Sharewatch

Market Report: Debt and portfolio worries strike at 3i

Mounting concern about debt and the outlook for its portfolio depressed the private equity group 3i, which closed at the bottom of the Footsie for the second session in a row.

Inside Sharewatch

Investment Column: Go-Ahead hopes to gain from price rises

Wednesday, 17 December 2008

Corporate bonds; Cadbury

Market update - 16 December

Tuesday, 16 December 2008

The FTSE 100 edged up to 4281.37, up 3.81 points, while the FTSE 250 was down a slight 1.72 points at 6203.17 at 11.15am today

Investment Column: Sugar deal sweetens AB Foods' prospects

Tuesday, 16 December 2008

Market update - 15 December

Monday, 15 December 2008

The FTSE 100 was up 32.17 points at 4312.52 while the FTSE 250 climbed to 6233.08, up 60.1 points, at 11.49am.

The Week Ahead: Comet sales data on downward trajectory

Monday, 15 December 2008

Analysts anticipate news of the worst underlying sales performance in more than a decade at the Cometelectricals chain,when the parent company, Kesa, posts its interim results tomorrow. Credit Suisse expects the UK division to register a 13 per cent fall in like-for-like sales for the second quarter, a deterioration from the 9.9 per cent fall for the three months to the end of July.

Market Report: Dividend warning spooks HSBC investors

Saturday, 13 December 2008

The prospect of a substantial dividend cut unsettled HSBC, the banking group, which fell back with the rest of the sector yesterday. Dresdner Kleinwort sparked the concern in a note to clients, arguing that, with a global recession now almost certain, some of HSBC’s Asian enterprises might suffer “very substantially”, hitting earnings by an average of 35 per cent.

Market Report: Bearish broker deals big blow to Punch

Friday, 12 December 2008

The pubs company Punch Taverns was in focus yesterday after a report suggested that the debt-laden group was heading for "zombie status". Charles Winston, an analyst at the broker Redburn Partners, said shareholders might be left with nothing in a scenario where all of Punch's cash was trapped in securitisation vehicles. His comment depressed the stock – which has fallen by 90 per cent since last year – to a record low of 48p in early trading.