London midday: Early gains wiped out on Greek uncertainty
18th May 2015 11:54
UK stock markets had erased gains and were trading flat by Monday lunchtime with financial shares providing a drag on concerns about Greece. The FTSE 100 was down 0.08% at 6,955.17 by midday, pulling back after reaching a high of 7,015.49 early on. Financials were trading lower with banking group L
Read moreBroker tips: BP, Lloyds, BHP Billiton, Weir Group, Bwin.party
18th May 2015 11:50
Goldman Sachs has cut its stance on the integrated oil sector from 'neutral' to 'cautious' and lowered UK major BP specifically from 'neutral' to 'sell', after reducing its crude price forecasts. "This change is likely to put severe pressure on the integrated oils, leaving them too high on the cost
Read moreCitigroup upgrades Weir Group to 'buy' on potential upside risk
18th May 2015 09:17
Shares in UK-listed industrial engineer Weir Group were advancing on Monday after analysts at Citigroup lifted their rating on the stock from 'neutral' to 'buy' and hiked their target price from 1,750p to 2,200p. The bank said that the risk-reward balance on earnings upgrades at Weir is "now tilted
Read moreLondon open: Stocks advance as Aveva and Bwin jump on M&A
18th May 2015 09:13
UK stocks jumped on Monday morning despite ongoing uncertainty about Greece, as the mood on the market was boosted by bid speculation surrounding Aveva and Bwin.party. The FTSE 100 was up 0.56% at 6,999.75 early on, with mining stocks leading the charge, though BHP Billiton was bucking the trend. E
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Aberdeen lower on accelerating outflows, HSBC underwhelms
5th May 2015 13:21
Asset manager Aberdeen led the fallers as it reported an accelerating outflow of funds, with £11.3bn withdrawn by investors in the six months to 31 March. HSBC was trading lower, after underwhelming with its first-quarter results despite profits coming in ahead of expectations. Reported pre-tax prof
Read moreThursday broker round-up
30th Apr 2015 18:01
Schroders: Credit Suisse reiterates outperform and 2,770p target price. Tesco: UBS restarts coverage at buy with 260p target. Pearson: Westhouse Securities reiterates sell and 1,185p target price. RBS: Shore Capital reiterates hold, Numis reiterates add (with 400p target), Investec reiterates hold
Read moreLondon close: Stocks retreat further from record on weak US data, Greece
29th Apr 2015 16:30
Stocks dropped sharply again on Wednesday as gloomy US economic data and ongoing uncertainty in Greece hammered sentiment. London's FTSE 100 finished 1.2% lower at 6,946.28, with investors extra cautious ahead of a policy statement at the Federal Reserve after the close. This was the second straigh
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 moreLondon midday: Stocks pause ahead of US GDP and Fed announcement
29th Apr 2015 12:06
UK stocks markets wavered on Wednesday after a sell-off the previous session as investors treaded lightly ahead of economic growth data and a policy decision Stateside. London's FTSE 100 was trading 0.04% lower at 7,027.68 by midday with a flurry of mixed corporate earnings to digest from the likes
Read moreLondon open: Stocks flatline amid earnings flurry ahead of FOMC
29th Apr 2015 09:16
UK stocks opened flat on Wednesday morning as investors digested a barrage of blue-chip earnings and awaited a Federal Reserve policy decision in the US. The FTSE 100 was trading just 0.03% lower at 7,028.48 early on. The index had retreated on Tuesday to 7,030.53 after setting a new all-time closi
Read moreWeir Group plans more layoffs after "challenging" first quarter for oil and gas
29th Apr 2015 07:51
Industrial engineer Weir Group said it was "taking further action to support profitability" with further cost cuts in its oil and gas division after a challenging first quarter. Order input across the whole company was down 9% on the same period last year and 10% lower than the fourth quarter of 201
Read moreLondon open: Stocks rise modestly amid Greek talks, UK economic data
17th Apr 2015 08:35
Stocks in London advanced on Friday morning on a quiet day for corporate newsflow, with investors awaiting key employment data from the UK while digesting Greek debt talks. "The FTSE opened the day on the positive side of flat, after yesterday afternoon's [...] declines pulled the index away from it
Read moreLondon open: LSE and Easyjet lead stocks lower, oil prices spike
26th Mar 2015 08:55
UK stocks dropped sharply on Thursday morning following a steep sell-off on Wall Street, with financial and airline shares providing a drag. The FTSE 100 was down 1% at 6,919.49 early on as it continues to pull back from the fresh all-time closing high of 7,037.67 reached on Monday. The London Stoc
Read moreLondon close: FTSE ekes out new record despite Greek uncertainty
23rd Mar 2015 17:19
After a subdued start, the Footsie managed to edge higher to a new record on Monday though worries about Greece limited upside for London's stocks. The FTSE 100 finished the session up 0.22% at 7,037.67, surpassing the previous all-time closing high of 7,022.51 set on Friday. Stocks on the continen
Read moreMonday broker round-up
23rd Mar 2015 13:51
RBS: Nomura reiterates buy and lowers target to 350p from 370p. WPP: Westhouse Securities reiterates add lifts target to 1732p from 1577p. HSBC: Nomura reiterates neutral and shaves target to 590p. StanChart: JP Morgan upgrades to overweight. Citi reiterates buy and lifts target to 1300p from 1250
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