What the Sunday Newpapers say

SUNDAY TIMES - Banco Santander Central Hispano is hoping to announce the 8.6 billion takeover of Abbey National tomorrow - Jarvis poised to stave off collapse by engineering a standstill agreement with its banks and outlining a sell-off plan to raise cash - Kevin Stanford, co-founder of the Karen Millen clothing chain, to acquire Shami Ahmed's 22.6% stake in Moss Brothers at 80p-a-share - Whitbread urged to sell restaurants after Premier Lodge deal - Asquith Court and Kids Unlimited, two of Britain's leading day nursery groups, are combining to form Nursery Years Group with 100 million float - Lawyers for Premier Foods have called on the Financial Services Authority to launch an immediate investigation of two fund managers who criticised the price at which the company attempted to float its shares - Sir Richard Branson has secured financial backing for his American airline from a venture capital company led by former boss of United Airlines - Polygon, a hedge fund with a 5.6% stake in British Energy, to attack the group's controversial turnround plan - Paypoint, the bill payments system, to float within months with an expected value of over 120 millionInside the City: - ITV Group: Charles Allen is making decent progress with the merger savings programme - Ryanair: buy now, sell after the results, then wait and see what happens. Citywire Market Mole: - Top hedge fund Lansdowne Partners and AAA-rated Old Mutual have been adding to their stakes in Cambridge Silicon RadioJudgment Day: - Should I buy shares in VT Group? - YesAgenda: - An offer from Spain that could heal Abbey's pain - Sir Richard Branson on form - Vodafone loses outOther comment: - Debenhams pins hopes on mini stores - Airline deregulation flies British Airways into the world of takeovers - Britain fights for larger stake in Joint Strike Fighter project - Harvey Nichols plans eight stores abroad

SUNDAY TELEGRAPH- Abbey National meets today on 8.2 billion Banco Santander bid - Dawnay Day in talks with Greenwoods, the privately-owned menswear group, about making a takeover bid of about 50 million for Austin Reed - WH Smith lines up Somerfield's John Von Spreckelsen to become chairman - A commercial battle between ICAP and Collins Stewart Tullett for supremacy in the money broking market has spilled over into a personal spat between Michael Spencer and Terry Smith - Sir Richard Branson confesses to 'dithering' over Virgin Mobile float - Carlyle Group of US joins race for BAE Systems' shipbuilding arm - Tesco signs a licensing deal with eDiets.com, the US online diet serviceEquity View: - BAE Systems a risky buy - Buy Vantis at 130.5p - Keep buying Paladin Resources at 121.25p - Buy Polaron at 182.5p - Anglo Irish Bank should have further to go (Look Who's Trading) - Sell Cable & Wireless - Keep selling MFI FurnitureTaking Stock with Edmond Jackson - Will CSR's shares be worth an arm and a leg? - I would not hold bank shares. Cuts in service quality are liable to undermine profits and hence bank shares as a long-term investmentBusiness Comment: - Deutsche Borse should pay up for the London Stock Exchange or shut upOther comment: - Figures calculated by Citywire show that only 11 of the 175 fund managers with a track record of at least five years have beaten the average performance in their sector over the period - Article examines the ethos of Brandes, the US fund manager whose decisions influence many FTSE 100 companies - Abbey National: too little, too late? - Profile Charles Gurassa, chairman of Virgin Mobile

The Deddington News Letter - Saturday morning Farmers Market boosts GDP (Great Deddington Produce). - Bus Wars erupts as two seen in village square at same time. - Wheat futures weaken as fields turn golden brown for a bumper harvest.

