London close: Market fixated on looming referendum
21st Jun 2016 16:56
(ShareCast News) - Stocks ended higher for a second day, with banks and insurers clocking in with the biggest gains as traders waited for Thursday's referendum. The Footsie finished the day up by 0.73% or 45.24 points to 6,249.24. The pound on the other hand was knocked lower from its intra-day hig
Read moreLondon midday: Banks pace gains following latest Brexit polls
21st Jun 2016 12:11
(ShareCast News) - UK shares recovered after a modest dip at the start of the session, with banks again clocking in with the biggest gains as traders digested another flurry of poll results suggesting Thursday's vote will not result in Brexit. As of 12:00 BST the FTSE 100 was trading higher by 0.03%
Read moreLondon open: Stocks edge lower ahead of Yellen speech
21st Jun 2016 08:14
(ShareCast News) - London stocks began the session trading slightly lower following a surge on the previous day, ahead of a key speech from US central bank chair Janet Yellen scheduled for later in the session, with the pound trading at its early May highs. As of 08:10 BST the FTSE 100 was trading l
Read moreWhitbread starts solidly as Costa steams back but Premier plods
21st Jun 2016 07:10
(ShareCast News) - Whitbread served up a slight improvement in sales in the first quarter of the year as its Costa coffee shops bounced back from a slowdown in the preceding few months but the hotels market has been surprisingly soft. Group like-for-like (LFL) sales grew 1.8%, up from the 1.7% in
Read moreTuesday preview: Whitbread first-quarter to provide structural answers
20th Jun 2016 13:41
(ShareCast News) - With not much in the way of macro data to grease the wheels of the market, Brexit chat is likely to continue dominating the market commentary on Tuesday, with Whitbread's first quarter results the biggest scheduled report. For the macroeconomic data, the German ZEW survey for June
Read moreThursday broker round-up
9th Jun 2016 16:34
(ShareCast News) - Fevertree Drinks: Berenberg upgrades to buy with a target price of 810p. AO World: JP Morgan keeps at neutral with a 200p target. WH Smith: JP Morgan stays at overweight with a target price of 1850p. Lancashire Holdings: UBS keeps at neutral with a target of 610p. Admiral Group
Read moreGoals Soccer Centres appoints new chief executive
27th May 2016 11:51
(ShareCast News) - Goals Soccer Centres has appointed Mark Jones as its chief executive. He joins the operator of outdoor small-sided soccer centres' board on 1 July. Jones is experienced in managing leisure brands and growing businesses. He joins Goals from Rank Group, where he was managing direct
Read moreDefensives lead bounce in stocks
20th May 2016 19:03
(ShareCast News) - Defensive issues led the market's bounce higher at the end of the week, with those sectors which stood to gain the most from a vote by Britons to remain in the UK pacing gains on the top flight index. Although low inflation boosts consumers' spending power, it is of scant benefit
Read morePubs suffer tough April as restaurants enjoy further growth
19th May 2016 07:51
(ShareCast News) - The restaurants and pubs sector endured a further decline in like-for-like sales in April, as wavering consumer confidence mixed with inclement weather. Like-for-like sales across managed pub and restaurant groups fell 0.8% against the same month last year, according to the Coffer
Read moreFitch maintains Whitbread's BBB ratings
10th May 2016 12:08
(ShareCast News) - Hospitality firm Whitbread had its 'BBB' ratings affirmed by Fitch on Tuesday, with a stable outlook, as analysts at the ratings agency talked about its strong market position in UK hotels and growing Costa Coffee brand globally. The FTSE 100 group's long-term issuer default ratin
Read moreWhitbread buys 49% stake in Pure food chain
3rd May 2016 14:11
(ShareCast News) - Whitbread has acquired a 49% stake in Healthy Retail, which trades as Pure, for £6.8m. Pure, which has eight shops in London's West and The City, specialises in fresh, natural healthy meals. The Costa Coffee and Premier Inn owner has the option to buy the remaining stake in the c
Read moreWednesday broker round-up
27th Apr 2016 15:32
(ShareCast News) - BP: Barclays reiterates overweight with a 550p target, Credit Suisse keeps at underperform with a target of 330p, Cannacord stays at buy with a 420p target and Exane BNP Paribas reiterates neutral with a target of 350p. Cambian Group: Canaccord downgrades to hold with a 91p target
Read moreBroker tips: Whitbread, Paddy Power Betfair, TUI
26th Apr 2016 15:25
(ShareCast News) - Numis reiterated a 'hold' rating and target price of 4,000p for Whitbread on Tuesday, saying it expects "lack-lustre" earnings growth in the near term. The owner of Costa and Premier Inn reported its full year results on Tuesday, revealing a 12% increase in total revenue to £2.91b
Read moreNumis keeps Whitbread at 'hold' after full year results
26th Apr 2016 10:18
(ShareCast News) - Numis reiterated a 'hold' rating and target price of 4,000p for Whitbread on Tuesday, saying it expects "lack-lustre" earnings growth in the near term. The owner of Costa and Premier Inn reported its full year results on Tuesday, revealing a 12% increase in total revenue to £2.91b
Read moreLondon pre-open: Stocks seen touch higher as oil recovers
26th Apr 2016 07:38
(ShareCast News) - London stocks were expected to open a little higher on Tuesday as oil prices recovered. The FTSE 100 was seen starting 12 points higher than Monday's close at 6,272. "European equity markets are currently on course to open a little higher but these gains are marginal and at this
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