Hello traders!

In the US tonight, the Dow Jones Industrial Average recently traded up 7 points at 12,668, after shifting in and out of positive during the whole session.

The S&P 500 also reversed earlier weakness and gained 1.3 points to 1,448, as the Nasdaq Composite rose 1.2 points to 2,472.

See you in the morning with the latest....

G.

From the "UPS" thread ...........

BFC 36.75p +9.50p
Today's big rise, has given a picture to the chart "Inverted Head & Shoulders"

Good morning traders!

In Asia today, the Hang Seng closed the morning down 36.99 points at 20,618.21, while the Nikkei was recently down 182.67 points at 17,224.19.

New York Mercantile Exchange's main oil futures contract, light sweet crude for delivery in March, was up 48 cents at $59.36 a barrel from $58.88 in late trading in the US overnight.

Happy trading!

G.

Australian shares close at fresh record highs; BHP shines - UPDATEAsian markets summary

Morning all. Market reports:

Telegraph
Telegraph (Bloomberg summary)
FT
The Guardian
The Independent
This is Money

Tokyo shares close lower as yen rebound dampens sentiment

AFX UK at a glance share guide

London shares outlook - softer after closing at six-year high; Miners in focus

BHP Billiton posts solid figures overnight; Lehman stays 'overweight'

UK smallcap opening - Halladale climbs on Stockland's 225p cash bidTokyo shares close lower as yen rebound dampens sentiment - UPDATE

Standard Life FY positive; UBS 'neutral' as long-term hard to predict

BRITISH AIRWAYS UPGRADED TO 'BUY' FROM 'NEUTRAL' BY MERRILL LYNCH, TGT 700P

UK smallcap opening - BioProgress ticks up on Middle East move

UK smallcap opening - India Star ahead on drilling update

UK smallcap opening - Charteris better on reassuring updateFTSE opens modestly higher

UK smallcap opening - Quadnetics up on bumper interims, contract news

UK smallcap opening - Star Energy slides on debt refinancing moveLondon shares open up with strength in the mining sector; BHP H1 numbers solid

British Airways higher as Merrill Lynch raises to 'buy', 700p tgt

Royal Bank of Scotland initiated as 'buy' at Collins Stewart

UK small caps open firmer, with Halladale strong on the agreed Stockland bid

BHP Billiton top riser as 'massive' buyback news overshadows light H1

AFX NEWS BRIEFING: TMT highlights to 09:10 GMTAFX NEWS BRIEFING: Pharmaceuticals and chemicals highlights to 09:10 GMTAFX NEWS BRIEFING: Aerospace and transportation highlights to 09:10 GMT

Metals - LME inventory data (Wednesday)AFX NEWS BRIEFING: Banking and insurance highlights to 09:15 GMTAFX NEWS BRIEFING: Consumer and retailing highlights to 09:15 GMTAFX NEWS BRIEFING: Oil and utilities highlights to 09:15 GMT

AFX NEWS BRIEFING: Mergers and acquisitions highlights to 09:20 GMT

Good morning all

One for the "UPS"

GGG - Mid 10.375p
Reason - The bottom has been reached once again earlier on this morning 10.25p plenty of buys since, could be ready for a bounce, a lot of action on the coming days and weeks
Good buying price - middle 10.375p

IBG is on the move up ahead of results next week

MONDAY Feb 12
Second half trading remained strong at Internet Business Group PLC, the AIM
listed online advertising and e-commerce specialist.
The company has already predicted a hefty 105 pct surge in year to Oct 2006
turnover to 13.0 mln stg. As a result of this increase and the operational
gearing of IBG, earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, amortisation and
movement on investments are anticipated to grow by almost 175 pct to
approximately 1.15 mln stg from 420,000 stg.
Pretax profit is forecast to be in the region of 1.1 mln stg, up from
410,000 stg.
The strong performance is primarily attributable to the better than
anticipated trading of IBG's performance advertising division, AffiliateFuture,
supported by solid progress in the newly established media division of the
company.
Based on the company's prediction, EPS would emerge at 1.5 pence against 0.6.
No payout is expected.

