Place your snippet of news on this thread if you feel it will help others gain from the news.

cheers GF.

Dont ask me what mine are worth--they'll be a tax loss when I make all the lovely gains I hope for this year!! Lucky you!

I got out on time MP just before xmas in 2000. I was lucky very lucky.

Anyway heres tonights after hours from the US for the early birds in the morning.................................

AFTER HOURS

American Eagle up on outlook boost

By Christopher Noble, CBS MarketWatch.com
Last Update: 6:37 PM ET Sept. 1, 2004
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SAN FRANCISCO (CBS.MW) -- Shares in American Eagle Outfitters rose in evening trading Wednesday after the teen clothing retailer boosted its quarterly profit targets, while oil industry services provider Veritas DGC tumbled after it delayed its earnings release.

The Nasdaq 100 After Hours Indicator, which tracks evening trading in the index's leading shares, fell 0.18 points to 1,377.78.

American Eagle (AEOS: news, chart, profile) rose 4.7 percent after it said it expects higher third-quarter earnings of 56 cents to 58 cents a share, ahead of its earlier outlook of 47 cents. Analysts, according to Thomson First Call, forecast a profit of 49 cents a share.

The retailer also said it will pay a quarterly dividend of 6 cents, payable on Oct. 8. For the month of August, same-store sales rose 23.9 percent from last year. See full story.

Veritas DGC (VTS: news, chart, profile) dropped 18 percent after it said it was delaying its fiscal fourth-quarter earnings release and that $1.2 million may have been improperly accounted for. The figure relates to the depreciation of some equipment put in service more than five years ago.

The company now expects to report fourth quarter earnings of 8 cents to 10 cents per share, including the potential impact of the depreciation issue. Analysts had been expecting a profit of 26 cents a share in the period. See full story.

Music theme clothing company Hot Topic (HOTT: news, chart, profile) climbed 1.2 percent after the company reported sales at stores open more than a year tumbled 8.7 percent in August but that overall sales climbed 8 percent to $66.6 million from net sales of $61.5 million for August 2003.

Shares of Skillsoft (SKIL: news, chart, profile) rose 2.5 percent after the e-learning specialist reported second-quarter earnings of 1 cent per share on sales of $50.6 million and reaffirmed its financial targets for the coming quarters and 2005. Earnings were below estimates for a 3 cent per share profit, but sales were ahead of predictions for $50.2 million. See full story.

Direct marketer Alloy (ALOY: news, chart, profile) fell 22 percent after it reported a loss of 27 cents per share, wider than the 12-cent loss predicted by two analysts. Sales of $86.6 million were also below forecasts for $91 million. See full story.

Earlier, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed 5.46 points lower at 10,168.46 while the technology heavy Nasdaq Composite rose 12.31 points to 1,850.41 as a new surge in the price of oil to over $44 per barrel weighed on blue chips and capped gains on the Nasdaq. See full story.

Corinthian Colleges (COCO: news, chart, profile), which rose 23 percent in the regular session, fell 0.9 percent after the bell. The company earlier reported earnings that beat lowered Wall Street expectations. See full story.

Biotechnology concerns SuperGen (SUPG: news, chart, profile) and MGI Pharma (MOGN: news, chart, profile), which rose sharply in the regular session, remained active after the bell. SuperGen climbed 0.1 percent while MGI fell 1.3 percent. The shares rose earlier after the two companies agreed to jointly develop SuperGen's cancer drug, Dacogen. See full story.


Christopher Noble is a reporter for CBS MarketWatch in San Francisco.



cheers Gf

Shrewd Snapshot: Activists get trading
Published: 07:30 Thr 2 Sept 2004

By Algernon Craig Hall, Secret Buying Correspondent
Email to a friend

Activist investors have provided the meat for today's Snapshot with trades in Avanti Capital and Lok 'n' Store.

* Shareholder activist Laxey Partners has increased its holding in investment company Avanti Capital (AVA). Laxey bought 75,000 shares to take its holding to 1.2 million or 20.4% of the 14.6 million firm.


Avanti is an interesting vehicle with a large investment in the pubs sector as well as investments in an internet service provider and SMS text messaging business.


At the interim stage Avanti reported an NAV of 198p per share and has 19.1 million worth of tax loss waiting to be utilised.


The shares closed up 5.5p at 141.5p.


* Activist investor North Atlantic Smaller Companies (NAS) has sold 100,000 shares in self-storage group Lok 'n' Store (LOK) to leave it with 1.75 million, which is just less than 7% of the 14.6 million company.


