CPW.L Share News (CPW)

Shares of Vodafone gained once allowance was made for the share consolidation resulting from the disposal of its 45 per cent stake in US mobile phone company Verizon Wireless.Commenting on the outlook for the company, analysts at Deutsche Bank pointed out that adjusting for the costs associated with 'Project Spring' and £3bn of incremental capital expenditure the mobile telecommunications firm was trading at 5.8 times´ forecast EBITDA for 2014, in line with the rest of the sector. However, the shares warranted a 'premium' in their opinion given the wider scope for an increase in cash returns, exposure to a recovery in Gross Domestic Product and the potential for a bid from AT&T. Monday also marked the start of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. Retailers moved higher following news of merger talks between Dixons Retail and Carphone Warehouse.Dixons, which owns Currys and PC World, and mobile phone retailer Carphone, confirmed preliminary stage negotiations today.On the downside, industrial metals slumped after a Chinese state-owned newspaper said some banks curbed loans to developers. Shanghai Securities News reported that the Industrial Bank may have stopped some types of property-related loans until the end of March.HSBC led banking stocks lower after it posted 2013 pre-tax profits that missed the consensus forecast and warned that it expects "greater volatility in 2014 and choppy markets".Top performing sectors so far todayMobile Telecommunications 5,620.33 +2.34%General Retailers 2,918.45 +1.04%Life Insurance 7,184.71 +0.71%Software & Computer Services 1,205.19 +0.61%Technology Hardware & Equipment 1,184.64 +0.60%Bottom performing sectors so far todayIndustrial Metals & Mining 1,072.65 -2.05%Banks 4,675.32 -1.93%Mining 17,621.13 -1.26%Insurance (non-life) 1,847.05 -1.04%Oil Equipment, Services & Distribution 23,804.47 -0.61%RD