OBSERVER  - British and American banking giants are ready to wreck a 9 billion agreed bid for Abbey National from Banco Santander - Virtue Broadcasting to acquire WorldTV in a reverse takeoverThrog Street: - The trouble with HBOS - Trinity Mirror on the block - Still little sign of consolidation among telecoms companies despite feverish speculation - A marriage unmade in Hull (Thus, Kingston Communications)

MAIL ON SUNDAY - A day of decision for Abbey National in 8.5 billion Banco Santander bid - ITV Group will have to wipe more than 360 million off its assets because the value of Carlton TV has been slashed - Venture capital groups are preparing a bid for the BBC's commercial operations - Philip Green plans a property development in north west London - Top Ten Holdings has held talks with Gala about acquiring up to half a dozen of its operations - Invesco Perpetual, which owns 6% of British Energy, is considering putting in the money to buy out senior creditors - Citywire secret dealings: ATH Resources has attracted a couple of secret shrewd investorsMidas Column: - Buy Virgin Mobile at 190pUpdates: - Stick with Inter Link Foods - Continue to back CadburyOther comment: - Alfred McAlpine's hospital disaster in Dudley

THE BUSINESS - Lehman Bros has pulled out of negotiations to acquire Cazenove - Boeing challenges Airbus with an advanced Jumbo - Some of Europe's leading banks are scrambling to put together rival takeover bids for Abbey NationalBenchmark: - US car giants face rocky road as sales decline - Tentative talks about a merger between Vivendi and Lagardere quickly fell apartInside the Market: - Small Cap Investor: Buy Flying Brands - Aim Investor: Erinaceous has a number of attractive investment characteristicsOther comment: - GlaxoSmithKline profit to surpass expectations - Lloyds TSB likely to disappoints - Vodafone rings up two million new customers - Profile Lord Browne of BP.

SUNDAY EXPRESS - Global bidding war looms over Abbey National - Pearson considering a 200 million bid for WH Smith 's Hodder Headline - Chief executive of Sainsbury, Justin King has called in management consultant McKinsey to conduct a review that could lead to a radical overhang of the supermarket - Citigroup appointed to advise Channel 4 on whether a merger with Five is the best route for the broadcaster - Marks & Spencer sets its sights on China and Russia - Kesa Electricals believed to be taking a closer look at Maplin Electronics, put up for sale by Graphite Capital - Tesco poised to agree a sale of the Dillons newsagents chain to TM Retail - Interview chief executive of Virgin Mobile, Tom Alexander

INDEPENDENT - Citigroup is preparing to challenge Banco Santander with an 8.5 billion dip for Abbey National - HSBC under fire for its role in 870 million bond sale to finance China's mega-dams - Jarvis wins a breather after Tube sale stalls - Law Society probes Freshfields over Marks & Spencer bid work for Philip Green - Lagardere thought to have decided to pull out of buying Hodder Headline from WH Smith. - Ryanair launches blistering attack on National Air Traffic Services alleging management failures - Interview John Pluthero, chief executive of Energis - Is the banks' high street boom over?

INVESTORS CHRONICLETips: *Buy Emap (EMA.L) at 717p - Chorion (COR.L) at 193p - Civica (CIV.L) at 183p and Pipex (PXC.L) at 8.38p.*Sell Mitchells & Butlers (MAB.L) at 268p and Topps Tiles (TPT.L) at 174p. Tip Updates:*Buy Tesco (TSCO.L), Protherics (PTI.L) and Hat Pin (HTP.L).*Sell Universal Salvage (UVS.L). *Merrydown (MYW.L) is good value.

SHARES MAGAZINEPlays of the Week: *Buy Xstrata (XTA.L) at 778p and Mothercare (MTC.L) at 327.5p.Tip Updates: *Buy Business Serve (BRV.L) - iTrain (IRN.L) - ASOS (ASC.L). *Tadpole Technology (TAD.L) is a brave hold.

Many thanks to chocolat for being this weeks Thoughter as she takes a tour de force through the various economic issues that affect her approach to the markets.
You may be wondering who chocolat is. Well it is dotels pen name or more properly the new name she wishes to use when posting to the BBs.
Womans prerogative to change her mind I guess.

I am off to think of a new name for myself.
Good hunting.
Suggestions to sad old git of Oxon.

