Friday tips round-up: Experian, WPP, Uniq
16th Apr 2010 06:16
There is no need to check on Experian's credit. At yesterday's 616½p, the shares trade at 14 times current-year earnings. This is not stretched given Experian's strong market position, high operating margins and the gearing of profits to an improvement in bank lending. Hold on, says the Times. Sir
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Banks keep Footsie up
15th Apr 2010 11:45
London's leading shares are just above flat as good gains from banks are being offset by weak defensives. Investors are keen on the likes of Barclays, Royal Bank of Scotland and HSBC Holdings but defensives are proving a drag. Reckitt Benckiser, Unilever are lower while G4S, Centrica and Thomas Coo
Read moreLondon pre-open: Shares to rise
15th Apr 2010 07:33
London's leading shares are poised to begin with good gains, with traders eyeing a 22 point rise in opening deals. McBride, which makes personal care products for supermarkets to sell under their own label, has appointed an executive from the food and household goods giant Unilever as its new chief
Read moreThursday's newspaper round-up: Consumer confidence, WPP, Nestle
15th Apr 2010 06:18
Consumer confidence plunged last month at the sharpest rate since the beginning of the recession amid growing uncertainty over the election, reports the Times. Nationwide's index of consumer sentiment slipped to 72, from 81 in February, wiping out all the gains seen since December. The advertising
Read moreLondon close: Shares end with small gains
8th Mar 2010 17:14
London's top stocks ended the day with small gains after trading in a very tight range all day as shares paused for breath following last week's good gains. Oil fabrications giant Petrofac was one of the day's major bright spot after it made a bit more than expected last year, with after tax profit
Read moreLondon afternoon: Footsie still seeking direction
8th Mar 2010 14:56
Footsie continues sitting around the 5,600 point mark as shares pause for breath following last week's good gains. Oil fabrications giant Petrofac is today's major bright spot after it made a bit more than expected last year, with after tax profit up 37%, and hiked the dividend by an impressive 41%
Read moreLondon close: Footsie hits 18-month high
5th Mar 2010 17:00
Strong economic data from the US sent Footsie to its highest levels since late 2008. The leading share index closed a whisker shy of the 5,600 point mark. A much better than feared read on US non-payrolls sparked the surge. The US jobs figures showed 36,000 jobs were lost in February, compared wit
Read moreLondon afternoon: Footsie through 5,600, 18-month high
5th Mar 2010 16:07
London's blue-chips have surged forward to an 18-month high and climbed above 5,600 for the first time since late 2008. A much better than feared read on US non-payrolls has spaeked today's surge, with the Dow adding 100 points and miners surging higher alongside bank shares. The US jobs figures s
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie powers on
5th Mar 2010 11:58
London's blue-chips are nearing a 52-week high on renewed optimism over the banks, a good morning for miners and despite a mixed read on UK factory gate inflation. The cost of goods at the factory gates in February was 4.1% higher than a year earlier, a tad above the 4% annual gain expected by eco
Read moreLondon open: Footsie rising again
5th Mar 2010 08:47
UK equities have opened firmly helped by another good session on Wall St and more gains for the banks. Schroders, Royal Bank of Scotland, Barclays and Standard Chartered lead the financials higher, while Fresnillo, Lonmin and Xstrata are strong among the miners. Swiss group Glencore International
Read moreLondon pre-open: Firm start foreseen
5th Mar 2010 07:48
Spurred on by Wall Street's solid performance yesterday UK equities are set to open the day on a firm footing with traders predicting the blue-chip index will open at around 5,550 compared to last night's close of 5527. WPP has been hit hard by the recession and slump in advertising spend, but head
Read moreWPP numbers better than feared
5th Mar 2010 07:05
WPP has been hit hard by the recession and slump in advertising spend, but headline profit before tax fell less than expected during a "brutal" 2009 and there was an encouraging return to stability in January. Headline profit before tax for the 12 months to 31 December fell 16%, or 24% at constant
Read moreFriday preview: Michael Page, WPP, UBM
4th Mar 2010 17:16
Investors are keen to see if Michael Page did better than Hays in the last six months of 2009 when the white collar recruiter reports final figures Friday. Hays slumped last week when it said interim profit plunged to £3.4m from £100.8m in 2008 and warned that business remains "challenging" in the
Read moreSector movers: RBS drags leads banks lower
8th Dec 2009 14:55
Royal Bank of Scotland is leading the banking sector lower. Trading in the state-controlled bank briefly stopped trading and it went into 'auction' as the price tumbled below 30p, though it has since recovered a little. The auction process is used when a company's share price falls, or rises too q
Read moreLondon close: Late swoon by Footsie
30th Oct 2009 16:52
Mining stocks proved a major millstone around Footsie's neck today while end of the month position closing also contributed to a fall of almost 2% on the blue-chip index, a decline that was mirrored on Wall Street. The US market gave back most of yesterday's gains in the morning session after US co
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