London close: US slide drags down Footsie
28th Jan 2010 16:45
London slumped near the close mirroring heavy falls in the US where technology stocks ran into heavy selling seemingly on disappointment with Apple's new iPad. AstraZeneca led the fallers after the Anglo-Swedish pharmaceuticals firm saw fourth quarter earnings rise 10% but warned that its predicted
Read moreLondon afternoon: Banks lead rally
28th Jan 2010 14:31
Blue chips put on a spurt over the lunch time session despite drugs giant Astra issuing disappointing fourth quarter figures. The Anglo-Swedish pharmaceuticals firm saw fourth quarter earnings rise 10% but warned that its predicted 2010 revenues would be hit by the loss of exclusive rights to sell
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie flat after mixed earnings news
28th Jan 2010 12:13
Blue chips are struggling to make headway in the face of mixed company news today. Pay TV and Internet service provider British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB) is one of the best performers after it said it had a strong second quarter with revenues coming in marginally ahead of expectations. Turnover in
Read moreLondon open: Footsie fights back
28th Jan 2010 08:20
London's top stocks have opened higher on Thursday, winning back some recent losses in early dealings. Pay TV and Internet service provider British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB) is one of the best performers after it said it had a strong second quarter with revenues coming in marginally ahead of expecta
Read moreBrewin Dolphin posts 11.5% rise in income
28th Jan 2010 07:38
Stockbroker and fund manager Brewin Dolphin reported a 11.5% rise in first quarter income and said improved trading conditions have continued. Income for the first quarter to 25 December was £56.9m compared with £51m in the same period last year. Investment Management fees increased by 30% compare
Read moreLondon close: Miners push Footsie higher
2nd Dec 2009 17:09
Despite being weighed down by a number of ex-dividend stocks, Footsie finished the day in positive territory, with gains on miners outweighing losses on banks. With metals prices hardening, miners were in demand. Lonmin was the best performer after being raised to 'buy' by Investec, which also upgr
Read moreLondon afternoon: Footsie in the blue
2nd Dec 2009 14:52
Though banks are still looking sickly, Footsie has struggled into positive territory on the back of a strong mining sector. Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) remains the biggest faller among blue-chips, with lingering concerns about its exposure to Dubai World's debt now overshadowed by with newspaper r
Read moreBroker tips: Barclays, Sage, Brewin Dolphin
2nd Dec 2009 13:21
UK banks have been under the cosh since news of the Dubai debt situation broke last week but their shares are still not cheap enough, according to Credit Suisse. 'UK bank share prices have fallen 10% in the last two weeks, but we calculate that they still imply long-term ROTE [return on tangible eq
Read moreBroker snap: Brewin Dolphin exceeds expectations
2nd Dec 2009 13:04
Better than expected full year figures from its sector peer Brewin Dolphin have prompted broker Canaccord Adams to upgrade its 2010 earnings estimates by 4%. 'We raise our target price from 180p to 193p, reflecting higher AUM [assets under management] compared with our previous assumptions, partly
Read moreLondon midday: Banks get battered
2nd Dec 2009 12:11
After yesterday's strong gains, equities come off the boil today with banks, in particular, getting hammered, on enduring fears over exposure to Dubai debt. Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and Lloyds Banking are the big fallers among blue-chips, while elsewhere in the banking sector Barclays is also o
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Aquarius leads as platinum shines
2nd Dec 2009 11:03
Aquarius Platinum is the best performer as prices for the precious metal climbed to 15-month highs. Things are going swimmingly for Brewin Dolphin too after the stockbroker and fund manager saw profits slide in the year to September 27, but said current trading is satisfactory, leaving it confident
Read moreLondon open: Flat start for Footsie
2nd Dec 2009 08:41
London's blue chips have made a flat start despite gains for miners as gold hit a new record high. The metal rose above $1,200 per ounce again overnight in Asia as investors sought refuge from a weak dollar and Dubai's woes. Lonmin, Vedanta and Kazakhmys are all going well. Offsetting that are som
Read moreLondon pre-open: Flat start ahead
2nd Dec 2009 07:33
London's blue chips look set to open largely unchanged from yesterday's close, though commodities are likely to be in focus after gold hit a new record high. Gold rose back above $1,200 per ounce again overnight in Asia as investors sought refuge from a weak dollar and Dubai's woes. In corporate n
Read moreBrewin Dolphin profits slide
2nd Dec 2009 07:16
Stockbroker and fund manager Brewin Dolphin saw profits slide in the year to September 27 after one of the most tumultuous periods for the financial services industry. Pre-tax profits fell to £21.9m from £32m, even as total income climbed to £212.3m from £206.5m. 'The financial period under review
Read moreWednesday preview: Sage, Brewin Dolphin, Construction PMI
1st Dec 2009 15:13
Newcastle-based accountancy software firm Sage's full year results are likely to be in line with expectation but patchy. The group said at the third quarter stage that it was budgeting for continued tough trading conditions in the final quarter of its financial year. Its US division, in particular
Read more