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    October 16, 2007

    Oil sector, banks mixed in London

    Filed under: Companies, Northern Rock, BG Group, Royal Dutch Shell, BP, Tullow Oil, Antofagasta, Bradford & Bingley, Alliance & Leicester, Dana Petroleum, Johnson Matthey

    London’s markets were lower Tuesday.

    The FTSE 100 was down 0.45 percent to 6,614.3 while the FTSE 250 fell 0.64 percent to 11,366.2.

    The oil sector was mixed as crude oil prices climbed again.

    BG Group (LSE: BG; NYSE: BG) was up 2.12 percent to 914p, while BP (LSE: BP; NYSE: BP; TYO: 5051) was 0.72 percent higher to 627p.

    Royal Dutch Shell’s (LSE: RDSA, RDSB; NYSE: RDS.A, RDS.B) B shares added 1.27 percent to £20.81 and it’s A shares gained 1.46 percent to £20.86.

    But Tullow Oil (LSE: TLW; OTC: TUWLY) fell 0.24 percent to 624p and Dana Petroleum (LSE: DNX) was 1.86 percent lower to £12.63.

    Banks were mixed as well.

    Northern Rock (LSE: NRK) continued its roller-coaster ride, adding 3.35 percent to 223.5p, while Alliance & Leicester (LSE: AL) gained 2.79 percent to 775p, but they were the only gainers among big banks in the UK.

    Mortgage lender Bradford & Bingley (LSE: BB) dropped 3.14 percent on the session to 254.5p.

    Some miners were lower, with Antofagasta (LSE: ANTO) falling 2.81 percent to 829p.

    Johnson Matthey (LSE: JMAT), the biggest gainer on the 100 on Monday, fell 4.73 percent to £17.53 for the worst performance on the session.





    October 11, 2007

    Commodities-related companies higher on session

    Filed under: Companies, Northern Rock, BG Group, Tullow Oil, Aquarius Platinum, Randgold, Vedanta Resources, Bellway, Bovis Homes Group, Persimmon, Barratt Developments, Hunting, Redrow, Taylor Wimpey

    In London on Thursday, the FTSE 100 was 1.38 percent higher to 6,724.5 while the FTSE 250 gained 0.96 percent to 11,622.9.

    Commodities-related shares were higher on the session.

    Vedanta Resources (LSE: VED) had the best day on the 100 as it added 5.8 percent to £23.17, while oil refiner and distributor Hunting (LSE: HTG) was the best performer on the 250 with a gain of 10.28 percent to 783p.

    Elsewhere among miners, gold miner Randgold (LSE: RSS; NAS: GOLD) was 7.43 percent higher to £17.35 and Aquarius Platinum (LSE: AQP; ASX: AQP; JSE: AQP) jumped 9.42 percent to £18.47.

    Back in the oil sector, Tullow Oil (LSE: TLW; OTC: TUWLY) was up 4.68 percent to 626.5p, while BG Group (LSE: BG; NYSE: BG) added 4.74 percent to 883p.

    Among banks, Northern Rock (LSE: NRK) slipped again, dropping 5.67 percent to 258p for the worst performance of the session on the 100.

    Meanwhile, the house building sector and property developers had a bad day after the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors reported that house prices were lower in the UK again in September.

    Bovis Homes (LSE: BVS) was down 2.56 percent to 684p and Bellway (LSE: BWY) dropped 2.89 percent to £10.76.

    Barratt Developments (LSE: BDEV) was 3.54 percent lower to 722p, Persimmon (LSE: PSN) fell 4.02 percent to £10.03 and Redrow (LSE: RDW) was down 4.31 percent to 388.5p.

    Taylor Wimpey (LSE: TW) fell 4.28 percent to 290.75p.





    September 6, 2007

    Miners lead FTSE 100, 250

    Filed under: Companies, Northern Rock, BG Group, Tullow Oil, Standard Chartered, Rio Tinto, BHP Billiton, Lonmin, Legal & General, Randgold, Vedanta Resources, Drax Group, Benfield Group

    London’s markets saw gains Thursday as the FTSE 100 added 0.68 percent to 6,313.3 and the FTSE 250 gained 0.27 percent to 11,330.8 after the Bank of England‘s Monetary Policy Committee held interest rates steady as well.

    Companies related to commodities filled all five top spots on the 100 and two of the top five places on the 250, including the best performance there.

    Rio Tinto (LSE: RIO) had the best day on the 100 with a gain of 5.42 percent to £37.16.

