Santander removes Lloyds Banking Group from 'core buy' list

Wednesday 18 Jun 2014

Santander Global Banking & Markets has blamed a possible UK interest rate rise for its waning enthusiasm towards Lloyds Banking Group.

Bank of England MPC votes unanimously to hold rates

Wednesday 18 Jun 2014

Bank of England policymakers voted unanimously to hold interest rates this month, but expressed surprise that markets had under-estimated the chance of a hike later this year.

LIVE: Iraq conflict

Wednesday 18 Jun 2014

1751: According to some reports the insurgents have occupied a part of the Baiji oil refinery, with two fuel storage tanks said to be in flames. Baiji's output is estimated at about 170,000 barrels a day of gasoline and other oil products. The loss of the refinery's output would entail a greater need for fuel imports and a possible source of financing for the radicals, who also seek to control

London open: UK stocks rise as investors await BoE minutes, Fed

Wednesday 18 Jun 2014

UK stocks markets were putting a decent performance on Wednesday, helped by gains in the supermarket and telecoms sectors, as investors adopted a positive attitude ahead of all-important Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) decision.

Card Factory starts year well and pledges to expand

Wednesday 18 Jun 2014

Newly floated stationery and gift retailer Card Factory unveiled a good start to the year and outlined plans for more expansion.

Serco to shake up Africa, Middle East and Asia business

Wednesday 18 Jun 2014

Troubled support services group Serco is launching a shake-up of its Africa, Middle East, Asia and Australasia (AMEAA) business and said it is going solo in a bid for a UK rail franchise.

Wednesday newspaper round-up: Bank of England, MySale, Help to Buy

Wednesday 18 Jun 2014

The Bank of England "will not hesitate" to take further action to cool Britain's booming housing market and stop the economy from boiling over, Mark Carney has said. On the day official data showed the average UK house price is ten times bigger than the average salary, the Governor used the Bank's annual report to highlight the steps it had already taken to prevent people from taking out

Credit Suisse downgrades BG Group to 'underperform'

Wednesday 18 Jun 2014

Credit Suisse has downgraded BG Group from 'neutral' to 'underperform', saying it sees "weak spots in BG's defence line".

Berkeley beats forecast as makes most of booming London market

Wednesday 18 Jun 2014

Housebuilder Berkeley has made the most of the roaring market in London and South East, building on every inch of land where it has permission and benefitting from soaring average selling prices.

Man agrees to acquire US quant specialist Numeric

Wednesday 18 Jun 2014

Hedge fund operator Man Group has conditionally agreed to acquire US quantitative investment specialist Numeric for up to $494m in cash and options, to beef up its algorithm-based offering outside Europe and Asia.

FTSE 100 movers: Rolls-Royce soars on £1bn buyback proposal

Wednesday 18 Jun 2014

Jet engine maker Rolls-Royce took off after pledging to buy back £1bn of shares if it succeeds in selling its energy gas turbine and compressor business to Germany's Siemens. The company also outlined plans to reduce capital spending in the next five years.

Micro Focus enjoys strong close to the financial year

Wednesday 18 Jun 2014

Software group Micro Focus said it enjoyed a solid year of progress, with growth picking up in the second half, and looking ahead expects low single-digit revenue growth in the medium term.

Market overview: Shire rises on reports of "imminent" Allergan bid

Wednesday 18 Jun 2014

1359: After an earlier fall, Shire's shares have spiked higher (+1.8%) on rumours that Allergan could bid for the company in an effort to fend off a hostile takeover attempt by Valeant Pharmaceuticals. Bloomberg cited an analyst at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey who said that a bid is "imminent" and "makes strategic sense" for the US company.

Finance Director at Croda International to step down next year

Wednesday 18 Jun 2014

The Group Finance Director of Croda International is set to step down from the role in April next year, the FTSE 250 group announced on Wednesday.

London open: UK stocks rise as investors await BoE minutes, Fed

Wednesday 18 Jun 2014

UK stocks markets were putting a decent performance on Wednesday, helped by gains in the supermarket and telecoms sectors, as investors adopted a positive attitude ahead of all-important Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) decision.

US dollar expected to surge against the euro, pound following Fed

Wednesday 18 Jun 2014

DMGT, Countrywide and LSL to cash in on Zoopla IPO at 220p

Wednesday 18 Jun 2014

Countrywide and LSL Property Services are set to raise nearly £20m each from the sale of shares in Zoopla's initial public offering (IPO) on Wednesday, while Daily Mail & General Trust could make as much as £190m.

Premier Foods says key brand sales to miss targets

Wednesday 18 Jun 2014

Mr Kipling Cakes-to-Ambrosia rice maker Premier Foods warned that sales of its key brands were set to fall short of expectations this year, but said cost cuts should still help it to report annual results in line with hopes.

500 jobs at risk at Mothercare under restructuring plans

Wednesday 18 Jun 2014

High street baby clothes and products retailer Mothercare could cut as many as 500 jobs, according to reports.

DMGT, Countrywide and LSL to cash in on Zoopla IPO at 220p

Tuesday 17 Jun 2014

Countrywide and LSL Property Services are set to raise nearly £20m each from the sale of shares in Zoopla's initial public offering (IPO) on Wednesday, while Daily Mail & General Trust could make as much as £190m.