Friday newspaper round-up: December taper, Barclays, Energy bills

Wednesday 16 Oct 2013

The US government shutdown sabotaged a crucial month of data and dealt a blow to the world’s largest economy, but the Federal Reserve could still begin reducing its asset purchases as early as December. Analysts have slashed their growth forecasts for the fourth quarter to two per cent or below, with many expecting a hit of about 0.5 percentage points from the prolonged shutdown. But many said

London midday: Stocks slip as optimism over US deal begins to fade

Wednesday 16 Oct 2013

London's FTSE 100 pulled back from a three-week high on Wednesday morning as a deal to avert a US default remained elusive with just one day to go before the government hits its borrowing limit.

Asia: Japan puts off some labour market reforms

Wednesday 16 Oct 2013

Asian equities were mostly higher on Thursday, basking in the afterglow of the agreement reached on Capitol Hill.

Royal Mail shares close higher after first day of full trading

Wednesday 16 Oct 2013

Royal Mail’s shares on Tuesday closed at 489p on the company’s first day of full trading on the London Stock Exchange.

888 third-quarter boosted by Casino performance

Wednesday 16 Oct 2013

- Trading in line

IMI reports in-line third-quarter results

Wednesday 16 Oct 2013

- Third-quarter trading in line

Invensys Chairman jumps ship to BBA Aviation

Wednesday 16 Oct 2013

Michael Harper, the Non-Executive Chairman of BBA Aviation, is to step down from the board next year, the aviation services and aftermarket support group announced on Wednesday.

Wind-farm sales help Renewable Energy swing to profit

Wednesday 16 Oct 2013

Renewable Energy Generation (REG) swung to a profit in the year ended June 30th, helped by the sale of two newly built wind farms.

London close: Stocks rise as debt talks continue in Washington

Tuesday 15 Oct 2013

Stocks finished at a three-week high on Tuesday on hopes that politicians Stateside can come to an agreement to avert a default with just two days to go before the government hits its borrowing limit.

Burberry at three-month low as Bailey replaces Ahrendts as CEO

Tuesday 15 Oct 2013

Burberry’s share price took a battering on Tuesday as investors gave a cool reaction to the surprise exit of long-running Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Angela Ahrendts, who is set to join Apple in a newly created position next year.

Wednesday preview: UK jobless claims, unemployment rate released

Tuesday 15 Oct 2013

UK jobless claims and the unemployment rate will steal the show when released on Wednesday.

Europe open: Stocks rise on US debt ceiling optimism

Tuesday 15 Oct 2013

US debt ceiling deal appears closer; UK inflation report; German sentiment figures

Bailey to replace Ahrendts as Burberry CEO - UPDATE

Monday 14 Oct 2013

Angela Ahrendts, Burberry's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) since 2006, is joining US tech giant Apple next year, leaving Chief Creative Officer (CCO) Christopher Bailey in charge.

Broker tips: Johnson Matthey, SABMiller, Escher

Monday 14 Oct 2013

The share price of chemicals group Johnson Matthey jumped on Monday morning after the stock was upgraded by JPMorgan Cazenove from 'neutral' to 'overweight'.

Economic preview: UK employment expected to improve

Monday 14 Oct 2013

Writing to clients before Wednesday's release Barclays Research said it expects the gradual improvement in UK employment to continue, but warns that wage pressures are likely to remain subdued.

AstraZeneca acquires oncology-focused biotech firm

Monday 14 Oct 2013

AstraZeneca's biologics research and development arm, MedImmune, has acquired Spirogen, a privately-held biotech company focused on antibody-drug conjugate technology for use in oncology.

Monday 14 Oct 2013

Tuesday newspaper round-up: Debt ceiling, Chinese banks, small business

Monday 14 Oct 2013

Senate leaders were late on Monday closing in on a deal to reopen the federal government and avert a potentially catastrophic default on US borrowings. The deal, which has yet to be finalised, would raise the debt ceiling until early February, reopen the government until January and include a mechanism to force lawmakers into longer-term budget discussions, the Financial Times reports.

London open: Stocks flat as US political deadlock continues

Monday 14 Oct 2013

A political stalemate in Washington over the debt ceiling weighed on risk appetite on Monday morning, with the FTSE 100 holding steady in early trading after hitting two-week highs the previous session.

Monday newspaper round-up: Energy bills, debt ceiling, Royal Mail

Monday 14 Oct 2013

Energy bills will continue to soar and ministers are powerless to protect households from them, Ed Davey, the Energy Secretary, warned yesterday. Days after one of Britain’s biggest utility companies increased its prices by more than 8 per cent, the Lib Dem minister said that politicians could not control the factors behind rising costs. He added that green levies applied to energy bills would