Happy birthday to Supermum who has skipped over to France for the day
to celebrate in secret!

Good morning traders!

In Asia today, the Nikkei was recently up 151.5 points at 8,901.34, while the Hang
Seng ended the morning session up 494 points at 15,039.69.

Crude oil was up $1.05 at $53.45 a barrel on Nymex.

Happy Monday!

G.

Morning all. Sick today so no trading for me - off to try and find a doctor at short notice. Good luck all. Friday's market reports:

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

Saturday

Chinas economy has begun to show tentative signs of recovery from the painful decline since the final quarter of last year when millions of jobs were wiped out and thousands of companies failed.
Chinese economy starts to 'warm up'

The US unemployment rate has risen to a 26-year high of 8.5% as employers make deep payroll cuts to cope with dismal economic conditions, bringing the number of jobs lost since the slump began to 5 million.
Bleak outlook for US workers as jobless rate hits 26-year high

Britain should not be afraid or ashamed of taking money from the International Monetary Fund, a senior Cabinet minister has told the Daily Telegraph.
Britain should not fear asking for IMF cash

Sterlings declining value against the dollar has been extended and tortuous, with the two-dollar pound of the final days of 2007 now seeming almost mythical. For months, the currency seemed to be approaching freefall, plunging to a 23-year low of $1.35 in January. There are signs, however, that the decline might be coming to an end.
Mixed emotions as currency traders take a shine to sterling

The banker arrested as part of an investigation into an alleged insider-dealing ring this week was Christian Littlewood, a former Dresdner Kleinwort corporate finance adviser who is now employed by Shore Capital, The Times has learnt.
Former Dresdner Kleinwort employee Christian Littlewood was arrested in insider-dealing inquiry

Sunday

The accountancy company says that as the downturn persists more businesses further down the supply chain will be hit. Ernst and Young's report shows that there were 117 profit warnings in the first quarter of 2009, the highest first-quarter number since 2001. It was the third quarter in a row that more than 100 profit warnings were issued.
Worst of recession is ahead, Ernst & Young warns

Top credit rating agency Moody's is poised to re-rate the UK's biggest banks and building societies. Downgrades are likely, curbing their options for borrowing to fund growth.
Lenders in fear of new credit ratings

Monday

Short-term business confidence improved slightly among UK companies in March, according to a survey by accounts BDO Stoy Hayward.
Business confidence rising, says survey

Watch Switzerland closely. It is tipping into deflation, the first Western country to succumb to Japan's disease.
Swiss slide into deflation signals the next chapter of this global crisis

NIKKEI 225	AUSTRALIA ASX200	SHANGHAI	HANG SENG

KOSPI	VIX	GOLD	NYMEX CRUDE

                MORNING TIME FUN

re- daily threat? who u threatening?

JA, JA, JA,

Now you be a Good BOY,
otherwise I am going to send
my little dog around your place.

OIL price on the up today by $0.76 to $53.16

Some shares rising well today with good reason:
NVR
CND
LOG
PDG
CRA
COMS
ACU

Chart useless at am today so no charts ( never be afraid to say the truth )

Midday Market Overview

FTSE

Are the Indicators telling us that the market is - short term "overbought"?