A Brief Look At The Week Ahead

It promises to be "fashion week" this week with a flurry of retailers reporting progress. On the economics front, a barrage of UK data is due this week, including the consumer price index, which will be released on Tuesday, and Thursday's release of a survey from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, which will provide an insight into house prices. Also released on Thursday are retail sales figures for last month. Primark owner Associated British Foods is set to deliver a trading update tomorrow. Barclays Stockbrokers said investors would concentrate on the trading conditions for Primark, a discount fashion business that generates the bulk of AB Foods' profits. They expect Primark's like-for-like sales growth to be flat to marginally positive, which is more upbeat than most of its UK rivals. Nothing much exciting is expected from French Connection when they report interims on Tuesday, except confirmation that the market is still tough. The following day, Next is likely to reveal that like-for-like sales growth has been dire at around minus 9%. Investors will be keen to see if there is any optimism in the retailer's outlook for the next 12 months. A key area could be the amount of stock carried by the group. BAE Systems due to report half-year results on Wednesday, with Deutsche Bank expecting BAE to reveal a first-half-operating profit of 306m, down from 363m. Deutsche added that BAE would be a better performer if it successfully disposed of its 20% stake in Airbus for 1.9bn, a move that its board recently recommended to shareholders. News of new Saudi contracts will add some spice. Old Mutual will deliver its interim results on Thursday. Barclays Stockbrokers said investors would be particularly interested in the trading performance of the Swedish firm Skandia, which Old Mutual bought in January for 3.6bn, and is thought to be performing well under its new ownership. Amongst others in the spotlight this week are :- Bovis Homes on Monday; Cobham and Redrow on Tuesday; Restaurant Group and Provident Financial on Wednesday and Kier and Kingfisher on Thursday. Looks like being another hectic week and now that the St Leger is run and won, presumably the big traders will be back at their desks. Good hunting! Greystone (Greystone is Alan English, City Editor at MoneyAM.) PS - Supermum is taking a break this weekend........

Keep an eye on GMO... could be a big riser on Monday

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

Share	Volume	Chart	News	Various
YOO price 2.50p	Huge volume last Friday with about 9 times the usual	Share price moving higher from recent lows after breaking the downtrend and a new trend now developing, indicators now rising	Has recently signed an agreement with Playboy Enter. to provide a casino-style gaming service for Playboy's range of satellite TV channels and mobile phones services, has won significant contracts and formed strategic partnerships with major industry entities	Advertising is huge on the mobile business and YOO is well place with well known companies. Gaming is hot for last few days as deals and takeovers are going on

Chart with Indicators and volume for YOO

Chart with Friday's downtrend breaking

And thinking it is Monday and market opening at 8am

Good night

Good morning traders!

In Asia today, the Hang Seng ended the morning down 22.88 points at 17,122.88, while the Nikkei was recently down 127.69 points at 15,952.77.

New York's main oil contract, light sweet crude for October delivery, was down 35 cents at $65.90 a barrel after closing at $66.25 in US trading Friday when it lost more than a dollar.

Happy trading!

G.

