Wax models and 3i help FTSE beat commodity pain – London Report May 14, 2015 THE FTSE 100 index ended higher yesterday with encouraging updates from companies such as 3i Group supporting the broader stock market. Private-equity group 3i rose three per cent, the biggest gain in the FTSE 100, after it reached the end of a three-year restructuring with strong earnings growth at its portfolio companies. “The group remains cautious [...]
Post-vote bump fades but Royal Mail delivers – London Report May 11, 2015 LAST week’s relief rally from the unexpectedly strong Conservative General Election victory petered out to leave the FTSE 100 relatively flat by yesterday’s close. The trading day was dominated by central-bank decisions, with the Bank of England keeping interest rates on hold at 0.5 per cent and a cut in Chinese interest rates supporting commodities [...]
Commodity firms: The new manufacturers? – CNBC Comment May 11, 2015 Resources firms were matter of fact about cutting capital expenditure when conditions took a turn for the worse in emerging markets. For too long, energy and base metals giants used their big diversified structures to bamboozle investors about returns stretching across vast geographies, while shoveling cash into more projects to achieve scale. That’s all changing. [...]
Best of the Brokers for 29 April 2015 April 28, 2015 To appear in Best of the Brokers, email your research to notes@cityam.com SUPERGROUP Berenberg has chosen Supergroup as its top pick in the retail sector and commended the owner of the Superdry brand for its transition from “a business with significant potential to one which is starting to deliver”. The broker reiterated its “buy” rating [...]
BHP Billiton weathers oil storm with rig cuts April 22, 2015 AUSTRALIAN mining group BHP Billiton reduced the rig count at its US onshore oil operation by 35 per cent in the three months to March 2015. The company’s boss Andrew Mackenzie said the move had been made in a quick response to current market conditions, and added: “With higher oil prices expected over the medium [...]
Mining shares boosted by new China support – London Report April 20, 2015 MINING stocks helped Britain’s top share index rebound yesterday after China moved to support stuttering growth in the world’s biggest consumer of metals. The FTSE 350 mining index rose two per cent, the top sectoral gainer, after China cut the amount of cash that banks must hold as reserves. The blue-chip FTSE 100 index closed [...]
FTSE 100 stocks rise again on merger activity – London Report April 14, 2015 MINING stocks helped take the FTSE 100 close to another record high yesterday while potential deal activity also gave the stock market a boost. Miners such as Anglo American, Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton rose 2.8 to 4.1 per cent as metal prices bounced up off their earlier lows. The UK mining index was up three [...]
Weak Chinese data hits FTSE mining stocks – London Report April 13, 2015 THE UK’s top equity index slipped from record highs yesterday as surprisingly weak data from China weighed on mining stocks, with investors also growing cautious before next month’s General Election. The FTSE 100 index, which touched a record high of 7,095.36 points on Friday, retreated 25.47 points, or 0.4 per cent, to 7,064.30 points by [...]
Car review: The Tesla Model S P85D is seriously fast, with an “Insane” mode to scare off its rivals April 13, 2015 Tesla, the darling of the alternative-power car makers, has made more progress in a few short years than the likes of Ford, General Motors and even Toyota when it comes to electric cars. The American firm, co-founded by Elon Musk of PayPal fame, has not only made great strides technology-wise, but has also achieved much [...]
Car review: The 650i is BMW’s statement car April 6, 2015 It’s far from the sensible option, but who cares when there’s this much fun to be had There’s something about BMW’s big 6. Its first incarnation was no oil painting, sure, but an awful lot of people still opted to buy one. When the second-stage all-new replacement arrived it was transformed from ugly caterpillar [...]