The company, which is to report full year results at the start of next month, is one of the few self-storage companies yet to be taken private.


The shares closed flat yesterday at 112p.

cheers GF.

SHARES MAGAZINE


Hot Stocks in Sizzling Sector
* Corus - Xstrata - Alcan- Hiscox - Berkshire Hathaway - Amlin.


Plays of the Week
* Buy Warner Chilcott and Lastminute.com.


Updates
* Buy Superscape - Cenes and Xstrata. Keep short in Countrywide

cheers GF

Anyone in the pubs sector, tomorrow could be an interesting day..........

Last orders for pubs sector
Stockwatch, This Is Money
31 August 2004

T'S getting close to last orders for those traders watching the pubs sector, as Friday sees the release of some important sector results.

Greene King holds its AGM while JD Wetherspoon is reporting full-year figures. Although both companies have surfed the up wave of the past 18 months, recent share price fortunes couldn't be more different.


JD's April high of 320p signalled the end of the 14-month bull trend and the subsequent technical breakdown led JD to drop to current levels of 238p. The current bear phase looks likely to continue, however, because some traders will undoubtedly be emptying their glasses prior to Fridays announcement.

Resistance for this bear move sits at 255p, so the JD hangover will not subside until the price breaks up above this level.

Greene King's story is rosy by comparison. A recent peak above 1130p has been followed by some softness to current levels of 1040p. But the bull-trend remains intact. at present, the share price sits comfortably within its bull channel with technical resistance sitting at the 1100p area and support sitting at the 950p level.

With their glasses charged, traders are poised for Fridays pubs sector results, with the general sentiment skewed towards being long Greene King and short JD Wetherspoon.

For those pair traders amongst you this may well be a trade to hold until these conflicting technical patterns ferment.

However, we need to throw caution to the wind when facing fundamental announcements, so for those who have had this pair on, to take some profits may not really be such a bad thing.


In the meantime good luck and cheers.

cheers GF.

Anyone like share perks, this is interesting.................

MARKET COMMENT
Britain's Perkiest Retailers

By David Kuo (TMFDragon)
September 1, 2004


Marks & Spencer (LSE: MKS) has, in the past, always maintained that shareholder perks disadvantage its institutional shareholders and ISA holders. However, last week there was a change of heart by the directors of the venerable retailer.

As a reward to loyal shareholders who helped scupper the recent hostile takeover bid by Philip Green, M&S has mailed money-off vouchers to its army of investors. M&S said it will reward shareholders next year too, though whether the perk will match this year's gift of 20.50 has yet to be decided.

M&S is not the only high street retailer to offer shareholder perks. Here are some other well-known shopkeepers that offer perks too.

At Austin Reed (LSE: ARD) investors holding 500 ordinary shares can apply for a 15% discount card which can be used on full-price merchandise. The cards are valid at either its Austin Reed or Country Casuals outlets. Not to be outdone, all Moss Bros (LSE: MOSB) shareholders are entitled to a 20% discount through a voucher exchangeable against a number of items on one transaction.

Department store Beale (LSE: BAE) offers anyone holding 2,500 shares a 10% discount on purchases of up to 5,000. However, eligible shareholders must have a company account to participate. Iceland owner, Big Food Group (LSE: BFP), is almost as generous, though it caps its 10% discount to just 160 worth of purchases. Shareholders can also visit any local branch of Booker Cash & Carry.

Tesco (LSE: TSCO) shareholders can expect a small gift such as a bottle of wine, but only if they attend the AGM! Thornton (LSE: THT) shareholders can expect to receive discount vouchers worth 34 with their annual report. Those investors who turn up for the AGM will also have an opportunity to purchase discounted chocolates.

For those who prefer to do their shopping from the comfort of their armchair, home shopping specialist N Brown Group (LSE: BWNG) gives all shareholders the chance to order from its catalogues at a discount of 20%. Meanwhile, Mothercare (LSE: MTC), shareholders can choose to spend their 10% discount vouchers either in-store or via the catalogue.

Other retailers that offer shareholder discount include Dobbies Garden Centres (LSE: DCG), jewellers Signet (LSE: SIG), House of Fraser (LSE: HOF) and the perfume vendor Merchant Retail Group (LSE: MRT).

I believe perks can be a wonderful bonus for shareholders. They can also make owing shares that bit more interesting. However, perks should always be seen as an additional benefit to your investment. In my view, the best shareholder perk is continued growth at the company, and this should always outweigh any token gift that companies dish out for your continued loyalty.

cheers GF.

