Sharewatch

Market Report: Barclays and HSBC report mixed fortunes

Wednesday, 11 November 2009

It was a tale of two banks for the blue chips yesterday as Barclays and HSBC issued updates – but one was far, far better than the other, and had dramatic results on the market.

Investment Column: Investors can lock up returns with G4S

Tuesday, 10 November 2009

Market Report: Asian assets lifts the Pru on good news day

Tuesday, 10 November 2009

The man from the Pru was looking sharp as several news items pushed the UK insurer to one of the strongest performers of the day. Prudential ended up 30p at 608p, as Germany's Allianz beat forecasts to post a 23 per cent jump in third-quarter operating profits. The results helped lift insurers across Europe as did a note from ING. The Dutch broker raised its valuation on 12 insurers across Europe, upping the Pru's price target from 392p to 584p.

Small Talk: London Mining succeeds in joining alternative big boys

Monday, 9 November 2009

We may still be in recession, but those that say the Alternative Investment Market (Aim) is coming back to life can point to the listing on Friday of London Mining to further strengthen their case.

The Week Ahead: Vodafone set for UK iPhone announcement

Monday, 9 November 2009

The mobile phone giant Vodafone dials up half-year results tomorrow and investors will closely examine comments by its chief executive, Vittorio Colao, about key regions, notably the US. Analysts at UBS expect growth at Verizon Wireless, Vodafone's US business, to have slowed in the second quarter. UBS noted speculation that rival T-Mobile might be poised to "make some aggressive moves on price".

Market Report: Rare bright note for RBS and its investors

Saturday, 7 November 2009

Royal Bank of Scotland has had a miserable week. The European authorities have ordered it to flog bits of itself it would rather have kept; the taxpayer has increased its effective stake to 84 per cent; and yesterday, to cap it all, the group issued a woeful market update.

Unilever's quality is hard to beat, buy in

Friday, 6 November 2009

BTG; Millennium & Copthorne

Market Report: C&W warning puts telecoms in spotlight

Friday, 6 November 2009

Not even news that the Bank of England is to pump another £25bn into the economy via its quantitative easing programme inspired much enthusiasm in the equity markets yesterday, with the majority of companies trading within a tight range.

Investment Column: Hold on to Logica, even as revenues fall

Thursday, 5 November 2009

Our view: HoldShare price: 121.7p (+6.6p)

Market Report: Aviva's bounce gets the gossips going

Thursday, 5 November 2009

The Insurer Aviva rebounded yesterday on solid numbers and speculation of the assets it is looking to snap up. The group rose 21p to 400.3p, its biggest increase in four months, as the market cheered its third quarter statement. Investors were buoyed as chief executive Andrew Moss said the outlook for profitability this year was good and had "significantly increased our capital and balance sheet strength".