Banks lead the FTSE to small gains as traders eye Eurozone May 25, 2011 BRITAIN’S top shares edged higher yesterday, led by banks on bargain hunting, but the prevailing mood was cautious with some analysts and traders pessimistic about the long-term prospects for equities. The FTSE 100 ended up 11.73 points, or 0.2 per cent, at 5,870.14 helped by some sense of relief that there was no deterioration in [...]
Banks bolster FTSE at the close May 25, 2011 London stocks struggled to gain ground today as poor economic data on both sides of the Atlantic dismayed investors. A rally led by banking stocks late in the afternoon helped push the FTSE back into the black, with the FTSE 100 just 0.2 per cent higher at 5,870.14 at the close. Miners made muted gains [...]
FTSE dips on eurozone fears and slipping commodities May 25, 2011 The FTSE 100 dipped today as jittery investors lost confidence in commodities and remained nervous over the eurozone debt crisis. With raw material prices dropping amid concerns over a slowdown in China, riskier assets were being shunned. Shares in commodities giant Glencore fell as much as three per cent on their Hong Kong trading debut [...]
Nationwide in profit surge May 25, 2011 Nationwide, the country’s biggest customer-owned financial services group, posted higher underlying profits on Wednesday, helped by lower bad debt charges, and said it was well-placed for future growth. Nationwide said its underlying profits had risen 30 per cent from last year to £276m, and that charges for loans that have gone sour fell 35 per [...]
Moody’s puts 14 UK banks on negative rating outlook May 24, 2011 MOODY’S has put 14 of the UK’s biggest banks on review for a ratings downgrade due to regulatory efforts to resolve the “too big to fail” problem. The move could significantly increase borrowing costs for banks as regulators draw up plans to reduce the likelihood that taxpayers will have to bail out failing banks in [...]
GLENCORE BOSS’S BRIEF ENCOUNTER AT CHELSEA May 24, 2011 IT WAS unseasonably cold at the preview of this week’s Chelsea Flower Show – so the Queen, mindful of her constitution, didn’t stop to admire every single show garden. However, she did manage to drop in on the Royal Bank of Canada’s New Wild Garden, designed by Nigel Dunnett of The Landscape Agency, where Lynn [...]
FTSE rebounds but Wall St fall goes on May 24, 2011 UK stocks rebounded today as miners regained ground after grim falls yesterday, though final gains were small. The FTSE 100 ended the session 0.4 per cent higher at 5,858.41 but recorded a high of 5,884.66 in the day’s trading as investor confidence returned. Bargain hunters moved in on miners, which recovered along with metals prices [...]
Miners buoy FTSE but ratings threat casts shadow May 24, 2011 Mining stocks put the FTSE 100 on the front foot in early trading as metal prices rose – boosted by Goldman Sachs recommending investors to buy into commodities. Commodities trader Glencore made its full market debt and rose slightly from its price on the so-call grey market, but remained below the 530p offer price of [...]
Don’t blame banks for low demand May 23, 2011 VINCE Cable was grand-standing on his favourite topic yesterday: the ills of British banks. But there was more sound than sense in his warning that lenders had better “meet the commitments they agreed” – or else. That’s because the five Merlin banks have so far done exactly as promised. They have collectively set aside £190bn [...]
BANKS’ LENDING AGREEMENTS May 23, 2011 Q. WHAT DID THE BANKS COMMIT TO? A. Under the terms of “project Merlin”, a deal with the Treasury aimed at reviving lenders’ image, five banks – RBS, Lloyds, HSBC, Barclays and Santander UK – agreed to make £190bn in credit available to businesses this year, versus £179bn in 2010. They earmarked £76bn of this [...]