Great stuff as ever, especially the Cherries ;-) very erm , i'd better stop there, Ta Dotty

VOD KPIs out on Mon and AGM Tuesday acc to their website and BATS Q2 on Tuesday

Afternoon all

Not trading at present but a couple of positions on.

Realy gutted to miss the nw traders night out as anyone who has been will know there are some realy treats up north. Now Chocolate ?? theres a lot of people do wicked things with chocolate was that the reason for the name change.LOL

Steph did I win 3 horse 3 race or am I on a looser again.

Well back to the grindstone see you all soon. HGV driving test tomorrow that takes some thinking about after driving for 25 years.

Keep smiling

Beardy

Thanks for the interesting thoughts Chocolat. Shocking that those civil servants in the Deputy PMs office have made themselves eligible for the same loans as teachers and nurses - hadn't realised. Have they no shame?

It's going to be a very active week on the banking front with results, an ANL bid battle between Santander and Citigroup allegedly looming, and AL., BB., and NRK all now being mentioned as bid targets. My main positions are BB., LLOY (seemed like a good idea - now I'm not so sure!), and MRW - all long (still don't believe in Dow crash theory - but it's not going my way at the moment). Not expecting to be doing much trading this week, want to sit things out a bit and see how things go, and it's back to work after my holiday :-(

HCEG's AGM tomorrow by the way, not in the header.

app Brandes are munching at MRW , smart cookies those peeps ;-)

Quelle surprise trouver la dotel a couverte en chocolat. A tr pensle poteau de provocation. Elle fait par bien Chuck !!

That Babelfish is great aint it - you can pretend you know foreign stuff.

mg

Monsieur Grenouille - quelles choses adorables que tu dis, mon vieux crouton ;)

..and cheers guys - beardy, you might have cracked it..

Martini, much hard work appreciated.
Chocolat, good piece of writing and much to think about.

Evening all.

So, dotel is now chocolat. If it wasn't confusing enough having all the pen-names, now the wimmin start changing them - ain't that just typical? ;-)))

Nice set of thoughts "persons". I love the take on Brown and housing. I guess it is indeed all he can say about his successful economic management. It's going to be a great giggle when it all falls apart after he gets the big job!

Have done no research whatsoever, but may play catch-up in the morning.

Currently got longs on AQP (nice!), MRS (nice!), PLR (erm), VTI (nice!) and WBY (yuk!) countering shorts in BFP (nice!) and FTC (bored).

................and we shall see how we fare tomorrow!

BigA - you think you're confused? dotel is actually two of us (although my partner in crime has never posted) It was time for a change..

chocolat

So, in addition to changing your name, now there are two?

Dunno if I can cope. ;-))))

About time your partner in crime posted. We can't have secretive lurking going on you know! lol

You certainly wouldn't, BigA - not when we're together - but worry not, 'tis only little me now...and el will carry on as before ;)

Big thanks to Martini and Chocolat, first port of call ever morning, much appreciated,

Sad old git of Oxon and Chocolat:

Great stuff, I really enjoyed Chocolat's perspective on the general economic outlook. As for mortgages for the boys . . . have they no shame? No, they don't.

A bottle of Mumm Napa Demi-sec to accompany the Chocolat, methinks ;-)

MM

Nice work Martini
Like Ruth says ..an essential read

Nothing unusual.
God was a woman until she changed her mind.
mac

It's all right for you lot with your fancy French - I went to one of those French markets yesterday and came back with a whole load of brown paper bags full of greasy unknowns. Have spent most of today stuffing myself with them trying to figure out what they are, whether they're supposed to be eaten hot or cold, and whether the unusual mushroom fillings are going to make me ill. Have just finished something that looks like a Scotch egg, but isn't. Any ideas? Excuse me while I return to lurking. I may be gone some time...

Martini - Monday's company and economic data for UK, and economic data for USA, shown in the header, doesn't agree with Monday's info in post #2 - I suspect the latter is correct.

Martini and Chocolat many thanks for an excellant read ...........