A Brief Look At The Week Ahead

Traditionally the quietest time of the year on the markets with most of the traders having disappeared for their Christmas sojourn, I don't imagine there will be enough volume to create any stir. The press is concentrating on last-ditch attempts by retailers to lure late shoppers across their thresholds and, as expected, the Northern Rock soap opera rumbles on. There might be some mileage in the stories of Chinese involvement in the Rio Tinto/BHP Billiton saga but little else stands out. There is little in the way of corporate reporting this week, but take note that BT Group goes ex-dividend tomorrow. Thanks to you all for making this such a good year! Wishing you all the merriest of Christmasses! Greystone Thanks, as always to Supermum, Kyoto and Digger for their invaluable input to The Traders Thread. Supermum's Weekly Chat View will return early in the New Year. (Greystone is Alan English, City Editor at MoneyAM.)

Cheers Greystone / Kyoto and thank you all for your input, it is greatly appreciated.
Have a really nice Christmas and a Healthy and Prosperous New Year to you all.

John.

                       

Merry Christmas (or happy holidays to the non-Christians) and a Happy Western New Year to everyone :-)

Morning all. Friday's market reports:

Telegraph
The Times
The Times (Need to know)
FT
The Guardian
The Independent
This is Money

Merrill Lynch is in talks with Temasek that could see the Singapore investment fund become the latest government-backed investor to inject cash into a troubled Western investment bank in return for a minority equity stake. It is understood that $5bn (£2.51bn) could be sunk into the bank.
Merrill Lynch seeks Temasek funds injection

Like the wise men from the East they come, bearing gifts for the new world order. But this Christmas, the wise men are not mystical kings from the Orient but a new breed of Sovereign Wealth Funds laden with cash for the beleaguered investment banks of the West.
Stricken banks turn to Sovereign Wealth Funds

The Wall Street consortium seeking to establish a bailout fund for troubled mortgage securities announced it would abandon efforts to establish the so-called "Super-SIV" fund, adding that it could revisit the solution if credit market conditions worsened.
Banks to abandon 'Super-SIV' fund

Rampant price cutting by high street fashion chains in November led to the biggest monthly drop in the value of clothing and footwear in over two years. The fall reflects just how much retailers have had to slash their prices in order to lure reluctant shoppers into their stores.
Crucial Christmas trading weekend for shops

Record numbers of nervous investors cashed in their stock market investments last month giving evidence that the credit crunch is beginning to cause panic.
Equity fears grow as record numbers cash in

THE Bank of England is likely to slash interest rates four times next year in response to a sharp slowdown in growth, economists say.
Bank expected to cut rate four times next year

The slide in house prices is gathering pace, a survey suggests today, amid signs that housebuilders are digging in for a prolonged residential property freeze. Tulloch Homes, a medium-sized Scottish housebuilder, pulled plans yesterday for a £200 million flotation, and Taylor Wimpey is understood to have ordered a halt to any new land acquisitions.
Housebuilders dig in for deep freeze in residential property

Fresh signs of a slowdown in Britain's economy emerged this weekend, as new data revealed that house prices fell for the third consecutive month in December, while the British Retail Consortium warned that heavy discounting on the high street may have made for a much less merry Christmas than retailers had been hoping for.
Fresh fall in house prices and high street discounting add to fears of slowdown

The flagging European commercial property market could be hit by a record €43bn (£31.1bn) of assets put up for sale over the next three years due to a peak in the number of property funds due to close.
Commercial property flood for Europe by 2010

Middle America is experiencing the most severe financial hardship for more than five decades, a Harvard University academic has claimed. According to research compiled over the past three years, American families who earn between $60,000 (£30,200) and $180,000 a year are in the worst financial squeeze since the 1950s, with soaring health insurance costs, the housing recession, rising childcare fees and the increasing likelihood of caring for an elderly parent.
Squeeze on Middle America at its worse since 1950s

NIKKEI	AUSTRALIA	SHANGHAI	HANG SENG

Good morning traders!

In Asia today, the Nikkei is closed for a public holiday, while the Hang
Seng reached the midpoint ahead 501.88 points at 28,128.8.

New York's main oil contract, light sweet crude for February delivery, was 6
cents lower at $93.25 per barrel from $93.31 in late US trades Friday.

Happy Christmas trading!

G.

TFN economic and business calendar to Friday Jan 4Thomson Financial Europe AM at a glance share guide: Stocks higher, oil mixed

TFN UK calendar and forecasts for today

Thomson Financial UK at a glance share guide - weekend

London shares outlook - Firmer on Christmas Eve after strong gains Friday in NY

The Monday Press Roundup

Thomson Financial UK at a glance share guide

The Chinese government is looking to block BHP Billiton's (BLT) bid for RIO, by either encouraging a Chinese consortium to bid or by blocking the takeover entirely via regulatory means.

Most of the Asian markets closed early. The FTSE is currently being called up 10 points at 6444 by CMC. Dow futures are currently up 8 at 13,458 after Friday's 205 point rise.

London shares open higher on Christmas Eve after strong gains Friday in NY

First Day of Dealings

London shares open higher on Christmas Eve after strong NY gains Friday UPDATE

Metals - Gold steady above 810 usd; thin trade to keep metal in tight range

London shares - midmorning features

Christmas Eve Market Roundup

Hope you all have a merry ol' time....

Alan