    Elsewhere in the mining sector Lonmin (LSE: LMI) was 4.71 percent higher to £33.79, while BHP Billiton (LSE: BLT; NYSE: BHP; ASX: BHP) gained 3.95 percent to £14.73 and Vedanta Resources (LSE: VED) was up 3.41 percent to £19.10.

    In the oil sector, BG Group (LSE: BG; NYSE: BG) added 4.83 percent to 824.5p.

    Over on the 250, gold miner Randgold (LSE: RRS; NAS: GOLD) was 6.21 percent higher to £12.99 for the best performance on the 250.

    Tullow Oil (LSE: TLW; OTC: TUWLY) was 4.26 percent higher to 562.5p.

    The worst performance on the day on the 100 came from electricity generator Drax Group (LSE: DRX), which fell 5.63 percent to 637.5p.

    Banks were also lower, with Standard Chartered (LSE: STAN; SEHK: 2888) down 2.11 percent to £14.85 and Northern Rock (LSE: NRK) dropping 3.03 percent to 672p.

    Elsewhere among financial services groups, insurer Legal & General Group (LSE: LGEN) fell 2.34 percent to 138p.

    The worst performer on the 250 was reinsurer Benfield Group (LSE: BFD), which was 5.48 percent lower to 289p.





    September 4, 2007

    Royal Dutch Shell sees gains on broker upgrade

    Filed under: Companies, Northern Rock, BG Group, Royal Dutch Shell, Tullow Oil, Kazakhmys, Shire, Persimmon, Liberty International, Home Retail, Greggs, SOCO International

    In London on Tuesday, the FTSE 100 gained 0.98 percent to 6,376.8 while the FTSE 250 was 1.34 percent higher to 11,510.8.

    Both indices were led by the oil sector. Royal Dutch Shell’s (LSE: RDSA, RDSB; NYSE RDS.A, RDS.B) A and B shares took the top two places on the 100, with B shares adding 2.9 percent to £19.85 and A shares gaining 3.02 percent to £19.79 after UBS (NYSE: UBS; SWX: UBSN; TYO: 8657) raised its recommendation on the oil group from “neutral“ to “buy“.

    BG Group also did well with its shares 2.43 percent higher to 800.5p.

    On the 250, Tullow Oil (LSE: TLW; OTC: TUWLY) was up 6.63 percent to 547p.

    Meanwhile, SOCO International (LSE: SIA) added 7.34 percent to £21.65 for the best day on the 250.

    Other gainers included miner Kazakhmys (LSE: KAZ), which was up 2.62 percent to £13.33 on the news that profits were up 22 percent in the first half of the year.

    In the retail sector, Home Retail (LSE: HOME) gained 2.63 percent to 429.5p.

    The biggest loser on the day on the 100 was in the banking sector, with Northern Rock (LSE: NRK) falling 1.21 percent to 732p.

    Bakery goods retailer Greggs (LSE: GRG) dropped 4.46 £50.50 for the worst performance on the 250.

    Property-related groups saw declines on the day.

    Home builder Persimmon (LSE: PSN) was 0.95 percent lower to £11.46, while property investor Liberty International (LSE: LII) fell 1.17 percent to £11.83.

    In the pharmaceuticals sector, Shire (LSE: SHP; NAS: SHPGY) dropped 1.15 percent to £12.95.





    August 30, 2007

    Mixed day for property developers

    Filed under: Companies, BG Group, Enterprise Inns, DSG international, SAB Miller, Kingfisher, Barratt Developments, Liberty International, Hunting

    The London markets were higher Thursday.

    The FTSE 100 added 1.3 percent to 6,212 and the FTSE 250 was 1.91 percent higher to 11,099.5.

    Property developers and investors were mixed on the session. While Liberty International (LSE: LII) was 3.78 percent higher to £11.80, Barratt Developments (LSE: BDEV) was 0.22 percent lower to 903p.

    Retailers saw declines.

    Kingfisher (LSE: KFG) fell 0.24 percent to 207p and DSG International (LSE: DSGI) was the worst performer on the 100 with a decline of 1.59 percent to 154.8p.

    In the oil sector, BG Group (LSE: BG; NYSE: BG) had the best day on the 100, gaining 4.27 percent to 782p as oil prices rose.

    Still, oil refiner Hunting (LSE: HTG) was the worst perfomer on the 250, dropping 7.28 percent to 700p.

    Other gainers on the day included pubs operator Enterprise Inns (LSE: ETI), which added 3.17 percent to 634.5p.

    Brewer SAB Miller (LSE: SAB) was 3.51 percent to £13.26.





