A Brief Look At The Week Ahead

It is a shortened week ahead of the Easter break, with little in the way of corporate earnings to create any excitement. The London Stock Exchange will be closed all day on Friday, as well as the following Monday. Severfield-Rowen, the steel group which is helping in the expansion of the BAA-operated Heathrow, is expected to deliver annual results that back up a trading statement last year predicting it would come in well ahead of analyst estimates, when it reveals all on Monday. Marks & Spencer may create some excitement with its Tuesday trading update. Analysts are expecting the retailer to report a surge in both like-for-like sales and gross margins. A sales increase of more than 3% is mooted. Shore Capital upgraded M&S to a buy on the back of Q3 numbers that showed sales increasing by 0.8%, even as overall consumer spending remained weak. The company should also report better figures on food sales and continued progress at its refurbished sites. BAA will be keen to keep the focus on its traffic numbers for March when they are revealed on Tuesday, but the numbers will surely be viewed through the prism of the bid for the company from Ferrovial. The Spanish group, along with Canada's Caisse de D du Quec and GIC Special Investments of Singapore, went hostile with its 8.75bn offer for BAA last week. The target has rejected the advance, preferring to go it alone. As the very public battle rages on, keeping its numbers up, and thus its defence strong, will be vital. On Wednesday, WH Smith is set to reveal an uninspiring set of interim results with analysts expecting the bookseller to report 71m in pre-tax profits, up a tad from the same time last year when it produced 70m. The main concerns for investors will be whether like-for-like sales have stood up and if margins have been maintained. The prediction is for a 3% drop in the sales figure but a 1.8% increase in margins due to a drop in mark-downs and an improved mix of products on the shelves. Other companies under scrutiny will include Cenes Pharma on Monday, Carphone Warehouse and Gaming VC Holdings on Tuesday, with Bioprogress and GUS on Wednesday. On the face of it, another quiet week. But, there's always a profit about somewhere. Good hunting! Greystone (Greystone is Alan English, City Editor at MoneyAM.)

This is my selection for the "UPS" this week HCEG

Share	Volume	Chart	News	Various
HCEG price 15.25p	Rising volume during the week with culmination last Thursday and Friday	Has broken into uptrend after consolidation at 13.75p, MACD just done a bullish crossover and share price went above 50days m.a.also positive	Avian Flu "fever" is helping to sell their products, Ebiox decontamination is their main agent against different viruses	Directors bought shares recently and also at placing early last February @ 14p for the company working capital and cut borrowing

HCEG

Good morning traders!

In Asia today, the Hang Seng ended the morning down 61.95 points at 16,409.83, while the Nikkei was recently down 149.45 points at 17,413.92.

Oil prices rebounded in Asian trading hours with New York's main contract, light sweet crude for May delivery, up 23 cents at $67.62 a barrel from its close of $67.39 in the US on Friday.

Happy trading!

G.

Good morning all.

A share for the "UPS"

FAO 4 - 4.04p

Good demand for the shares today with good size ones and share price rising
Indicators at oversold and MACD turning

another one for the "UPS"

CSH Mid 27.25p
Reason - A move by two MMs on the bid as some X trades are going on, good news have been released lately

Midday Market Summary

       LUNCH TIME FUN

End-of-day Market Summary

        JOKE OF THE DAY

Poor farmer
One day a farmer goes to town, and in the hardware store
he runs into a tractor sales man.

They start to talk and the farmer asks
how business is with tractor sales.

"Terrible!" says the salesman,
"I haven't sold a tractor in six months, how's farming?"

"Well, not so good. Last week I went out to milk my old cow.
She kicked me with her left leg.
So I tied that leg to the side of the stall.
Then she kicked me with her right leg,
so I tied that to the right side of the stall.

I started milking again when she swatted me with her tail,
so I tied that to the ceiling.

About that time my wife walked in,
and if you can convince her
I was just trying to milk that cow,
I'll buy a tractor from you!"