London open: AstraZeneca leads markets lower as shares sink

Monday 19 May 2014

UK stocks fell on Monday morning with AstraZeneca leading the decline after rejecting a final takeover offer from pharmaceutical giant Pfizer.

Tuesday preview: UK inflation, M&S finals

Monday 19 May 2014

UK inflation figures and annual results from Marks and Spencer (M&S) will take centre stage on Tuesday.

London pre-open: Little change expected on FTSE early on

Monday 19 May 2014

Stocks are set to begin this week little changed from the end of last, with just a modest decline of around seven points below Friday's close of 6,855.81.

Sunday newspaper round-up: Intercontinental Hotels, George Osborne, AstraZeneca

Friday 16 May 2014

Intercontinental Hotels has turned down a 6bn pounds takeover approach from an unnamed investment fund, the Sunday Times reported. The approach is said to have been made in the last three weeks but the board thought it was too low to consider. City sources think the group could now be a target for a US hotel company looking to move its tax base to the UK. Starwood Hotels, the £15bn owner of

E.On to pay 12m pound penalty for mis-selling

Thursday 15 May 2014

Energy group E.On is set to pay a 12m pound penalty after an investigation by Ofgem found it had conducted 'extensive poor sales practices'.

Afren shares slide after quarterly numbers fall

Thursday 15 May 2014

Shares in independent oil and gas exploration and production company Afren declined sharply on Tuesday morning after it posted a fall in quarterly both revenue and pre-tax profit.

London midday: Markets post small gains amid earnings, ECB speculation

Thursday 15 May 2014

UK stocks were fluctuating at 14-year highs on Thursday morning as investors paused for breath amid a flurry of corporate earnings and some mixed economic data.

Aviva reports 'calm and stable' first quarter

Wednesday 14 May 2014

'Reassuring calm and stable' was the message set out by Aviva Chief Executive Mark Wilson in the insurer's first-quarter trading update, with the value of new business (VNB) growing solidly despite weather and regulatory developments.

London midday: ITV drops as UK stocks retreat from 14-year high

Wednesday 14 May 2014

ITV leads fallers after underwhelming Q1; Markets pulls back from highest level since 1999; BoE strikes dovish tone in Inflation Report; Compass, Mondi rise strongly after updates

Tate & Lyle in line but warns of slow start to new year

Tuesday 13 May 2014

In the face of tough competition in artificial sweeteners and adverse weather effects, Tate & Lyle limited falls in annual revenues, profits and earnings broadly in line with expectations.

Credit Suisse optimistic about potential Russell deal at LSE

Tuesday 13 May 2014

Credit Suisse has added London Stock Exchange (LSE) to its 'Focus List', saying it expects a re-rating of the stock over time if the possible acquisition of Russell Investments is completed.

US retail sales growth slows to just 0.1 per cent in April

Tuesday 13 May 2014

Growth in US retail sales slowed considerably in April as Americans held back after splurging the month before.

US pre-open: Dow, S&P 500 to extend record highs as futures rise

Tuesday 13 May 2014

US stock futures were pointing to a firmer start ahead of the opening bell on Tuesday with the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 set to extend gains after hitting record highs the previous session.

Go-Ahead beats FirstGroup and Stagecoach to Thameslink rail deal - UPDATE

Tuesday 13 May 2014

A joint venture of bus and train operator Go-Ahead and a company part-owned by French state railway SNCF has won the battle to run the new Thameslink rail super-franchise in London and south-east England.

London midday: FTSE 100 trims gains but housing stocks rise

Tuesday 13 May 2014

FTSE 100 hits 14-year intraday high; Housing stocks lifted by Taylor Wimpey comments; easyJet, TUI Travel and LSE fall.

Monday 12 May 2014

FTSE 100 movers: Miners rise on JPMorgan comments

Monday 12 May 2014

Upbeat comments from JPMorgan Chase & Co and a good performance on Chinese markets overnight gave the mining sector a boost today.

Commodities: Oil futures strike three-week high

Monday 12 May 2014

Crude oil futures settled at a three-week high on Wednesday as investors gear up for the summer driving season and afterweekly government data revealed increased demand for petroleum products.

Monday 12 May 2014

Thomas Cook seeing impact from Ukraine crisis

Monday 12 May 2014

1027: Speaking on Bloomberg TV Thomas Cook's CEO said they have been seeing less Chinese travellers to Russia and fewer travellers from that country as a result of the current crisis in Ukraine.