FTSE is lifted to a record high post-Budget – London Report March 19, 2015 BRITAIN’S benchmark share index touched record highs yesterday, with gold miners outperforming, after the US Federal Reserve and Bank of England both dampened prospects of interest rate rises in the near term. The FTSE 100 index rose as much as 0.5 per cent to a record high of 6,982.79 points, beating the earlier record of [...]
One chart showing how much the finance sector dominates the FTSE 100 March 19, 2015 The FTSE 100 is dominated by companies in the financial and retail sectors, with these making up 43 per cent of the UK’s top companies. There are 23 FTSE 100 companies in the financials sector – which includes 10 in insurance and five in banking. The largest of these companies is HSBC, with a market [...]
FTSE surges as oil and financial firms greet Budget moves – London Report March 18, 2015 BRITAIN’S top share index rallied yesterday as oil shares and financial companies drew a boost from changes announced as part of the government’s pre-General Election Budget. The FTSE 100 closed up 107.59 points, or 1.6 per cent, at 6,945.20, shy of its all-time high at 6,974 points hit earlier this month. Shares in investment company [...]
FTSE 100 market report: Budget goodies lift oil majors March 18, 2015 Britain's blue-chip index was 0.1 per cent higher this lunchtime as investors digested the chancellor's budget. Chancellor George Osborne unveiled £1.3bn additional support for the struggling north sea oil and gas industry. He said the Office for Budget Responsibility predicts this will boost production by around 15 per cent. Crumbling oil prices have made a [...]
FTSE rises ahead of Osborne’s pre-poll Budget – London Report March 17, 2015 BRITAIN’S top share index edged higher yesterday to extend a recent rebound from last week’s lows, with gains coming in ahead of key policy announcements from the UK and the US. The FTSE 100 rose 0.5 per cent to 6,837.61 points, as shares of natural-resources producers ticked up and utilities pushed higher, led by a [...]
FTSE boosted by miners on good Chinese figures – London Report March 16, 2015 BRITAIN’S top share index rebounded yesterday after its biggest weekly drop of 2015, with mining stocks boosting the market on expectations of steady economic growth in China, the world’s biggest metals consumer. The FTSE 100 closed 0.9 per cent higher at 6,804.08 points after dropping 2.5 per cent last week in what was its biggest [...]
Late afternoon commodity rise lifts FTSE index – London Report March 11, 2015 COMMODITY stocks in the FTSE recovered well yesterday afternoon, from falling sharply earlier in the session because of concerns about economic growth in China, to drag the blue-chip index up. The FTSE 100 index closed 0.28 per cent higher at 6,721.51 points after a choppy session, which saw the index rising as high as 6,738.95 [...]
FTSE 100 women dine with Vince Cable in bid to highlight female representation on boards March 10, 2015 Vince Cable last night welcomed more than 100 women from the business world to a dinner at Lancaster House, in a bid to convince sceptics that top companies are improving the female representation on their boards. The business secretary’s department says the target of having 25 per cent of FTSE 100 board positions held by [...]
FTSE 100 index in biggest drop of the year – London Report March 10, 2015 Britain’s top share index yesterday suffered its biggest decline so far this year, hit by drops in insurer Prudential and energy stocks such as BG. Prudential fell 3.1 per cent as the loss of its chief executive, Tidjane Thiam, to Credit Suisse took the shine off a 14 per cent rise in 2014 operating profits. [...]
Property shares weigh on FTSE due to bond rise – London Report March 9, 2015 Britain’s top share index yesterday extended its retreat from record highs, pulled down by property shares as a rise in gilt yields eroded the appeal of interest rate-sensitive stocks. The blue chip FTSE 100 index closed down 0.5 per cent at 6,876.47 points, extending Friday’s decline and pushing the FTSE further away from a record [...]