SRTS 19 - 21p +1p

up at both sides after last Friday move up aswell

UK small caps open lower, SportingBet down amid fears over US ops

LONDON (AFX) - UK smallcaps were lower in early deals with SportingBet
weighing on sentiment after resuming trading following suspension last week
after the arrest of chairman Peter Dicks in New York, prompting fears of a
shutdown in its US business, dealers said.
At 9.20 am the FTSE smallcap index was down 2.3 points at 3,453.5 with the
wider markets also in the red.
Sportingbet plunged nearly 40 pct upon its return from suspension, following
last week's arrest of non-executive chairman Peter Dicks.
Dicks was released on 50,000 usd bail last Friday after being arrested at
Kennedy International Airport late Wednesday following his arrival on a flight
from England.
Customs, performing a routine name check, discovered he had an outstanding
warrant issued by the Louisiana State Police Gaming Enforcement Division.
In a statement today, the company confirmed Dicks is expected to attend a
further hearing on Sept 14 to consider his transfer to Louisiana.
The shares were down 85 pence to 154 reflecting uncertainty as to the
future, if any, of its US operations, dealers said.
Burst Media lost favour as the days biggest loser, down almost 60 pct or 48
pence at 32-1/2, as it warned in a trading statement that its full-year results
will be "significantly below current market expectations" after it failed to
generate the revenues it had expected.
Burst now estimates that group revenues for the year to Dec 31 will be
approx 24 mln usd, while EBITDA excluding stock compensation will be around 2.4
mln usd.
Elsewhere, Prosperity Minerals sunk in early trade, down 28 pence at
126-1/2, after it said it expects its full year results to be below market
expectations due to difficult operating conditions experienced by its iron ore
trading business.
The China-based cement manufacturer and iron ore trading group said the
difficulties were due to a 19 pct increase in the iron ore contract price for
the iron ore year starting April 1 2006 which was above the expected 10 to 15
pct range.
On the upside, Get Group was the FTSE small cap index's biggest riser, up 78
pence at 256-1/2, as the company confirmed that it has reached agreement with
Schneider Electrical SA regarding an acquisition of the company for 43.6 mln
stg.
Schneider Electric (UK), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Schneider Electrical
will take full control of Get with shareholders receiving 260 pence per share
owned.
The deal will only become effective by way of court sanction and approval by
Get's shareholders.
Independent Resources was in favour, up 4-1/2 pence at 56-1/2, after it said
it plans to construct a 200 mln eur underground gas storage facility in northern
Italy.
The project, which will be located in Rivara near Bologna, will be completed
in 2010. It can store up to 3.2 bln cubic metres of gas, or 20 pct of Italy's
total gas storage capacity.
The group said it has submitted the outcome of the project's environmental
impact study for approval by Italy's Environment Ministry.
Dermasalve Sciences shares rose 1 pence to 15, after the maker and
distributor of a range of skin healthcare products, confirmed that its new hand
gel product tested positive to kill avian H5N1 (Bird Flu) virus 30 seconds after
single application.
Dermasalve Sciences said it has received independent confirmatory test
documentation from Retroscreen Virology Ltd, a European contract Virology
research company, for a new hand gel product developed in conjunction with Drug
Delivery Solutions Ltd.
The tests confirmed 99.99 pct kill activity within 30 seconds of single
application which remains active for at least 30 minutes after a single
application of the gel.
Manufacture of the gel will commence in October 2006.
Azure Holdings was up 0.02 pence at 0.32 after it said it is proposing a
reverse takeover of ValiRX, a biopharmaceutical development company, in exchange
for new shares in the company, and is undertaking a capital reorganisation.
Following the proposals, chairman Barry Gold will step down and be replaced
by Anthony Moore.
Azure Holdings is also seeking to change its name to ValiRX.
Azure Holdings will pay an initial 637.5 mln new shares in the company,
representing a 72.02 pct stake in the enlarged Azure. There may also be a
further deferred payment of 150 mln shares, which will see ValiRX vendors
holding a 76.07 pct stake in the enlarged Azure Holding.
Finally, DRS Data & Research shares were up 2 pence at 35-1/2 on news that
its first half results were significantly better then the same period last year,
with strong international sales as well as election projects in the UK
increasing turnover by 42 pct.
Turnover for the first half of 2006 was 8.98 mln stg compared with a figure
of 6.32 mln.

Certainly markets going nowhere but down now 47 points.

Maybe time for a CUP of TEA, do not forget the biscuits

Midday Market Roundup

Not a nice day at all, market fell to recover

        JOKE OF THE DAY

Long life
A man once counseled his son that if he wanted to live
a long life, the secret was to sprinkle a little gunpowder
on his cornflakes every morning.

The son did this religiously, and he lived to the age of 93.
When he died, he left 14 children, 28 grandchildren,
35 great-grandchildren, and a 15 foot hole
in the wall of the crematorium.

End-of-day Market Roundup

This thread is nice and lively now.

Well done all.