Northumbrian Water Group upped to 'add' by Evolution Securities

BP up on rising oil prices, gains capped by ABN Amro downgrade

Asian bourse roundup

AFX NEWS BRIEFING: Macroeconomics highlights to 10:10 GMT

London shares - mid-morning features

Man lower after downgrade to 'add' from 'buy' at Dresdner Kleinwort

Lloyds TSB falls slightly on FT report

why are the market makers destoying the aim market punters are pulling out very bad news,

Metals - Gold tops 655 usd as soft dollar, steady oil lend support

US futures edge higher

UK small caps firm at midday, off highs; Halladale jumps on agreed bid news

Midday Market Roundup

        LUNCH TIME FUN

Another for the "UPS"

SGP - Mid 13.375p
Reason - A steady and slow move up for the last month with higher volume lately, good L2 ready to move up again

Precious Metals Summary - London am fixings

WALL STREET OUTLOOK Higher on strong Cisco results; data awaited

Thanks Kyoto - hope you are recovered now :-)

US figures went down well..

Metals - Copper falls as LME stocks reverse three-day fall

Thanks Jennifer, yes, recovered - fifteen degree temperatures over the last few days here have helped no end :-)

Seems like it's all good news out of the US recently, but it does make me wonder when they're going to start worrying about inflation and rising interest rates again. It's also curious that they've shrugged off a recovering oil price this time as well. Markets are fickle things.

Citywire - Broker Tips

From the UPS thread .........

VLR 29 - 32p +0.50p

is again on the move up on the bid and 4 MMs gone blue

the L2 is 1 v 1 on the higher bid, but online is almost imposible to buy any and bidding for 25K @ 30.65p, one gets the idea

WALL STREET OUTLOOK Up on Cisco results, productivity, labor costs data UPDATE

London shares - midafternoon features

AFX NEWS BRIEFING: TMT highlights to 15:40 GMTAFX NEWS BRIEFING: Pharmaceuticals and chemicals highlights to 15:40 GMTAFX NEWS BRIEFING: Aerospace and transportation highlights to 15:40 GMT

Kyoto

Cheers for news; SL and NWG.

AFX NEWS BRIEFING: Oil and utilities highlights to 15:45 GMTAFX NEWS BRIEFING: Banking and insurance highlights to 15:45 GMTAFX NEWS BRIEFING: Consumer and retailing highlights to 15:45 GMT

AFX NEWS BRIEFING: Mergers and acquisitions highlights to 15:50 GMT

Kyoto - great you are feeling better :-)

As for the US - I have been bearish for some time! LOL

End-of-day Market Roundup

        JOKE OF THE DAY

A man goes to visit his 85-year old grandpa in hospital.
"How are you, grandpa?' he asks.
"Feeling fine," says the old man.
"What's the food like?"
"Terrific, wonderful menus." "And the nursing?' "Just couldn't be better".
"These young nurses really take good care of you."
"What about sleeping? Do you sleep OK?"
"No problem at all - nine hours solid every night. At 10 o'clock they bring
me a cup of hot chocolate and a Viagra tablet and that's it.
I go out like a light."

The grandson is puzzled and a little alarmed by this, so he rushes off to
question the Sister in charge.

"What are you people doing'" he says.
"I'm told you're giving an 85-year old man Viagra on a daily basis. Surely
that can't be true?'

"Oh yes", replies the Sister. " Every night at 10 o'clock we give him a cup
of hot chocolate and a Viagra tablet.
It works wonderfully well.
The chocolate makes him sleep, and the Viagra stops him rolling out of bed".

         

BFC 42 - 44p +6.25p

VLR 30 - 34p +2p

Have both done well today