London midday: RBS unit sued for $8bn
29th Jan 2010 12:10
After a mid-morning dip blue-chips are on the rise again, though it is not the sort of advance that is likely to change investors' view that January was a month to forget. For once, the miners are not moving in lock step with each other. Sector giants Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton are firmer, while go
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Chemring on the attack
19th Jan 2010 15:06
Strong demand for military equipment driven by continued conflict in Afghanistan helped the military decoy specialist Chemring post a jump in sales and profits in the year to October 31. The shares are among the best performing in the FTSE 250. Housebuilders are lower the day after Taylor Wimpey ga
Read moreBarratt margins improving, cautious outlook
14th Jan 2010 07:32
Housebuilder Barratt said margins are growing and reported a 43% increase in total forward sales, but added that while the market has improved, there are still major uncertainties of both mortgage finance and the general economic outlook. Barratt said it built 5028 homes in the year to June and exp
Read moreLondon close: Footsie flatlines
7th Jan 2010 16:46
A late afternoon rally fizzled out to leave London's blue chip index little changed on the day. Banks emerged from a sticky start as the day's best performers led by Barclays and Lloyds Bank, which both received decent write-ups in an otherwise cautious broker note from Keefe, Bruyette & Woods. It
Read moreLondon afternoon: Banks defy broker gloom
7th Jan 2010 14:27
Leading shares are mixed, with the Footsie barely changed now miners have recovered from a weak showing in the morning session to show gains in the afternoon. Kazakhmys and Fresnillo lead the mining sector but their gains are surpassed by two stocks from the banking sector where Barclays and Lloyds
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Persimmon update lifts housebuilders
7th Jan 2010 12:58
Housebuilder Persimmon saw a rise in the number of home sales on which it achieved completions in the second half of 2009, but said it remains cautious on mortgage availability and the general economic situation. Peer Taylor Wimpey is leading the way, with Barratt Developments, Berkeley Holdings a
Read moreLondon midday: Bank sits on hands
7th Jan 2010 11:51
London drifted lower ahead of the announcement of the Bank of England's quantitative easing and interest rate decision, which, as expected, left both the level of interest rates and the scale of the quanititative easing programme unchanged. Mining stocks are proving to be a millstone round Footsie'
Read moreLondon close: Oils and pharmas shine
22nd Dec 2009 17:09
London equities added to the previous day's gains although a late pull-back ensured that rises were not as extensive as yesterday. Oil stocks and pharmaceuticals led the way higher. Cairn Energy enjoyed another strong day after it announced yesterday that it would start its drilling programme in G
Read moreLondon afternoon: Shares off the top
22nd Dec 2009 14:28
Leading shares came off the top over the lunch time period but most are still sporting reasonable gains, leaving the Footsie still within striking distance of its high for the year. Oil stocks are driving the index higher, particularly Cairn Energy and Royal Dutch Shell. Cairn Energy is enjoying
Read moreBroker tips: Housebuilders, Hunting
22nd Dec 2009 12:12
Goldman Sachs has turned bullish on two of the UK's biggest housebuilders, even though it sees little prospect of growth in house prices in 2010. The housebuilding sector has underperformed the market by around a quarter in the last three months, leaving the likes of Taylor Wimpey, Barratt Developm
Read moreLondon midday: Shell leads advance
22nd Dec 2009 11:50
With two of its five most heavily weighted constituents notching up rises in excess of 2%, the FTSE 100 had a good morning session. Royal Dutch Shell and GlaxoSmithKline are the two heavy hitters boosting the blue-chip index's performance. Oil giant Shell gets a boost from firmer oil prices while d
Read moreBroker snap: Housebuilders set to write up land values
22nd Dec 2009 11:35
Goldman Sachs has turned bullish on two of the UK's biggest housebuilders, even though it sees little prospect of growth in house prices in 2010. The housebuilding sector has underperformed the market by around a quarter in the last three months, leaving the likes of Taylor Wimpey, Barratt Developm
Read moreUK close: FTSE 100 closes higher
16th Dec 2009 16:43
Footsie ended with gains as better than expected UK unemployment figures lifted sentiment. The number of people claiming unemployment benefit fell for the first time since February 2008 in November amid further signs the UK economy is beginning to recover from the economic downturn. The claimant
Read moreLondon afternoon: Stocks lack direction
16th Dec 2009 14:30
Leading shares are mixed, with the Footsie dipping a toe into negative territory despite better than expected UK unemployment figures announced this morning. The number of people claiming unemployment benefit fell for the first time since February 2008 in November amid further signs the UK economy
Read moreLondon midday: Data gives blue chips a boost
16th Dec 2009 12:14
Footsie is maintaining most its early gains after some better-than-expected unemployment data. The number of people claiming unemployment benefit fell for the first time since February 2008 in November amid further signs the UK economy is beginning to recover from the economic downturn. The claim
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