A Brief Look At The Week Ahead

The anniversary of Black Monday creates nervousness, even after all this time. The start tomorrow may be full of tales of the experiences of the day.... We all have at least one. This week is relatively quiet on the corporate repaorting front, although Whitbread has been talked up well, so worth looking out for on Tuesday when the interims are unveiled. Look out for numbers from the Pru and Legal & General later in the week and the mining sector will be under scrutiny with Kazakhmys and Rio Tinto giving out details of progress. The future of Resolution seems little closer to resolution with Swiss Re and Standard Life apparently adding themselves to the list of suitors after Pearl was rebuffed last week. Those who have been betting on a healthy future for Northern Rock will face some trauma tomorrow with news reports that any returns for shareholders, emanating from the "white knights" recent interest, is likely to be little or nothing. The share price has been talked up in recent days but is likely to come under new fire in the morning. Have a good week! Happy Black Monday! Greystone Thanks, as always to Supermum, Digger and Kyoto for their invaluable input to the Traders Thread (Greystone is Alan English, City Editor at MoneyAM.)

Friday's market reports:

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

Citigroup and JPMorgan Chase are in talks with the US government over a $75bn (37bn) plan to revive the money markets. The Wall Street giants are planning to create a bail-out fund for the asset-backed commercial paper market short-term money market loans that have been at the heart of the credit crisis.

Citi plans market rescue

The triggers for 1987's Black Monday when Wall Street fell 22.6pc in a single day are back, writes Ambrose Evans-Pritchard

Is another Wall St crash coming?

The wolf packs are circling. Fifteen years after George Soros smashed the sterling and lira pegs of Europe's Exchange Rate Mechanism, central banks have invited hedge funds to pounce again. This time on a global scale.

Hedge funds target currency pegs

Five-yearly meeting will have huge impact on western economies, reports Mark Kleinman

World awaits changing of the guard in China

Fox Business Network, a 24-hour business news channel, will launch later today a move that looks set to spark a bitter battle with established rival CNBC.

New Fox channel to focus on 'sexy' Wall Street

Good morning traders!

In Asia today, the Hang Seng Index was last up 268.68 points at 29,107.05,
while the Nikkei rose 0.1% to 17,346.90.

Crude oil for November delivery fell as much as seven cents to $83.62 a barrel
after closing 61 cents higher at $83.69 Friday on the New York Mercantile
Exchange.

Happy trading!

G.

BROKERWATCH AstraZeneca 'equal-weight' at Morgan Stanley; tgt 2,677p vs 2,540BROKERWATCH ARM initiated as 'neutral' at ExaneTokyo shares close mixed, Nikkei higher on solid US data - UPDATEUK smallcap opening - Powerleague up as Altium repeats 'buy' & ups target

STOCKWATCH SABMiller lower after update on profit taking; brokers cautiousBROKERWATCH Vodafone target raised to 195p vs 182 at Goldman SachsUK smallcap opening - Pentagon Protection up on positive trials

BROKERWATCH BP target cut to 675p vs 680 at HSBC, earnings forecast lowered

UK smallcap opening - Appian up on OEM agreement with Civica SoftwareLondon shares open mixed, near seven-year high, Northern Rock slides

STOCKWATCH Northern Rock slumps 18 pct; brokers sceptical over takeover hopes

UK smallcap opening - Venue Solutions hardens on YourDay DVD sales news

UK smallcap opening - Worthington Nicholls runs back on write-off news

Mornin all, can I get the ftse futures on here? Is there a ticker? cheers

STOCKWATCH Legal & General lower after JP Morgan says sell-off not complete

UK smallcap opening - Leisure & Gaming down as bid talks terminated

Metals - LME inventory data (Monday)

UK small caps open lower, write-offs unsettling Worthington Nicholls

Metals - Gold hits new 28 year peak, platinum surges to new record high

Metals - Copper climbs to one week high, lead surges to new record peak

London shares - mid-morning features

Metals - Gold hits new 28 year peak, platinum surges to new record high UPDATEMetals - Gold hits new 28 year peak, platinum surges to new record high UPDATE