Latest News
Numis downgrades client Hargreaves Lansdown
Despite seeing material long-term potential from the structural shifts in the pensions market, Numis downgraded its recommendation on Hargreaves Lansdown to 'hold' from 'buy'.
Copper futures jump on reports strike at BHP's Escondida to begin Thursday
Copper futures jumped early on Wednesday morning amid news that talks between BHP Billiton and workers at its Escondida mine had broken down.
John Laing Environmental raises £56m in placing
John Laing Environmental Assets Group announced on Wednesday that it has raised £55. 55m through the issue of 55 million new ordinary shares at a price of 101p per share.
Betsy DeVos confirmed as US education secretary as VP Pence splits tie-break
Donald Trump came mightily close to an embarrassing rejection of his education secretary pick Betsy DeVos in a Senate vote on Tuesday, after Vice President Mike Pence had to split a tie-break in her favour.
HSBC upgrades FirstGroup to 'hold' from 'reduce'
FirstGroup was given a boost on Wednesday after HSBC lifted its rating on the UK transport company to ‘hold’ from ‘reduce’ and increased the target price to 120p from 95p following a “reassuring” third quarter trading update.
Shell submits decommissioning plan for North Sea Brent oil field
Royal Dutch Shell has submitted a comprehensive decommissioning programme to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) for the Brent oil and gas field in the North Sea, kicking off a 60-day public consultation.
Smurfit Kappa hikes dividend 20% as Americas offset Europe
Following its recent admission to the FTSE 100 index, packaging company Smurfit Kappa hiked its full year dividend 20% as it reported earnings grew despite headwinds from higher raw material costs and adverse currency effects.
Rio Tinto swings to full-year profit
Mining giant Rio Tinto swung to a profit in the year to the end of December thanks to a recovery in commodity prices, as it announced a better dividend than expected and a $500m share buyback.
Reserve Bank of India unexpectedly stays put on rates
India's central bank unexpectedly lowered its main policy rate on Wednesday despite a slowing economy and price pressures.
Aberdeen Asset Management boosted by RBC Capital upgrade
RBC Capital Markets has upgraded Aberdeen Asset Management to ‘sector perform’ from ‘underperform’ but trimmed the target price to 285p from 290p.
Shaftesbury slumps as Barclays cuts rating to 'underweight'
British real estate investment trust Shaftesbury was under the cosh on Wednesday after Barclays downgraded the stock to ‘underweight’ from ‘equal weight’ and cut the target price to 820p from 870p, saying it has seen more attractive valuations elsewhere.
Totally's full-year results to be 'marginally ahead' of expectations after acquisitions
Healthcare provider Totally anticipates that its full-year results will be “marginally ahead” of expectations, following a series of acquisitions.
Brexit to lead to loss of 30,000 jobs in financial sector, according to Brussels thinktank
Britain's departure from the European Union could lead to 30,000 financial sector jobs being lost, according to Brussels-based thinktank Bruegel.
Moller Maersk's full-year results crater amid impairments
Danish oil field services firm Moller Maersk's full-year profits cratered as a result of multi-million dollar impairments linked to its Drilling and supply units.
AA trading in line, membership numbers on the up
FTSE 250 roadside assistance group AA said trading for the year to the end of January was in line with market expectations, as it reported a rise in members but warned a rise in insurance premium tax may lead it to bump up prices.
Redrow hoists dividend 50% as housing sales show little sign of slowing
Housebuilder Redrow added 50% to its dividend after enjoying strong growth in the first half of its financial year and beginning 2017 with a record order book and strong sales momentum.
Versarien launches new graphene brand Nanene
AIM-listed advanced materials group Versarien has launched its new graphene brand, Nanene.
Europe open: Stocks start on mixed note, Greece in focus
European stocks were trading on a mixed note at the start of the session on Wednesday amid heightened fears about the outlook for a third Greek bailout.
Grainger welcomes housing white paper, makes good start to 2017
Residential landlord Grainger has welcomed the government’s recent white paper on housing, while it has made a good start to 2017 with progress on lettings and rental growth.
CLS Holdings shifting to twice-yearly dividends
CLS Holdings announced on Wednesday that it intends to make future distributions to shareholders by way of a twice yearly dividend, superseding its previous policy of using tender offer buy-backs.