FTSE 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
Read moreLondon pre-open: Firm start to big week
1st Nov 2010 07:36
This week sees a slew of keenly anticipated economic data, both on this and the other side of the Atlantic, but traders seem keen to take a view, with the Footsie expected to break back above the 5700 barrier. The first week of November is a very busy one for UK corporate activity but, even so, act
Read moreWeir pumps profit past forecasts
1st Nov 2010 07:02
Pumps manufacturer Weir expects to beat full-year profit forecasts thanks to high demand for its equipment from the mining and oil exploration sector and stronger than expected aftermarket activity. The company, which entered the FTSE 100 in September, said it continued to perform well in the third
Read moreLondon close: Stocks close lower as rally fizzles out
22nd Sep 2010 17:00
Footsie gave up a brief rally to close in the red on an uncertain day's trading in the wake of Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke's nervous comments on US economic prospects yesterday. Shares in the US moved lower despite having rallied earlier. Similar sentiments to those expressed by Bernank
Read moreLondon afternoon: Miners shore up Footsie
22nd Sep 2010 14:45
Leading shares made steady progress over the lunch time session returning the blue-chip index more or less back to where it finished overnight. Mining stocks are primarily responsible for the Footsie's level position, with industrial metal miners such as Antofagasta, Kazakhmys and Rio Tinto now do
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Miners head higher
22nd Sep 2010 13:03
Gold continues to rise in price as the dollar declines and that is propelling mining companies higher. Gold miners, such as Randgold Resources and African Barrick Gold, are higher while other miners, such as Xstrata and Antofagasta, are hoping that there will be more stimulus measures for the glob
Read moreLondon midday: Gold stocks shine in dull market
22nd Sep 2010 12:11
The market has been absorbed in interpreting smoke signals from the US and UK central banks today. In the US, the Federal Reserve left interest rates at just above 0% and said yesterday it expects the recovery to continue, but added "the pace of economic recovery is likely to be modest in the near-t
Read moreThree join Footsie in quarterly changes
8th Sep 2010 18:06
Insurer Resolution, pumps manufacturer Weir and engineer Tomkins are replacing Home Retail, Segro and Cable & Wireless Worldwide in the FTSE 100 index. The changes will come into effect on 20 September. Tomkins is unlikely to stay in the Footsie for long because its board has recommended a 325p
Read moreWeir bolsters Indian presence
2nd Sep 2010 08:39
Global engineering business Weir is to expand its valves business through the purchase of family-owned Indian company BDK Engineering Industries . The business generated sales of £20.9m in the year to 31 March, 2010, manufacturing valves for the oil and gas, petrochemical and power markets. As at
Read more