Supermarket stocks were under pressure on Friday, with Tesco in particular pulling back after a 15% surge the previous session, following the announcement of its turnaround plan and resilient Christmas sales. Dampening Tesco's shares was the news that ratings agency Moody's had cut the UK grocer'
Read moreAstraZeneca's drug pipeline is still "under-appreciated", according to UBS which hiked its target price for the stock by 10% on Friday. The bank said it sees a number of "blockbuster opportunities" for the pharmaceutical group in the near term, as it lifted its target for the shares from 5,000p to 5
Read moreDisappointing UK economic data and nervousness ahead of a key labour-market report in the States sent London's FTSE 100 lower on Friday morning, as stocks pulled back after a surge the previous session. By around lunchtime, the Footsie was trading nearly 0.7% lower at 6,527 with weakness among super
Read moreUK stocks endured a subdued start on Friday morning following a huge jump the previous session as markets paused for breath ahead of the pivotal US jobs report. The FTSE 100 was down 0.2% at 6,554 early on, with supermarket stocks pulling back after a strong rally and housebuilders hit by some negat
Read moreBroker Jefferies was one of several to cut ratings on almost all the homebuilders, with Barratt Developments, Persimmon, Taylor Wimpey, Bovis Homes and others downgraded on the view that valuations were becoming too stretched. There has been a steady decline in mortgage approvals in recent months, w
Read more** Housebuilders firmly in the red as Jefferies adds to bearish comments around UK property stocks from brokers as general election year gets underway ** Taylor Wimpey, Barratt Developments & Persimmon top 3 FTSE 100 fallers, down 3.3-4.5 pct, with midcaps Bovis Homes, Berkeley, Bellway & R
Read moreTesco's shares surged nearly 14% after it said it would cut costs substantially next year, close 43 unprofitable stores and lower prices, as chief executive Dave Lewis attempts to turn around the struggling supermarket chain. The news came as the company unveiled a "broad-based improvement" in UK tr
Read moreUK stocks had pared gains by midday but were still trading marginally in positive territory heading into the close on a shortened New Year's Eve session. The FTSE 100 was up 0.05% at 6,551 by noon on the last trading day of the year, but looks set to finish December down 2.6% - its worst December in
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