London midday: Stocks off the bottom
7th Nov 2011 12:20
UK prices are off the bottom, but investors are keeping a wary eye on developments in Italy, where reports suggest that Il Cavalieri, Silvio Berlusconi, could resign the post of Prime Minister within a matter of hours. CHOPPY WATERS AHEAD FOR WEIR Scottish engineering firm Weir, the company which
Read moreLondon open: Recession fears spook investors
7th Nov 2011 09:20
You will search in vain for positive features among FTSE 100 index constituents, as every stock that belongs to the top-share index is lower, after consultancy BDO LLP's UK output index, which tries to gauge output over the next three months, declined in October to the lowest level in more than two
Read moreWeir Group sees orders up but warns on downstream market
7th Nov 2011 07:08
Weir Group, the Glasgow based engineering giant, says revenues in the third quarter grew more strongly than the first half of the year and also on a like for like basis against the same period of 2010. Overall "order input" was up 27% in the quarter compared to the same period of 2010. This numbe
Read moreFTSE 100 Movers: Fresnillo dips as production falls
12th Oct 2011 12:59
Fresnillo was heading lower as an attempt to reinforce mine safety meant that the miner saw silver production fall by 5.8% in the three months to the end of September. As such, the firm lowered its 2011 silver production guidance from 44m ounces to 41m ounces. Fellow miner BHP Billiton was also lo
Read moreLondon close: Footsie finishes well below 5,000
4th Oct 2011 17:31
Though share prices recovered a tad after some reassuring noises from Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke, London still finished the day deep on the red, with the Footsie well below the psychologically important 5,000 level. Federal Reserve president Ben Bernanke told the Joint Economic Committe
Read moreFTSE 100 Movers: Tesco bucks the trend
4th Oct 2011 15:34
Shares in Tesco bucked the downward trend on Tuesday after UBS upgraded the supermarket titan from neutral to buy and added the stock to its 'Key Calls' list, highlighting that "driving higher returns is now at the heart of group strategy." A broad sell-off in commodities markets is providing a dr
Read moreLondon midday: Banks plummet, retailers buck trend
4th Oct 2011 12:29
A decent performance from the retail sector was not enough to pull the market higher by lunchtime, as investors bailed out of banking, engineering and mining stocks on concerns over the global economy. Jean-Claude Juncker, chairman of the Eurogroup finance minister committee, has said that there wi
Read moreWednesday tips round-up: Topps Tiles, Albemarle & Bond, Hammerson
28th Sep 2011 06:34
In the good times, Topps Tiles saw as much as a quarter of sales coming from people moving house and upgrading the kitchen and bathroom. Today, the proportion is well below 10%, so it relies on discretionary purchases by existing home owners. Topps shares have now fallen to a level where, after yest
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 moreSector movers: Engineers and auto firms in the red
2nd Sep 2011 14:26
Only one sector was making gains in the UK on Friday afternoon as markets across the globe suffered a broad sell-off on the back of a disappointing jobs report from the US. In London, the automobiles and parts sector was the worst performing sector, with sector giant GKN falling over 4%. Next in l
Read moreLondon close: Strong finish to bad month
31st Aug 2011 16:39
The top share index finished the worst month since the financial crisis broke out in late 2008 with strong gains as strong economic data in the US whetted investors' appetite for battered shares. The purchasing managers' index, which measures industrial sentiment for the Chicago area, came in ahead
Read moreLondon midday: Smith & Nephew leads rally
31st Aug 2011 12:01
Shares have built on their earlier gains, though the rally is unlikely to be enough to prevent the biggest monthly fall since the beginning of the financial crisis in 2008. Among today's big gainers is bid rumour-mongers' favourite Smith & Nephew. Latest talk has it that peer Stryker could be inter
Read moreLondon open: Bwin, 888 lead the rise
31st Aug 2011 08:48
The Footsie edged higher in early trading on the back of a rally in New York last night after minutes from the last meeting of the Federal Reserve showed policymakers considered stimulus measures to kickstart the world's biggest economy. In London, online gaming firm bwin.party surged higher on the
Read moreLondon close: Autonomy movement helps limit losses
19th Aug 2011 16:38
Stocks finished in the red heading into the weekend but off their daily lows, having bounced back into the blue from heavy losses earlier on. Today's standout stock was Autonomy rocketed by over 75% in early trading after US computing giant Hewlett-Packard made a recommended offer for the Cambridge
Read moreSector movers: Software stocks rise on Autonomy deal
19th Aug 2011 15:28
Software and computer services was the highest performing sector, benefiting from a move by US computing giant Hewlett-Packard (HP) which made a recommended offer for Cambridge-based software firm Autonomy. HP is offering 2550p for each Autonomy in a deal that values the data search software compa
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