New WPP director takes a stake
8th Dec 2010 16:19
Solomon Trujillo, a recently-appointed director at the advertising group WPP, has splashed out about £76,000 shares in the firm. He took 2,000 American Depositary Receipts, paying $59.90 (3,800p) for each one, and now has the equivalent of 10,000 shares in the company. Trujillo has worked with se
Read moreWednesday tips round-up: BT, Shell, Electra...
1st Dec 2010 07:03
BT recently reported an excellent set of operating figures; debt continues to fall; there has been good news on its pension deficit; and there is a chance the dividend could now offer real growth. As debt is reduced, the pension hole managed and its credit rating improves, the company should be abl
Read moreLondon close: Late blow for Footsie
30th Nov 2010 16:28
Blue chips climbed out of the red late afternoon as losses across the Atlantic narrowed, but a late sell-off took the leading index back into negative territory and a new two-month low. A better than expected read on US consumer confidence helped trim the deficit on Wall Street, although fears abou
Read moreLondon afternoon: Vedanta falls after yanking flotation
30th Nov 2010 15:02
Though the majority of its constituents are lower, the FTSE 100 index is little changed on the day. Financials remain unnerved by worries over the future of the eurozone but otherwise the picture remains mixed, as it has been for most of the day. In a mixed mining sector Vedanta heads lower after i
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Halma numbers fail to impress
30th Nov 2010 14:38
Sensor technology group Halma is among today's laggards, even after it saw increased revenue and profit in all three of its divisions in the 26 weeks to 2 October. Group revenue rose 12% to £249.1m from £222.1m at the interim stage last year. Organic revenue growth on a constant currency basis was
Read moreLondon midday: Shares hesitant as nervousness continues
30th Nov 2010 12:05
Shares are still seeking direction having given up their early lead amid nervousness over the European debt situation. The US could provide a lead. Investors are gearing up for a report on US consumer sentiment at 3pm UK time and the S&P/Case-Shiller index of property values, due out an hour earlie
Read moreLondon open: Modest early gains
30th Nov 2010 08:52
Footsie has recovered some of yesterday's losses in early dealings after Wall Street perked up near the end of the US trading day. Trading is subdued even so, with travelling disrupted by the weather and little company news about. Miners African Barrick and Rio Tinto are still in demand after yest
Read moreLondon pre-open: Shares to win back some losses
30th Nov 2010 07:34
Footsie is expected to recover some of yesterday's losses in early dealings. In company news, Birmingham City Council has extended and expanded its existing contract with outsourcing titan Capita in a deal worth about £300m to Capita. The original contract to provide ICT (information and communicat
Read moreHalma says visibility still limited
30th Nov 2010 07:10
Sensor technology group Halma saw increased revenue and profit in all three of its divisions in the 26 weeks to 2 October. Group revenue rose 12% to £249.1m from £222.1m at the interim stage last year. Organic revenue growth on a constant currency basis was 10%. Adjusted profit before taxation, wh
Read moreLondon close: Company news stream fails to budge Footsie
3rd Nov 2010 16:37
There was plenty of company news for traders to digest but also uncertainty ahead of the US Federal Reserve's decision on whether to embark on more quantitative easing, resulting in a flat performance from Footsie. The leading share index slipped in line with the US ahead of the close and finished
Read moreHalma kicks off £100m acquisition programme
3rd Nov 2010 14:38
Safety equipment group Halma has acquired US firm Alicat Scientific for a cash consideration of $25.2m. Alicat, a privately-owned business in Tucson, Arizona, designs and manufactures mass flow meters and controllers. For the financial year ended September 2010, Alicat made an operating profit of
Read moreLondon afternoon: Footsie treads water
3rd Nov 2010 14:13
London is not short of corporate newsflow to generate share price movements among the blue-chips but the net effect has been to leave the Footsie little changed. Car insurer Admiral said not much has changed since August's interim results, but that simple affirmation of recent trends was enough to
Read moreLondon close: US gloom offsets company cheer
29th Jul 2010 16:33
Footsie closed slightly in the red, despite starting well on the back of well-received company updates, as weakness in the US spread across the Atlantic. AstraZeneca closed sharply higher. The group's potential blockbuster heart drug Brilinta has received the backing of a US advisory panel just as
Read moreLondon afternoon: Footsie off the top
29th Jul 2010 14:28
The Footsie drifted lower over the lunch time session though still remained in positive territory, thanks in large part to enthusiastic responses to results from heavy hitters AstraZeneca, BT and Reed Elsevier. AstraZeneca is sharply higher. The group's potential blockbuster heart drug Brilinta has
Read moreLondon midday: PartyGaming jumps on bwin merger
29th Jul 2010 11:57
Company results have given traders plenty to ponder and shares are broadly higher, but online betting group PartyGaming is the star performer after announcing a merger with Austrian rival bwin. PartyGaming said the merger would create the world's largest listed online gaming business. Elsewhere i
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