MMG and Avanti all in mothballs! Looks as though I might see my money back or maybe some profit-fingers crossed.

From growth company investor...................


Floors 2 Go - BUY
Wood and laminate flooring retailer Floors 2 Go, which listyerd omn AOIM in June, has produced impressive maiden interim results with operating profits before goodwill amortisation, interest and tax surging 314% to 2.9m on turnover rising 124% to 34.9m........
02/09/2004

Tikit - ADD
Last month we urged readers to buy into Tikit, the legal IT play and Growth Company Investor recommendation at 80p a share. This proved wise counsel since Tikit has just romped home with sparkling interims to June, ahead of City expectations, and the trad.......

cheers GF.

Ah caught him out, the Black Prince aka Colin Blackbourn sneeked this in at the very end of the day, now 3% plus of Telspec............

Telspec PLC
02 September 2004


SCHEDULE 10

NOTIFICATION OF MAJOR INTERESTS IN SHARES

1. Name of company

TELSPEC PLC

2. Name of shareholder having a major interest

COLIN BLACKBOURN

3. Please state whether notification indicates that it is in respect of holding
of the shareholder named in 2 above or in respect of a non-beneficial interest
or in the case of an individual holder if it is a holding of that person's
spouse or children under the age of 18

SEE 2 ABOVE

4. Name of the registered holder(s) and, if more than one holder, the number of
shares held by each of them

Not stated

5. Number of shares / amount of stock acquired

Not stated

6. Percentage of issued class

N/a

7. Number of shares / amount of stock disposed



8. Percentage of issued class



9. Class of security

ORD 25p

10. Date of transaction

Not stated

11. Date company informed

2 September 20004

12. Total holding following this notification

1,250,000

13. Total percentage holding of issued class following this notification

3.09%

14. Any additional information


15. Name of contact and telephone number for queries

Telspec plc tel: +44 (0) 1634 662 500

16. Name and signature of authorised company official responsible for making
this notification


Date of notification

2 September 2004

The FSA does not give any express or implied warranty as to the accuracy of this
document or material and does not accept any liability for error or omission.
The FSA is not liable for any damages (including, without limitation, damages
for loss of business or loss of profits) arising in contract, tort or otherwise
from the use of or inability to use this document, or any material contained in
it, or from any action or decision taken as a result of using this document or
any such material.



This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

cheers Gf.

An interesting note here from Brokers Killik on Carphone Wharehouse.........

CARPHONE WAREHOUSE Company meeting



We had a useful update meeting with Charles Dunstone of Carphone Warehouse last night. A few bullet points of interest.



The market for mobile handsets is becoming significantly more competitive. At the turn of the turn of the decade, around 40 new GSM handsets were launched in one year. This year, that number will have grown to nearly 140. Consumers have never had so much choice and confusion



Carphones independence holds it in good stead. With seven network operators in the UK, few people would want to take a tariff quote from each to decide who to go with. An independent can carve through much of the literature with no particular axe to grind.

Consumers are changing handsets faster as they are driven by fashion trends. Anecdotally, the market penetration has not grown yet handset sales are up 20%. This is good news for the group.



The talktalk fixed line service is the number one alternative competitor to British Telecom taking 40% of all customers switching away from that organization. By owning the network, and having a low cost of customer acquisition (15 versus 35-40 for alternative providers), they have significant margin advantage.



They will shortly be announcing a broadband initiative which may prove disruptive on pricing for the market but will provide greater lock in for the customer.



Much has been made about the high level of churn in talktalk of around 20%. Broadly, this happens in the first couple of weeks where a customer has signed up has had a rethink. Once that period has passed, the churn is more akin to the mobile sector at around 2% and a move to wholesale access where only one bill is issued for calls made and the line rental may well reduce this further.



Conclusion



Little new information came out from the presentation, but you feel that Dunstone and his team are in extremely confident form with regards to current trading. The stock cannot be described as cheap on 17x earnings dropping to 13x for next year but certainly a must have for long term growth portfolios.

cheers GF.

INVESTORS CHRONICLE

The Cover Story:
*Freebies, perks and discounts - are you claiming your?

Tips:
*Buy Hilton Group (HG.L) at 261p - Telecom Plus (TEP.L) at 250p - Sondex (SDX.L) at 223p - Brandon Hire (BDH.L) at 127p - Abingdon Capital (ANC.L) at 11.75p - Victoria Oil and Gas (VOG.L) at 28p.

