US stocks made small gains following Motorola's decision to spin off its semiconductor unit helped to spark buying interest in the technology sector. but the Yom Kippur holiday kept volumes low. The DJ has now gained approx 280 points in the least 3 sessions.Marks & Spencer said its second-quarter growth was 0.6 percent, slower than its first quarter and most analysts' expectations. Non-food like-for-like sales were flat compared with forecasts of minus 1 percent to plus 2.5 percent growth. Clothing sales were fairly sluggish, up 0.9 percent, but M&S said full price sales increased three percent & food sales were up 1.6 percent.

George Wimpey The UK's biggest housebuilder, said its CEO would retire at the end of the year. The company also said in a statement: "With virtually all of the year's total expected sales now either completed or reserved, sales volumes, prices and margins for the full year are expected to meet or somewhat exceed expectations".

TBI reported sluggish passenger growth at its key Luton airport but said overall trading in its first half was satisfactory as low-cost plane travel continued to gather momentum. Passenger numbers were up five percent at Luton in the six months to September 30, slowed by the withdrawal of charter firm myTravel.Michael Page recruitment said its full-year profit for calendar 2003 was likely to exceed analysts' forecasts, assuming no fresh downturn in its markets.

Matalan reported lower than expected first-half profits but said like-for-like retail sales grew 5.7 percent in the five weeks to October 4. Profits of 41.2 million pounds for the 26 weeks to August 30, compared with 53.6 million pounds a year earlier. Analysts had forecast pre-tax profits of 44-45 million pounds.

Carpetright said first-half profits would meet expectations as a bigger than anticipated boost from cost cuts offset a drop in underlying sales. The firm said like-for-like sales fell 1.5 percent in the 22 weeks to October 4. However, gross margins rose 2.9 percentage points over the same period.

EasyJet said it carried 1.89 million passengers in September, up 18.6 percent from the same month last year and its passenger loadings in September were 85.9 percent, up from 84.7 percent.

United Kingdom Calendar (F)inals (I)nterim	United States  (GMT)	Europe & World (GMT)
Tue 7th Sep Matalan (I) PBT 44m exp. EasyJet Sep Traffic Figures Marks & Spencer Trading Statement 09.30 UK Aug Industrial Production m/m 0.2% exp. US: 09.30 UK Aug Manufacturing Production m/m 0.2% exp. 09.30 UK BOE Publishes Q2 Mortgage Equity Figures	Apollo Group (Q3), Pepsi Co (Q3) 20.00 US Aug Consumer Credit $6.0bn exp.	11.00 EMU Aug Preliminary German BBK Factory Orders m/m 0.1% exp.
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