WALL STREET OUTLOOK Flat-to-higher open seen; Microsoft set to outperform

STOCKWATCH Standard Chartered higher amid stake-building, bid speculation

London shares - midday features

Midday Market Roundup

Precious Metals Summary - London AM Fixings

UK small caps slightly lower at midday; Elephant recovers some ground

OUTLOOK - UK companies results for 2 weeks to Nov 9

OUTLOOK ICI Q3 to highlight solid results, Akzo takeover progressOUTLOOK ICI Q3 to highlight solid results, Akzo takeover progress

STOCKWATCH Swiss Re surges on Pearl's counter-bid for Resolution

OUTLOOK Smith & Nephew Q3 sales seen rising on market conditions, new products

STOCKWATCH Swiss Re surges on Pearl's counter-bid for Resolution UPDATE

Metals - Gold hit another 28-year peak as dollar plunges

OUTLOOK KPN expected to post solid Q3; focus on E-Plus, FY guidance

Metals - Copper keeps climbing towards 8,000 usd after sharp fall in SHFE stocksLondon shares - midafternoon features

Precious Metals Summary - London PM Fixings

TFN economic and business calendar to Friday Nov 9

OUTLOOK - UK companies results for 2 weeks to Nov 9 UPDATE

End-of-day Market Roundup

Have a great weekend everyone! Enjoy your extra hour in bed....

G.

Friday's market reports:

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

HBOS has found new sources of funding for the 18bn financing vehicle that it was forced to take back on to its own balance sheet at the height of the credit crunch. Grampian, which was refinanced by the bank when the market for commercial paper loans dried up, is now being funded entirely from the markets once more.

Grampian funded fully says HBOS

Victoria Mortgages, which specialised in loans to sub-prime borrowers with poor credit histories, has been dissolved. The company became Britain's first failed sub-prime lender earlier this year after it was forced to call in administrators. The Sunday Telegraph has learned that KPMG has now sold the remnants of the lenders' 600m loan book to three investment banks. The book has been sold in tranches to specialist debt desks at UBS and Morgan Stanley and to Dresdner Kleinwort's sub-prime mortgage operator, Livingstone.

Victoria reaches end of the line

Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke is poised to make a second emergency cut in interest rates this Wednesday, as the chaos from the sub-prime mortgage fiasco ripples through America's economy, exposing hundreds of thousands of families to the threat of losing their homes. Wall Street investors are betting on a quarter-point reduction in borrowing costs at the Fed's two-day meeting this week; but with the news from the collapsing housing market worsening almost by the day, Julian Jessop, of Capital Economics, said Bernanke and his colleagues could even go for a half-point cut.

Credit chaos to force fresh US rate cut