London close: Footsie climbs after updates
29th Apr 2010 16:49
Investors were busy digesting a stream of company updates today and, seeing more good news than bad, sent the FTSE 100 into the blue. Pay TV and Internet service provider British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB) was a top performer. Not only did it see subscriber numbers improve by a better than expected 6
Read moreLondon afternoon: BP left behind
29th Apr 2010 15:07
Footsie is trading close to its high for the day despite heavily weighted index constituent BP coming under the cosh after it said the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico is much worse than initially thought. BP's chief operating officer Doug Suttles has admitted that the amount of oil leaking from the
Read moreLondon midday: London on a Sky high
29th Apr 2010 12:14
Traders are too busy digesting a full schedule of corporate announcements to worry about sovereign debt issues, as the Footsie makes another attempt at clawing back some of the heavy losses sustained on Monday. Pay TV and Internet service provider British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB) is the top perform
Read moreLondon pre-open: Early rise ahead
29th Apr 2010 07:37
London's top stocks are expected to open higher as investors mull a number of company statements out this morning. Pay TV and Internet service provider British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB) saw subscriber numbers improve by a better than expected 62,000 in the first three months of 2010, with average re
Read moreWhitbread boosted by fourth quarter pick-up
29th Apr 2010 07:06
A fourth quarter pick-up in trading enabled underlying profits at hotel to coffee shop group Whitbread to come in near the top of market forecasts. Underlying profits before tax increased by 6.6% to £239.1m in the year to February, from £224m. Pre-tax profits rose to £208m from £198.6m. Underlying
Read moreThursday preview: Astra, BG, Unilever
28th Apr 2010 18:27
Barring another sovereign debt ratings downgrade from Standard & Poor's on Thursday the headlines are likely to be hogged by results from AstraZeneca, BG Group, British Sky Broadcasting, Shire, Unilever and Whitbread. First quarter results from Anglo-Swedish drugs giant Astra will be out at 11:00
Read moreSunday newspaper round-up: Budget, RBS, Sainsbury
21st Mar 2010 11:03
Alistair Darling will next week endorse plans for a global tax on investment banks and other institutions that pose a "systemic risk", but will rule out using the proceeds to create an insurance fund against future bank failures. The chancellor will use his Budget to give detailed backing to a glob
Read morePersimmon's Jonathan Davie lays foundations
5th Mar 2010 16:23
Persimmon non-executive Jonathan Davie started building a stake in the housebuilder with the purchase of £42,000 in shares. Davie, who was appointed to the board on January 1, bought 10,000 shares at 419.9p a time. His purchase comes soon after the company said it completed 8,976 house sales last
Read moreLondon close: Footsie suffers hiccup
4th Mar 2010 16:40
The blue chip index failed to stretch its winning streak to a fifth session, falling for the first time this week on negative results reaction and downbeat miners. It held above 5,500 all day despite coming close just after trade began and towards the end of play. Engineering and project managemen
Read moreLondon afternoon: Stocks are becalmed
4th Mar 2010 14:13
It's been an up and down day for the blue-chip index although the Footsie has rarely strayed far from its overnight level. As expected, the Bank of England has held interest rates at 0.5% and taken no further action on quantitative easing (QE) amid conflicting signals over the state of the UK econo
Read moreBroker tips: Whitbread, Aviva, Rotork
4th Mar 2010 12:38
Andy Harrison, chief executive officer (CEO) of easyJet, should inherit a company in robust shape when he takes over as CEO of restaurants and hotels group Whitbread in late November. Charles Stanley approves of the appointment and thinks his 'experience of yield management and international market
Read moreBroker snap: Whitbread builds momentum
4th Mar 2010 12:24
Andy Harrison, chief executive officer (CEO) of easyJet, should inherit a company in robust shape when he takes over as CEO of restaurants and hotels group Whitbread in late November. Charles Stanley approves of the appointment and thinks his 'experience of yield management and international market
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie drifting sideways
4th Mar 2010 12:13
Footsie is trading sideways after the Bank of England decided on no change to its stance on interest rates and quantitative easing. UK interest rates stay at 0.5% and the QE programme at £200bn. On the company front, results are dominating. Engineering and project management firm Amec is worst of t
Read moreLondon open: Footsie struggles early on
4th Mar 2010 08:30
A four-day winning streak could end Thursday after a poor start following last night's late sell-off on Wall Street, weaker miners and some disappointing company results. Engineering and project management firm Amec is worst of the blue chips as investors react badly to a 3% slip in revenues, or 12
Read moreLondon pre-open: Wall Street casts a shadow
4th Mar 2010 07:40
After the late sell off in New York yesterday London shares look set to open lower, with the FTSE 100 tipped to threaten a move back below 5500 after closing at 5533 last night. Corporate news flow from the big names is mostly good, however. Leisure group Whitbread has issued another upbeat tradin
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