Good morning traders!

US markets were closed yesterday for the Labor Day holiday.

In Asia today, the Nikkei was recently up 374 points (2.8%) at 13,947 and the Hang
Seng ahead 235 points at 22,410.

WTI crude oil traded at $106.58 and gold settled at $1,392 an ounce.

Good hunting!

G.

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FTSE Futures Chart

Microsoft to buy Nokia's handset business for 5.44 billion euro

(Reuters) - Microsoft Corp said it will buy Nokia's phone business for 5.44 billion euros (4.6 billion pounds), making its boldest foray yet into mobile devices and bringing well-regarded executive Stephen Elop back into the fold.

Nokia CEO Elop, a former Microsoft executive, will return as the company's board ponders a successor to current CEO Steve Ballmer, who will depart sometime in the next 12 months after initiating an internal reorganization intended to transform the software company into a "devices and services" giant in the mould of Apple Inc.

Nikkei climbs to 3-week high as upbeat global factory data buoy mood

Tue Sep 3, 2013 7:16am BST
TOKYO, Sept 3 (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei share average
advanced 3 percent to a near three-week high on Tuesday as fresh
signs of a pickup in global manufacturing activity and a delay
in potential U.S. military action against Syria helped boost
risk appetite.

The benchmark Nikkei gained 405.52 points to
13,978.44, a level not seen since August 15, adding to a 1.4
percent rise on Monday. It is up 34 percent this year, but is
down 12 percent since its May peak. The broader Topix
gained 2.8 percent to 1,149.18 in relatively subdued trade, with
2.43 billion shares changing hands.

Financials advanced, while index heavyweight Fast Retailing
Co Ltd jumped 4 percent. Blue-chip exporters were also
in demand on the back of a weak yen, with Toyota Motor Corp
rising 3.7 percent.

Analysts said trading volume is likely to stay relatively
light this week as investors await key events including U.S.
jobs data due out on Friday and the outcome of Tokyo's bid for
the 2020 Summer Olympics due on Saturday.

Spanish Unemployment Change 0.0K -5.2K -64.9K

FTSE100 little changed in early deals as profit-takers move in

GBP Construction PMI 59.1 58.4 57.0

Russia says ballistic 'objects' fired in Mediterranean

MOSCOW | Tue Sep 3, 2013 10:05am BST
(Reuters) - Russian radar detected two ballistic "objects" that were fired towards the eastern Mediterranean from the central part of the sea on Tuesday, state-run news agency RIA quoted the Defence Ministry as saying.

The Defence Ministry declined immediate comment to Reuters. A ministry official had earlier criticised the United States for deploying warships in the Mediterranean close to Syria.

(Writing by Steve Gutterman, Editing by Timothy Heritage)

FTSE100 fractionally lower at midday as profit-takers emerge

USD ISM Manufacturing PMI 55.7 54.2 55.4

USD Construction Spending m/m 0.6% 0.3% -0.6%

USD ISM Manufacturing Prices 54.0 51.6 49.0

FTSE100 ends a disappointing session firmly lower