BUSINESS

AstraZeneca, BAT and Centrica are all featured in Friday's Broker Tips as we look at the companies starting A, B and C - it should be easy!

Falling consumer confidence by market researcher GfK NOP will lead to drop in consumer spending economists warn, as levels drop for fifth consecutive month despite a rise in retail sales.

Electricite de France, EDF has sold its UK networks to a foreign buyer after FTSE 100 company, Scottish and Southern Electricity narrowly lost out to La Ka-Shing and his asian consortium.

Shares in mining firm Anglo American were down on the FTSE 100 after the group posted a rise in pre-tax profit of eight per cent in the half year ended 30 June.

Talk Talk have announced £444 million up 31 pct on last year for the first quarter to June after integrating Tiscali's 1.3-1.4 million customers.

The Bank of England is unlikely to raise interest rates 'near-term' after a series of economic data show that the MPC - the eight wise-men in charge of setting policy - are more likely to adopt a 'wait and see' approach to stabilise the UK recovery.

Shares in BAE Systems were up on the FTSE 100 in afternoon trading following the defence company's announcement of its results for the first half ended 30 June.

Amazon has relaunched its Kindle in the US and UK. Read the latest here and see pictures plus full statement from Amazon.

The coalition government has said that it will be scrapping the default retirement age (DFA) of 65 from October 2011, a move that has been welcomed by unions and charities but has been met with concern from business.

Banco Santander SA - the Spanish owner of Santander UK (Formerly Abbey National), Alliance & Leicester and Bradford & Bingley has said that it will buy 300 former William & Glyn's RBS branches in the UK after posting ten percent rises in profit for the year so far.

BSkyB shares are falling on the FTSE 100 despite ending the financial year strongly. The satellite TV-operator said that fourth quarter revenue exceeded the £5.9 bn expected after a one-time £241 million payment from Electronic Data Systems.

Shares in Rolls-Royce were up in morning trading on the FTSE 100 after the group reported a rise in pre-tax profit of four per cent in the first half of the year to £465 million.

House prices are weakening further according to the Nationwide House Price Index which saw average asking prices fall 0.5 pct in July.

Shares in Royal Dutch Shell were up in morning trading on the FTSE 100 after the group said it had nearly doubled its earnings in the second quarter of the year.

Along with one of the biggest write-downs in British corporate history, BP announced on Tuesday 27 July 2010, that its Chief Executive Officer, Tony Hayward, is to step down on 01 October. He will be replaced as CEO by Executive Director and the company's current head of US operations, Robert Dudley.

Mervyn King, Governor of the Bank of England, was cautious but hopeful today as he faced a Treasury Select Committee of MP's. The Governor of UK's Central Bank, in charge of financial regulation, King said:

Shares in ARM Holdings were up on the FTSE 100 before the close today after the technology company said its second quarter profits had soared by 167 per cent.

Kraft Food Inc is down on the Dow Jones after the US firm revealed 120 senior staff had left their posts following the takeover of Cadbury in the UK.

Shares in BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce were down in afternoon trading on the FTSE 100 after the companies signed a £700 million fighter jet deal and ahead of half year results due tomorrow.

Shares in packaging company Rexam were down on the FTSE 100 in afternoon trading despite the group reporting a rise in pre-tax profit of 22 per cent in the half year ended 30 June.

Shares in British American Tobacco were broadly flat on the FTSE 100 in morning trading after the company reported a rise in profit of 14 per cent in the half year ended 30 June.

Shares in BP were down on the FTSE 100 in morning trading as the scale of the energy giants losses started to sink in with investors.

House prices are stable after the Land Registry survey of all residential properties found the average asking price to be returning to growth of 0.1 pct month on month.

Shares in eastJet were down on the FTSE 250 after the company said that it had lost around £65 million as a result of cancellations following the closure of European airspace caused by a giant ash cloud emanating from a volcano in Iceland.

Centrica, owner of British Gas have posted up 65 pct on last year after cold weather and acquisitions helped grow earnings above forecasts at £886 million.

Shares in software company Misys were up on the FTSE 250 in afternoon trading after the group reported a rise in adjusted operating profit of 26 per cent to £148 million in the year ended 31 May.

Greenpeace protestors descended upon BP petrol stations bearing signs and placards today in response to the news that the energy group would be replacing its CEO Tony Hayward with Robert Dudley, following months of controversy and criticism over his response to the ecological disaster caused by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

As the Farnborough airshow draws to a close we take a look at the A400M, EADS military transporter - nicknamed Grizzly in development - to see if it can be a success?

Shares in BP were up in morning trading on the FTSE 100 despite the energy company reporting a record quarterly loss of $17 billion.