    August 24, 2007

    Sage Group tops FTSE 100

    Filed under: Companies, BG Group, Standard Chartered, Rio Tinto, British Energy, J Sainsbury, Barclay's, Northern Foods, Man Group, Sage, Henderson Group, Daejan Holdings, 3i, Rathbone Brothers, Assura Group

    London’s markets were higher Friday.

    The FTSE 100 added 0.37 percent to 6,220.1, while the FTSE 250 gained 0.22 percent to 10,969.5.

    Software maker Sage Group (LSE: SGE) was the best performer on the 100 with a gain of 3.21 percent to 233.25p.

    But financial services groups crowded the top of the loser board on the 100.

    Man Group (LSE: EMG) was 2.55 percent lower to 477.5p. Barclay’s Bank (LSE: BARC; NYSE: BCS; TYO: 8642) dropped 2.63 percent to 611p, while Standard Chartered (LSE: STAN; SEHK: 2888) was the worst performer on the 100 as it fell 4.9 percent to £14.94.

    3i Group (LSE: III) was 4.26 percent lower to £10.34. Rounding out the top five decliners on the 100 was British Energy Group (LSE: BGY) with a decline of 2.67 percent to 446.75p.

    Miners and the oil sector saw gains.

    Rio Tinto (LSE: RIO) was up 2.36 percent to £33.39, while BG Group (LSE: BG; NYSE: BG) added 2.74 percent to 769.5p.

    Retailer Sainsbury gained 2.16 percent to 544.5p.

    The best performer on the 250 was Assura Group (LSE: AGR), with a gain of 13.85 percent to 160.25p.

    Property developer Daejan Holdings (LSE: DJAN) was 5.08 percent higher to £36.00.

    Financial services groups didn’t fare much better on the 250 than they did on the 100.

    Asset manager Henderson Group (LSE: HGI; ASX: HGI) was 2.52 percent lower to 135.25p, while investment managers Rathbone Brothers (LSE: RAT) dropped 2.55 percent to £12.23.

    But the worst performer on the 250 was food processor Northern Foods (LSE: NFDS) with a drop of 2.86 percent to 102p.





    July 16, 2007

    Oil sector falls in London

    Filed under: Companies, BG Group, Royal Dutch Shell, GlaxoSmithKline, Burren Energy, Xstrata, Lonmin, Alliance & Leicester, Premier Oil, Reed Elsevier, SEGRO

    The FTSE 100 dropped 0.28 percent to 6,697.7 in London on Monday, while the FTSE 250 was 0.05 percent lower to 11,917.3.

    The mining and oil sectors were lower in London.

    Platinum miner Lonmin (LSE: LMI) dropped 6.85 percent to £39.85 for the worst performance of the session on the FTSE 100 after it issued a disappointing trading statement, saying that sales will be lower for the next year.

    The announcement prompted a downgrade from Citigroup (NYSE: C).

    Xstrata (LSE: XTA) was also lower, falling 1.78 percent to £33.61.

    In the oil sector, Royal Dutch Shell’s (LSE: RDSA, RDSB; NYSE: RDS.A, RDS.B) A shares were 1.59 percent lower to £20.40.

    BG Group (LSE: BG; NSYE: BG) was also lower, dropping 2.34 percent to 857p.

    On the FTSE 250, Premier Oil (LSE: PMO) fell 2.57 percent to £11.75, while Burren Energy (LSE: BUR) was down 2.79 percent to 853.5p.

    Back on the 100, SEGRO (LSE: SLOU), the rebrand of property development group Slough Estates, fell 2.04 percent to 599p.

    Top gainers on the 100 covered several sectors, with bank Alliance & Leicester (LSE: AL) doing the best as it added 2.49 percent to £11.52.

    Publisher Reed Elsevier (LSE: REL; Euronext: REN; NSYE: ENL; NYSE: RUK) was 1.66 percent higher to 675p, while in the pharmaceuticals sector, GlaxoSmithKline gained 1.63 percent to £13.10 on an upgrade from “underweight” to “neutral” from JP Morgan (NYSE: JPM; TYO: 8634).





    July 13, 2007

    Miners down after gains

    Filed under: Companies, BG Group, Standard Chartered, Rio Tinto, BHP Billiton, Lonmin, Johnson Matthey, Man Group, Experian, Home Retail, Henderson Group, Bluebay, Smiths Group

    In London on Friday the FTSE 100 was 0.28 percent higher to 6,716.7 and the FTSE 250 gained 0.96 percent to 11,922.9.

    Miners declined after Thursday’s gains, with Rio Tinto (LSE: RIO) seeing the biggest loss of the day on the 100, dropping 2.1 percent to £37.30.

