Chinese services sector stagnated in July, PMI shows

Monday 04 Aug 2014

Growth in China's services sector ground to a halt in July, according to figures released on Tuesday by HSBC and Markit.

London pre-open: Bargain hunters expected to prop up UK stocks early on

Monday 04 Aug 2014

UK stocks are expected to open with small gains on Monday morning as investors pick up bargains after the heaving selling pressure experienced last week.

British Land says Marble Arch House nearly 50% let after new letting

Monday 04 Aug 2014

Real estate group British Land has completed its third letting in three months at Marble Arch House in Central London.

London pre-open: Gains expected, but Chinese services data weak

Monday 04 Aug 2014

UK stocks are expected to register small gains on Tuesday morning following four consecutive declines, though upside is likely to be limited following a deterioration in Chinese economic data overnight.

Intertek hit by currencies and mixed trading in first half

Monday 04 Aug 2014

Product testing, inspection and certification group Intertek said financial results for the first half were weaker than last year due to currency movements and continued headwinds in the minerals and energy-related businesses.

FX round-up: Dollar bulls tripped up by non-farm payrolls report

Monday 04 Aug 2014

On Friday traders focused on the weaker-than-expected wage data contained in the latest US non-farm payrolls report for the month of July.

Commodities: Jobs report props up gold and oil futures

Monday 04 Aug 2014

A weak reading for workers' average hourly earnings In July, Stateside, led to a small rally in gold futures, as traders slightly recalibrated their expectations for Fed rate hikes next year.

Ebola kills 728 in West Africa

Monday 04 Aug 2014

The Ebola virus has killed 728 people so far in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, in the worst-ever outbreak of the virus.

Monday newspaper round-up: Banco Espírito Santo, Lloyds, Carillion...

Monday 04 Aug 2014

Portugal's troubled Banco Espírito Santo has been renamed "Novo Banco" (New Bank), and split into a "good" and a "bad" bank under a €4.9-billion rescue plan drawn up by the country's central bank to keep the lender afloat. The Bank of Portugal stepped in last night after a disastrous week in which shares in Banco Espírito Santo (BES) shares plummeted by 73 per cent following a

Sunday newspaper round-up: Carillion-Balfour, share sell-off, Lloyds Banking

Friday 01 Aug 2014

Carillion plans to put Balfour Beatty in a "bear hug" to tempt Balfour's shareholders to support its attempted takeover, the Sunday Times said. Carillion last week scuppered a planned all-share merger when it backtracked on the agreed sale of Balfour's Parsons Brinckerhoff US design consultancy. With relations between the companies fraught, Carillion wants to tempt Balfour shareholders with a

UK exports flat in last three months as strong pound weighs

Friday 01 Aug 2014

British exports were flat in the last three months despite strong orders and output, adding to fears that the UK economic revival is largely a domestic affair.

US close: Stocks round off tough week with loss after jobs data

Friday 01 Aug 2014

US stock markets finished firmly in the red on Friday after a choppy session, as investors reacted to the all-important monthly jobs report and weighed global geopolitical and economic uncertainty.

RBS puts restrictions on Russian lending

Friday 01 Aug 2014

Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) said on Friday that it placed restrictions on its lending in Russia after the country was hit with further sanctions.

FTSE 100 movers: Capita and United Utilities hit by Credit Suisse downgrades

Friday 01 Aug 2014

Capita and United Utilities were heavy fallers after Credit Suisse downgraded its rating on the stocks to 'neutral' and 'underperform', respectively.

Friday 01 Aug 2014

Sunday share tips: Diageo, Clipper Logistics, HSBC

Friday 01 Aug 2014

Stay on the sidelines until Diageo chief executive Ivan Menezes has got a grip on his sprawling drinks empire, Danny Fortson advised in the Sunday Times. In his Inside the City column, Fortson said Menezes had inherited a business that was hard to control when he took over last July. The strong pound, a clampdown on excess by Chinese officials and a botched execution of strategy contributed to

IAG moves into black in first half and buys Airbus jets

Friday 01 Aug 2014

British Airways and Iberia owner International Airlines Group (IAG) moved into the black in the first half, said cost-cutting should help it boost annual profits and announced it was buying 16 Airbus jets.

Smith & Nephew sees Q2 adjusted EPS rise 13%

Friday 01 Aug 2014

Medical devices manufacturer Smith & Nephew reported double-digit earnings growth in its second quarter, which its said was down to the rebalancing of the business towards higher growth markets.

Broker tips: RBS, Tesco, Capita

Friday 01 Aug 2014

Investors should 'sell' shares of Royal Bank of Scotland following the bank's second-quarter results on Friday, according to Investec.

FTSE 250 movers: RPS continues to slide, Direct Line lifted by special divi

Friday 01 Aug 2014

RPS, which provides consultancy services to the natural resources, land and property sectors, continued to fall one day after the group posted a fall in revenue from £280.9m to £279.4m. Broker Jefferies on Friday reduced its target price from 385p to 320p.