for Lloyds
8th Nov 2011 08:44
It has been a hectic morning for big company announcements, busy enough to distract traders from events in the Eurozone. Eight of the FTSE 100 companies have made trading updates already, while insurance giant Prudential is set to weigh in with his third quarter update at 9:00am. Part-nationalised
Read moreLondon pre-open: Lloyds plays 'pick a number'
8th Nov 2011 07:34
London is set to make a quiet start, possibly because traders are trying to determine which numbers to focus on in the trading update this morning from Lloyds Banking. City sources predict the FTSE 100 will open up 9 points from yesterday's close of 5,527. Part-nationalised lender Lloyds Banking
Read moreVodafone adjusts operating profit guidance higher
8th Nov 2011 07:22
Telecommunications provider Vodafone has this morning released its half-yearly results, while at the same time announcing a 7.0% increase in its interim dividend, to 3.05p, along with the payment of a special dividend of 4p. Nonetheless, the latter was already announced in July and itself reflects
Read moreMonday newspaper round-up: Berlusconi, SMEs, Vodafone
7th Nov 2011 06:58
Cabinet minister Danny Alexander has accused some trade union leaders of being "hell bent" on strike action over changes to public sector pensions with little regard for the interests of their members. The Liberal Democrat Chief Secretary to the Treasury said the Government would be contacting 2.5 m
Read moreLondon midday: Miners tumble as Japan intervenes
31st Oct 2011 12:15
The miners dragged the Footsie over 1% lower by midday after Japan's intervention into the currency markets and Chinese demand worries spurred a fall in commodity prices. London's blue chip index remains firmly in the red at the 5,641 mark, down from Friday's close of 5,702. In economic news, the g
Read moreUPDATE: Tuesday broker round-up
11th Oct 2011 08:03
Wolseley: RBS cuts target to 2,378p from 2,420p, stays at buy. Premier Oil: UBS upgrades from neutral to buy, cuts target from 445p to 430p. British Land: Alpha value downgrades to 'reduce' from 'add'. Whitbread: Morgan Stanley upgrades to 'overweight' from 'neutral'. Vodafone: Investec reiter
Read moreVodafone tightens ties with Swisscom
29th Sep 2011 10:22
Mobile phone network colossus Vodafone is extending its strategic partnership agreememnt with Swiss telecoms group Swisscom. Under the terms of the agreement, the companies will continue to jointly procure phones, network equipment, service platforms and other technology infrastructure. Morten Lun
Read moreFTSE 100 Movers: Vodafone boosted by new plans
23rd Sep 2011 12:28
Engineering firm Weir group was the biggest faller among FTSE 100 constituents after wiping more the £250m from its market value. The bad news looks set to continue throughout Friday as miners bear the brunt of the current economic turmoil. Worrying economic data from China added to the woes, with
Read moreThursday newspaper round-up: Vodafone, uncollected taxes, BP
22nd Sep 2011 06:00
Vodafone has been accused by India's tax authorities of creating an "artificial tax avoidance scheme" for its $11.2bn takeover of Hutchison-Essar in 2007. Speaking at the start of a hearing in India's Supreme Court over $2.5bn in taxes being disputed by the British company, the Solicitor-General cla
Read moreBroker tips: Morrison, Vodafone, Afren...
8th Sep 2011 11:24
While Morrison surpassed market forecasts with its half yearly results on Thursday, H2O Markets has reiterated its sell rating on the supermarket giant on the back of an uncertain outlook for the UK consumer. Pre-tax profits rose to £449m from £412m the previous year, turnover climbed to £8.7bn fro
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