    Elsewhere in the sector, BHP Billiton (LSE: BLT; ASX: BHP; NYSE: BHP) was 1.74 percent lower to £15.27 and Lonmin (LSE: LMI) fell 0.66 percent to £42.78.

    Financial services-related shares did better.

    Standard Chartered (LSE: STAN; SEHK: 2888) had the best day on the 100 as it added 2.92 percent to £16.90, while asset manager Henderson Group (LSE: HGI; ASX: HGI) gained 7.95 percent to 176.5p on the 250 for the best performance of the day there.

    Hedge fund manager Man Group (LSE: EMG) was 2.76 percent higher to 633.5p.

    Another asset manager, Bluebay (LSE: BBAX), however, had the poorest performance of the day on the 250 as it dropped 3.35 percent to 455p.

    Other gainers on the day included business services group Experian (LSE: EXPN), which was 2.27 percent higher to 630p.

    Chemicals group Johnson Matthey (LSE: JMAT) added 2.7 percent to £18.28, while in the oil sector BG Group gained 2.2 percent to 877.5p.

    Decliners on the 100 included engineers Smiths Group (LSE: SMIN), which dropped 1.23 percent to £11.28 and Home Retail (LSE: HOME), down 1.37 percent to 450.25p.





    July 11, 2007

    UK pharma sector mixed

    Filed under: Companies, BA, BG Group, AstraZeneca, Shire, Wm Morrison, Hammerson, BSkyB, Whitbread, Home Retail

    London’s markets saw declines on Wednesday, with the FTSE 100 down 0.24 percent to 6,615.1 and the FTSE 250 falling 0.56 percent to 11,666.8.

    Retailers were mixed on the session, with Wm Morrison (LSE: MRW) up 2.48 percent to 313.75p but Home Retail (LSE: HOME) falling 2.35 percent to 438.75p for the worst day on the 100.

    Conversely, the best performer on the 100 was in the leisure sector, where Whitbread (LSE: WTB) added 7.04 percent to £19.46 on rumors that it could be targeted for bids.

    Other gainers on the day included BSkyB, which added 4.17 percent to 700p.

    In the oil sector, BG Group (LSE: BG; NYSE: BG) gained 2.56 percent to 842p.

    The pharmaceuticals sector was mixed.

    AstraZeneca (LSE: AZN; NYSE: AZN) was 2.43 percent higher to £26.95 on an upgrade from “equal-weight” to “overweight” from Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS), while Shire (LSE: SHP; NAS: SHPGY) was down 1.97 percent to £11.97 on rumors that it might be looking to make an acquisition.

    Also lower on the session was property group Hammerson (LSE: HMSO), which dropped 1.65 percent to £13.67.

    British Airways (LSE: BAY; NSYE: BAB) fell 1.7 percent to 418.5p, hurt by higher oil prices.





    July 6, 2007

    Commodites-related shares rise in London

    Filed under: Companies, BG Group, Royal Dutch Shell, BP, Xstrata, Antofagasta, BHP Billiton, Vedanta Resources, Intercontinental Hotels Group, Experian, Aga Foodservice

    The London markets were higher on Friday, with the FTSE 100 0.83 percent higher to 6,690.1.

    The FTSE 250 added 0.55 percent to 11,867.3.

    The oil sector was higher on short supplies and continuing worries about the situation in Nigeria.

    BP (LSE: BP; NYSE: BP; TYO: 5051) was 1.08 percent higher to 610p, while BG Group (LSE: BG; NYSE: BG) added 1.97 percent to 829p.

    Royal Dutch Shell’s (LSE: RDSA, RDSB; NYSE: RDS A, RDS B) A shares gained 2.87 percent to £21.15 after it said that it will begin once again to drill in the Arctic.

    Miners also saw gains. Antofagasta (LSE: ANTO) added 2.63 percent to 663.5p, while Xstrata (LSE: XTA) was 3.03 percent higher to £32.66 and Vedanta Resources (LSE: VED) gained 3.15 percent to £17.01.

    BHP Billiton (LSE:BLT; ASX: BHP; NYSE: BHP) had the best day on the 100, adding 3.69 percent to £15.16.

    Gainers on the 250 included kitchen equipment manufacturer Aga Foodservice (LSE: AGA), which was 7 percent higher to 412.5p after it said it is thinking about selling its commercial division.

    Decliners on the 100 included Intercontinental Hotels (LSE: IHG; NYSE: IHG), which was down 1.37 percent to £12.98.

    In the business services sector, Experian (LSE: EXPN) dropped 1.58 percent to 623.5p for the worst performance of the day on the 100.





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