Imperial Tobacco looking at Reynolds and Lorillard assets

Friday 11 Jul 2014

Imperial Tobacco confirmed it is discussions with Reynolds American, the maker of Camel cigarettes, and Lorillard about the potential acquisition of some of their assets and brands.

Synthomer warns on full-year profit

Friday 11 Jul 2014

Specialist chemical company Synthomer warned it now expects the strength of sterling to reduce its full-year operating profit by around £5m, a further £1m on top of its previous expectations.

Moneysupermarket.com sees growth accelerate in second quarter

Friday 11 Jul 2014

Price comparison website Moneysupermarket.com has said that growth picked up in the second quarter of the year.

One-off headwinds dampen Experian's Q1, but outlook upbeat

Friday 11 Jul 2014

Credit-checking group Experian said that organic revenues were unchanged in the first quarter after a number of "one-off headwinds", though it expected a return to normal levels of growth later on in the year.

One-off headwinds dampen Experian's Q1, but outlook upbeat

Friday 11 Jul 2014

Credit-checking group Experian said that organic revenues were unchanged in the first quarter after a number of "one-off headwinds", though it expected a return to normal levels of growth later on in the year.

London pre-open: Small rise expected at opening bell

Friday 11 Jul 2014

After a week of losses, investors are expected to today jump in and buy stock at their lower prices, despite widespread concerns about the economic stability of the Eurozone.

Imperial Tobacco to float Logista shares at €13 each

Friday 11 Jul 2014

Imperial Tobacco on Thursday evening announced it would float shares representing 27.3% of its subsidiary Logista at €13.00 per share.

Royal Mail flotation underpriced by £1bn, claim MPs

Friday 11 Jul 2014

A committee of MPs has claimed that the government and its advisers in the City underpriced the flotation of Royal Mail by £1bn.

Friday newspaper round-up: Burberry, Airlines, North Sea oil...

Friday 11 Jul 2014

Burberry is braced for a substantial protest vote at Friday's annual general meeting after the British luxury brand angered investors with a more than £20m pay deal for new chief executive Christopher Bailey. Investor groups Pirc and the Investment Management Association (IMA) have flagged their concerns ahead of the event with proxy voting firm Manifest giving the company's pay policy and report

London close: FTSE drops on Eurozone concerns

Thursday 10 Jul 2014

Following a sharp dip this morning, the Footsie spent much of the day firmly in the red before making a minimal move higher late on, ultimately ending 45.67 points lower at 6,672.37.

Sector movers: Banks drop on fears over Portugal's banking sector

Thursday 10 Jul 2014

UK-listed banking stocks felt the brunt of the sell-off on Thursday as concerns about Portugal's financial sector prompted investors to scale back risk appetite.

SSP shares begin trading after IPO

Thursday 10 Jul 2014

US jobless claims unexpectedly decline

Thursday 10 Jul 2014

Initial claims for unemployment benefits in the States unexpectedly dropped by 11,000 last week, falling close to their lowest levels in seven years.

MPC maintains course with Bank Rate of 0.5%

Thursday 10 Jul 2014

The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has maintained the Bank Rate at 0.5% and the size of its asset purchase programme at £375bn.

Broker tips: Burberry, StanChart, Halfords, Croda

Thursday 10 Jul 2014

Luxury brand Burberry's first-quarter update showed signs of "blowing away some cobwebs", according to Hargreaves Lansdown Stockbrokers.

Tesco appoints M&S Finance Director as its new CFO

Thursday 10 Jul 2014

Britain’s biggest retailer Tesco has appointed Marks & Spencer’s Chief Financial Officer Alan Stewart as its new Finance Director.

London midday: Stocks fall for fourth straight day as BoE holds rates

Thursday 10 Jul 2014

After a slow start, UK stocks sunk sharply into the red by Thursday lunchtime as investors continued to take profits after the FTSE 100 came within touching distance of multi-year highs last week.

Halfords pedals past consensus in first quarter

Thursday 10 Jul 2014

With its public image brightened by a close association with the enormously successful recent launch of the Tour de France, Halfords sprinted past the peloton of first-quarter expectations with strong retail like-for-likes sales (LFLs).

London open: Central banks in focus as UK stocks open flat

Thursday 10 Jul 2014

UK stocks opened more or less flat on Thursday as investors kept a close eye on central banks, after three straight days of losses sent the Footsie to a two-and-a-half month low.

UK housing "revival" gives Grafton a boost in first half

Thursday 10 Jul 2014

Builders merchant and DIY group Grafton said it saw an increase in momentum in the first half, with demand tracking an ongoing economic recovery in the UK and Ireland.