Hello traders!

In the US tonight, the Dow Jones was up just 3.91 points at 6,930.4, while the
S&P500 added 1.76 points at 721.36 and the Nasdaq Composite was 13.36 better
at 1,371.64.

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

G.

Good morning traders!

In Asia today, the Hang Seng reached the midpoint down 56.78 points at
11,873.88, while the Nikkei was recently off 177.87 points at 7,198.25.

Crude oil was up 33 cents at $43.06 a barrel on Nymex.

Happy trading!

G.

Morning all. Market reports:

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

To fix the banks Washington needs to get the toxic assets off the banks' balance sheets. That's easily said, but not so easily done.
Will a Mark-to-Market Fix Help Save the Banks?

Japans economy shrank 3.2 per cent in the final three months of last year, revised government data showed on Thursday, confirming the sharpest contraction since the oil crisis in 1974.
Japan confirms sharp drop in GDP

The global financial crisis has finally and dramatically caught up with China, sending exports from the workshop of the world tumbling last month and slashing its trade surplus.
China's exports slide as global crisis extends its reach

As reported here previously, much of the panic surrounding western European exposure to CEE fragility was focused on a particular set of BIS figures, a number amounting to some $1,700bn reflecting total foreign claims from the region. The figure was cited among others by Stephen Jen of Morgan Stanley, but many in the market and the press subsequently misinterpreted or took the number out of context.
The Eastern European carry-trade meltdown, reviewed

The Bank of England's drive to inject billions into the economy to jump-start growth moved swiftly into top gear yesterday as banks scrambled for its newly created money.
Bank of England's launch of quantitative easing a qualified success

While many countries are beefing up rules designed to curb short selling, the UK hopes tighter disclosure requirements are sufficient. Meanwhile, hedge funds are quietly cashing in.
Short sellers are back

Baugur, the stricken Icelandic retail investor, is filing for bankruptcy after an Icelandic court rejected an application for extended protection from its creditors.
Baugur files for bankruptcy

A recent column highlighting the uncanny similarity between the final year of the 1972-1974 bear market and the recent performance of the stock market prompted a reader to send me a picture of the FT 30 index in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It was not a pretty sight.
Want to draw comparisons with 1974? It's the differences that stand out

NIKKEI 225	AUSTRALIA ASX200	SHANGHAI	HANG SENG

KOSPI	VIX	GOLD	NYMEX CRUDE

End-of-day Market Overview