London midday: Water companies keep Footsie afloat
27th May 2009 12:10
The Footsie is barely keeping its head above water, despite expectations of a moderately firm start on Wall Street. Water companies receive a boost ahead of the sector's results season which starts this week, with Credit Suisse claiming the sector's rally is set to continue. The Swiss bank has upgr
Read moreBroker snap: Brokers tip Topps
27th May 2009 11:05
The prospect of a breach of debt covenants is receding at cash-strapped tile and flooring specialist Topps Tiles as the slide in sales is showing signs of easing. Like-for-like (LFL) revenues in the six months to end-March were down by 18.5%, whereas the rate of LFL decline in the seven weeks since
Read moreLondon open: Modest gains for blue chips
27th May 2009 08:52
Footsie has made modest gains in early dealings after a strong showing on Wall Street last night. Mexico-based silver miner Fresnillo reports a strong start to 2009, with silver production up 9% on last year and stable gold production. Tullow Oil said the Awaka-1 exploration well, located in the
Read moreLondon pre-open: Footsie to keep gains
27th May 2009 07:46
Footsie is expected add slightly to yesterday's gains after a strong showing on Wall Street last night. Mexico-based silver miner Fresnillo reports a strong start to 2009, with silver production up 9% on last year and stable gold production. "In US dollar terms, our costs are declining compared to
Read moreTopps Tiles struggles as sales slide
27th May 2009 07:18
Retailer Topps Tiles' profits slumped to barely above break-even in the half year to March as sales continued to slide. Pre-tax profits tumbled from £15.8m to £0.6m as overall revenue decreased by 13.4% to £92.1m compared with last year's £106.3m). Like-for-like revenues fell by 18.5%. Overall g
Read moreWednesday preview: Northern Foods, Topps Tiles, Mortgage Approvals
26th May 2009 15:21
The share price of food producer Northern Foods is around 10p short of being double the price it was in mid-April, when it hit its low for the year of 37p. Despite this, the shares are still yielding 7%, which suggests that the dividend will be of primary interest to many shareholders when the compa
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