London Stocks End Firmly Lower; Banks Slide

FTSE 100 closes 1.3% lower at 5267.62, with banking stocks leading declines after Moody’s downgrade of 16 Spanish lenders, including Santander which operates in the UK. Lloyds Banking Group ends down 6.2%, Royal Bank of Scotland off 5%. Continue Reading…

London Stocks End Firmly Lower; Greece Weighs

FTSE 100 closes 1.2% lower at 5338.38. Banks are among the worst performers, with Barclays off 3.8% and Royal Bank of Scotland down 3.7%. ICAP bucks the trend, gaining 1.6% after a broker upgrade. Confidence in the markets is unlikely to improve while Greece’s fate hangs on repeat elections (June 17),  trader  says. Continue Reading…

Major European bourses are initially seen trading moderately higher Thursday, with a small pick-up seen in equity futures contracts as the European cash opening approaches. Some mild overnight profit taking in risk assets has been observed during the Asian traded hours, with Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index ending the session up 0.86% at 8876.59. Continue Reading…

London Stocks End Down But Off Session Lows

FTSE 100 ends down 0.6% at 5405.25, though off its session low of 5354.0. Well-received US economic data help sentiment somewhat, but Greece’s problems still weigh. Will Hedden at IG Markets says financial institutions are preparing for a Greek exit from the euro. Continue Reading…

London Stocks End Down After Greek Talks Fail

FTSE 100 closes 0.5% lower at 5437.62, following its European peers into the red after talks among Greek politicians end in failure and fresh elections loom. “This throws another spanner in the euro-zone works and takes Greece one step closer to waving goodbye to the single currency,” warns Angus Campbell at Capital Spreads. Continue Reading…

London Stocks End Down; Lowest Close Of 2012

FTSE 100 ends down 2% at 5465.52, its lowest closing level so far this year, driven by growing concerns that Greece could leave the euro zone. In addition, there are worries about the health of the Spanish banking sector, and JPMorgan is still in focus after its chief investment officer’s resignation following the unexpected trading loss announced last week. Continue Reading…

London Stocks Reverse Losses To End Higher

FTSE 100 closes up 0.6% at 5575.52, reversing earlier losses as US markets turn higher, after the University of Michigan consumer sentiment index for May comes in better than expected. Continue Reading…

London Stocks Close In Red But Off Lows

FTSE 100 ends down 0.4% at 5530.05, off the day’s lows as investors creep in late in the session to pick up some beaten-down stocks. Still, worries about the political limbo in Greece and the health of Spanish banks continue to undermine sentiment. Continue Reading…

London Stocks End Session With Hefty Losses

FTSE 100 closes 1.8% lower at 5554.55. “Sentiment is starting to turn ugly as the political uncertainty across Europe has caused yet another bout of risk aversion for the FTSE following a long weekend that saw a changing of the guard in France and Greece, where new and potentially-new leaders are increasing their anti euro-zone austerity rhetoric,” says Capital Spreads. Continue Reading…

London Stocks Close With Big Losses

FTSE 100 closes down 1.9% at 5655.06, as downbeat nonfarm payrolls figures undermine sentiment. “Coupled with the weaker ADP number earlier in the week and a poor services sector reading, the outlook does not look particularly promising,” says Chris Beauchamp at IG Index. Continue Reading…