London close: Company updates drive FTSE 100 higher
26th Jan 2011 16:47
Shares closed with decent gains though off their earlier highs, as well-received company updates helped drive the FTSE 100 forward in line with other markets. BG Group was strong after yet another discovery in the Santos Basin offshore Brazil. The latest strike is at Carioca North-East, located in
Read moreLondon afternoon: Stocks stay strong
26th Jan 2011 15:41
Shares have maintained their earlier buoyancy after a decent start on Wall Street. Company updates have been well-received here. BG Group is going strong after yet another discovery in the Santos Basin offshore Brazil. The latest strike is at Carioca North-East, located in a water depth of 2,151m,
Read moreWeir fined £3m for Iraq breach
15th Dec 2010 14:19
Engineer Weir has been fined £3m after pleading guilty to breaching UN sanctions against Iraq through its involvement in the oil-for-food programme. Following the guilty plea, Weir was also subject to a confiscation order of £13.95m. These financial penalties will be paid before the year end and wi
Read moreWeir pleads guilty to Iraq offences
13th Dec 2010 09:06
Scottish engineer Weir is to plead guilty to two charges of breaching UN sanctions against Iraq through its involvement in the oil-for-food programme. Weir will be formally charged with these offences later today and it is expected that the case will be heard at the High Court in Edinburgh on 14 De
Read moreLondon close: Rally falters as eurozone worries continue
26th Nov 2010 16:53
A sharp rally following earlier heavy losses nearly lifted Footsie into positive territory in the afternoon but the rally fizzled out and the leading share index closed lower, with European debt concerns still looming large. Portugal is currently going down the path trodden by Ireland and denying i
Read moreLondon afternoon: Losses pared
26th Nov 2010 14:39
After briefly dipping below 5600 this morning Footsie more or less halved its losses over the lunchtime session, though heavy falls are still being sustained by miners and banks. Portugal is currently going down the path trodden by Ireland and denying it is in need of a bail-out and, as with Irelan
Read moreLondon midday: Shares slide amid euro concerns
26th Nov 2010 12:01
The leading share index's losses are almost in the triple-digits now as worries over the euro-debt crisis persist. Portugal's insistence that it is not under pressure to follow Ireland in accepting a bail-out failed to reassure investors. Bond yields in Portugal and other debt-plagued eurozone coun
Read moreLondon open: Early falls for blue chips
26th Nov 2010 08:47
Losses in Asia, a lack of direction from Wall Street, where traders sat out Thursday's session for Thanksgiving, and little company news have made for a dull start. Power companies are the main point of interest after Ofgem launched a new investigation after fresh data revealed a sharp increase in
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Banks and miners await Irish news
19th Nov 2010 13:49
Banks and miners are weak as the market awaits news of financial help for Ireland. BHP Billiton, Kazakhmys and ENRC head the mining fallers. Standard Chartered, Barclays and Lloyds are all sharply lower. Outsourcer Capita, which yesterday said revenue growth in the second half of 2010 had been su
Read moreWeir buys US turbine components firm
18th Nov 2010 08:23
Scottish engineering group Weir Group has bought American Hydro, a manufacturer of high-efficiency turbine components for hydro-electric power generation. The two companies have worked together over the last five years in Canada and prior to that cooperated on projects in Scotland. Financial detai
Read moreWednesday tips round-up: Aviva, Reckitt Benckiser, Stagecoach...
3rd Nov 2010 06:40
Having spurned the unwanted attentions of Royal & Sun Alliance, Aviva has produced a moderately positive set of third-quarter numbers which suggest that Aviva was right to resist its rival's rather ill-judged attempt to push it into selling its general insurance business. On valuation grounds, Avi
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Imperial Tobacco beats expectations
2nd Nov 2010 12:54
Cigarettes maker Imperial Tobacco topped market forecasts with its full year profits, and sharply reduced its debt. Adjusted profit before tax in the year to 30 September rose 10% to £2,467m from £2,233m the year before. The market had pencilled in a figure of £2.320m. Net debt was reduced by £1.5
Read moreTuesday tips round-up: Smiths, Weir, Xchanging...
2nd Nov 2010 06:46
Smiths, the technology group, enjoyed steady gains on the stock market yesterday as investors woke up to what could be an unexpected boost to its bottom line. The interest was triggered by the recently foiled cargo bomb plot, in which explosive devices were posted in Yemen with the freight firms UPS
Read moreLondon close: US breathes life back into Footsie
1st Nov 2010 16:42
A good early performance from Wall Street helped Footsie snap out of a weak spell to close in positive territory. US shares were boosted by a bigger than expected rise in factory output in October. The Institute for Supply Management's manufacturing index rose to 56.9 last month. Analysts thought
Read moreLondon afternoon: Banks and miners lead advance
1st Nov 2010 15:14
Footsie pulled out of its late morning slump over the lunch time session to move firmly back into positive territory, though investors are still reluctant to commit too heavily ahead of tomorrow's mid-term US elections, and the quantitative easing decisions expected this week from the Bank of Englan
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