London close: Stocks finish higher after late rally
8th Aug 2012 16:45
After an early fall, London's benchmark index rallied in afternoon trade to finish a few points higher, extending gains from the previous three sessions. The last time the FTSE 100 finished higher was on April 2nd when it hit 5,875. "Stocks and other risky assets have traded higher since Friday. C
Read moreLondon midday: Sentiment dampened by BoE and Greece
8th Aug 2012 11:46
- ECB optimism fades - S and P cuts Greek outlook to 'negative' - BoE slashes growth forecast The Footsie remained firmly in the red on Wednesday morning as optimism earlier this week about the situation in Europe began to fade, particularly as Greece's credit rating outlook was lowered by Standard
Read moreWednesday broker round-up
8th Aug 2012 09:57
AstraZeneca: Jefferies raises target from 2,975p to 3,100p, hold rating kept. Avon Rubber: Investec reiterates hold rating and 315p target. BTG: Jefferies maintains hold rating and 410p target. Cobham: Jefferies reiterates buy recommendation and 230p target; Investec keeps sell rating and 200p ta
Read moreLondon open: Stocks slip on concerns over Greece
8th Aug 2012 09:02
- S and P cuts Greek outlook to 'negative' - Markets await BoE inflation report - StanChart rebounds after yesterday's sell-off UK stocks slipped in the opening hour on Wednesday, with the Footsie pulling back after a four-month high, after Greece's long-term sovereign rating outlook was cut by Sta
Read moreFriday broker round-up
3rd Aug 2012 08:17
Avanti Communications: Jefferies maintains buy rating and 600p target. BAE Systems: BarCap cuts target from 380p to 370p, equal weight rating kept. Cairn Energy: AlphaValue downgrades to sell. FlyBe: HSBC initiates coverage with overweight rating and 90p target. Hammerson: Credit Suisse lifts ta
Read moreLondon close: Markets tank as Draghi dampens sentiment
2nd Aug 2012 16:48
- Draghi fails to give markets a boost - BoE maintains rates and QE - RBS leads the downside on one-charges, nationalisation rumours Equity markets across Europe tanked on Thursday afternoon in spite of a positive start, after the European Central Bank (ECB) dashed hopes of immediate action to stem
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Spirent falls on growth worries
2nd Aug 2012 15:13
Communications technology firm Spirent Communications was heavy faller after it cautioned that overall growth in the second half may reduce to mid- to low-single digit increase amid ongoing macro-economic uncertainty. High-flying Ophir Energy also disappointed the market as it revealed its gas dis
Read moreLondon midday: BoE holds fire; all eyes now on the ECB
2nd Aug 2012 11:44
- BoE maintains rates, QE - ECB decision in focus - RBS lower on nationalisation speculation While the policy-makers at the Bank of England (BoE) did what most were expecting - leaving interest rates and quantitative easing (QE) unchanged - UK stocks were trading firmly higher on Thursday morning
Read moreLondon open: Markets look to the ECB for a boost
2nd Aug 2012 08:57
- Fed holds fire on further stimulus - BoE and ECB decisions expected later today - ECB expected to do 'whatever it takes' The Footsie rose moderately on Thursday morning in spite of the Federal Reserve disappointing US markets last night, as investors looked ahead to key policy decisions in the UK
Read moreSpirent Communications sees second half volatility
2nd Aug 2012 07:34
Communications technology firm Spirent Communications said first half pre-tax profit rose slightly but cautioned that overall growth in the second half may reduce to mid to low single digit increase amid ongoing macro-economic uncertainty. Pre-tax profit rose to $57.3m for the six months ended Jul
Read moreThursday tips round-up: JD Wetherspoon, Spirent Communications
3rd May 2012 07:24
In the Times, Tempus weighs up whether to take a swig of pub chain JD Wetherspoon. It's going toe to toe with heavily indebted rivals so its well capitalised balance sheet is an asset but the city is worried about margins. The founder and 25% owner of the firm, Tim Martin, has decided to curb aggr
Read moreWednesday broker round-up - UPDATE
2nd May 2012 08:37
BP: Jefferies cuts target from 550p to 525p, buy rating kept. British Sky Broadcasting: Jefferies reiterates hold rating and 700p target; Nomura maintains buy rating and 1,000p target. CSR: UBS upgrades from neutral to buy, target lifted from 290p to 310p. Halma: Barclays Capital downgrades from
Read moreStrong start to the year for Spirent Communications
2nd May 2012 07:07
Spirent Communications said trading for the first quarter to 1 May 2012 is ahead of company expectations amid robust demand for technologies such as mobile internet and cloud computing. The group, which recently completed the acquisition of California based security testing firm Mu Dynamics for $4
Read moreMonday broker round-up
30th Apr 2012 08:29
Anglo American: AlphaValue downgrades from neutral to reduce, target cut from 7,115p to 6,970p. AstraZeneca: Jefferies upgrades from hold to buy, target cut from 3,050p to 2,975p; JP Morgan Cazenove upgrades from underweight to neutral, target hiked from 2,800p to 3,050p. British Sky Broadcasting:
Read moreSector movers: ARM, Spirent drag down tech sector
20th Apr 2012 14:57
Technology hardware and equipment stocks were the heaviest fallers on Friday with chip designer ARM Holdings providing a drag. The stock was among the worst performers on the FTSE 100 index in the afternoon, down 3.29% ahead of a trading update next week. Jefferies raised its target price for the
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