London afternoon: Prices bubble over
20th Aug 2009 14:14
Equity prices came off the top over the lunch-time session but remain firmly in the blue, albeit in thin trade, largely due to the strength of miners. Mining giant Rio Tinto is higher despite seeing profits falling by more than half in the six months to June 30 as it felt the impact of sharply lowe
Read moreLondon close: Shares plunge as sell-off continues
17th Aug 2009 16:09
The global sell-off triggered by weak consumer confidence figures from the US on Friday continued, sending Footsie deep into the red. US stocks are also trading deep in the red as traders worry that nervous consumers will dampen the economic recovery. Asian markets were down overnight despite Jap
Read moreLondon afternoon: Equities pare losses
17th Aug 2009 14:46
The FTSE 100 had a good lunch-time session, trimming the morning's losses, but it remains firmly in the red, with miners leading the way down. Concerns grow about the health of the US economy are weighing on mining companies. With consumers reticent to play their part in a demand-led recovery inves
Read moreBroker tips: Aviva, Barratt Developments, Hampson
17th Aug 2009 13:14
Insurance giant Aviva was one of the few blue-chips to make headway on Monday morning, thanks to an upgrade from HSBC. HSBC is now neutral on the stock, having previously recommended its clients be underweight in Aviva, following the decision by the insurer to rebuild its capital buffer through a p
Read moreBroker snap: Barratt rights issue is likely
17th Aug 2009 12:39
The long awaited rights issue from cash-strapped Barratt Developments could finally be about to happen, according to the Mail on Sunday, with the announcement scheduled to coincide with the housebuilder's full year results. Broker Panmure Gordon believes the report is on the money, otherwise the gr
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Barratt hit by cash call talk
17th Aug 2009 12:37
Barratt is among today's heaviest fallers amid speculation the housebuilder will announce a rights issue to coincide with its full-year results. Oil explorer Heritage Oil said it has completed the testing of the Miran West-1 discovery in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, but its shares are also firmly
Read moreLondon close: US confidence sours sentiment
14th Aug 2009 16:28
Weaker than expected US consumer sentiment data upset the apple cart Friday, giving investors an excuse to bank profits ahead of the weekend. Stockmarkets on both sides of the Atlantic have risen 15% in the past month, so no wonder investors were keen to trim their portfolios. Wall Street headed s
Read moreLondon afternoon: US sentiment data disappoints
14th Aug 2009 15:30
London's stockmarket overcame a technical glitch Friday afternoon only for equities to turn lower following a surprise plunge in US consumer confidence. Wall Street tumbled three figures shortly after the University of Michigan said its consumer sentiment index for August fell to 63.2 rather than t
Read moreLondon midday: Equities still on the REIT track
14th Aug 2009 11:59
Properties, miners and housebuilders were the sectors making the running this morning as London's blue-chip index strives to make it three days of rises in a row. Reports this morning suggested a consortium of some of the world's richest families is plotting a bid for British Land. Liberty Internat
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Housebuilders on the up
14th Aug 2009 11:57
Housebuilders and real estate stocks are among the mid-cap index's top performers. An upgrade to 'buy' from 'hold' by RBS has helped put housebuilder Taylor Wimpey among the top 10 risers. RBS, which lifts its target price on Taylor Wimpey to 47p from 37p, said the firm's recent results continued
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Emerald Energy sparkles on bid
12th Aug 2009 13:15
Emerald Energy is leading the risers after emerged Chinese state-run oil company Sinochem Resources has made a bid for the firm. Among the other main risers are housebuilders Taylor Wimpey and Barratt. Legacy software specialist Micro Focus has predicted a running twelve-month revenue contribution
Read moreLondon close: Footsie equals winning streak
27th Jul 2009 16:59
Though it was a close run thing the Footsie ended the day in the blue, equalling its record run of 11 successive days of rises. The blue-chip index was supported by a strong performance from miners and the part-nationalised banks. Lonmin was wanted after Goldman Sachs upgraded the stock to "neutr
Read moreLondon afternoon: Winning streak in danger
27th Jul 2009 14:34
Footsie has dipped back into the red, with sentiment taking a knock from Wall Street's soft opening. Were the Footsie to finish higher today it would equal a record streak of 11 successive days of gains. Pearson remains the best performer on a much better than expected trading update. The publishin
Read moreLondon midday: Pearson beats expectations
27th Jul 2009 12:07
Strong mining stocks are supporting the Footsie's quest to achieve a record breaking 12th successive day of gains today. Lonmin leads the mining sector higher after Goldman Sachs upgraded the stock to "neutral" from "sell". Kazakhmys and Antofagasta are the next best performers. Pearson remains th
Read moreBroker tips: Vodafone, Compass, Housebuilders
24th Jul 2009 11:55
Friday's quarterly trading update from telecoms giant Vodafone contained nothing worrying enough to persuade Morgan Stanley to changes its favourable stance on the stock. The US bank has maintained its "overweight" recommendation for Vodafone, saying the "valuation thesis remains compelling." "Und
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