Updates:
*Buy Churchill China (CHH.L).
*Sell Enterprise Inns (ETI.L).
*Daily Mail & General Trust (DMGO.L) fairly priced.

Company Results:
*Buy James Fisher (FSJ.L) - Michelmersh Brick (MBH.L) - John Laing (LNGO.L).
*Sell Rentokil Initial (RTO.L).

cheers GF.

DAILY EXPRESS
*Suggestions that Havelock Europa (HVE.L) is trading ahead of expectations.
*Rumours that Chaco Resources (CHP.L) is close to a deal.

Who's Dealing:
*Non-Exec takes maiden stake in Mitie Group (MTO.L).

Share Whisper:
*Talk that Anglo Pacific (APF.L) could be involved in financing a lucrative mining venture.

cheers Gf.

and a buy! First the buy and thats 18,000 shares at 34.85p in Netstore (NES). Why did I buy?

Well, I liked the look of the company earlier this year and kept it on my watch list. Its been sitting for quite a while not doing much.
From Robbie Burns, I beleive his pick below is full of cash, I will report back this weekend and inform.



However I noticed two things today first a big buy of 300,000 going in at around 11am this morning.

And secondly its due to report soon and Im taking a gamble judged on previous reports that itll be a good one.

The company has won a few decent contracts, its market cap is low and if things are going well, it looks cheap.

This one is not without risks these kinds of companies could always surprise with a warning but I think the risk/reward ratio looks good, and Im hoping for a 20% increase. Stop loss is 30p, target 43p.

cheers GF.

great thread Gf. goal.

anyone follow the robbie burns tips?

Lee yes me, and apple many thanks, but please use this thread no matter what.


If you think you have some info that will help others please bang it down here no matter what.

Lets face it we work as a commmunity to help each other out.

cheers GF.

Myself and a number of colleagues who work in the packaging industry have our fingers crossed that Stanelco will take-off soon following their packaging patent. It has huge potential as it could reduce costs and packaging waste at the same time. Once the retailers understand this (and they are involved) they could and possibly will specify the type of system used which gives meat packers two choices, use conventional system with higher energy costs and waste or invest in this system and benefit from the savings,no doubt with retailers taking a share!
In the background is a court case with BPRG over a patent for use RF technology for producing gel capsules, but with so many things happening it will not be the end of the world if defeated but if they win?
DYOR

Cheers Andy, now thats the kind of info we want on this thread.

Well done and lets have more.

cheers GF.

From Killiik Brokers this morning...........

VANCO Siemens contract



Ahead of interim results due next week, Vanco has served up another good contract win. This time it is with Siemens which demonstrates that this smaller virtual network provider can pull in the big names. The contract is worth Euro4.3 million over three years, which in itself would be considered small. However, as we have said before, initial contract sizes are no guide to future revenue potential and this is a first class win from which will add to the momentum we have seen coming from this group. We shall comment further next week.



cheers GF

Shrewdies detect recovery at Babcock

Published: 08:22 Mon 6 Sept 2004
By Patrick Sherwen, Deputy & Secret Buying Editor
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Three top investors have backed Babcock International to come good after the engineering group's recent turbulent history which has witnessed the long drawn out takeover of Peterhouse and big redundancies in its Rosyth dockyard.

The 240 million support services company works primarily with public sector institutions, such as Network Rail, the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. It is split into four business divisions in the UK and overseas operations in Africa and the US. Three quarters of the 452 million turnover last year derived from the UK, after which Africa was the next most important market accounting for 18%.


The Rosyth job losses were announced in late July and drew much criticism from trades unions. They were bad news for the employees, and for Gordon Brown who is MP for that constituency, but are likely to benefit shareholders by lowering the cost base and increasing efficiency. They also followed less bitter news that the company had won contracts worth 13 million to refit four Royal Navy warships.


New Star's AA-rated fund manager Stephen Whittaker clearly has a positive view of these developments as he was buying shares for his UK Growth fund this week. He added 70,000 shares to the holding to take it to a little more than 2 million or 0.97% of the company. The price around this time was 115p, at which they are valued at an attractive 9.22 times forecast earnings for 2005 and 8.5 times forecasts for 2006.


His equally rated rival Paul Mumford has also bought in the last month or so, adding 20,000 shares to Cavendish Asset Management's stake in late July to take it to 965,000. AAA-rated Henry Maxey of Ruffer Investment Management holds 400,000 shares in the Equity & General fund after buying in June.


* This article also appears in today's Financial Mail on Sunday

cheers GF.