Good morning traders!

The Nikkei closed down 464.77 points at 15,341.18, the day shortened when the bourse was suspended as it reached its trading limit.

The news from Tokyo spooked the market in Hong Kong where the Hang Seng closed the morning down 147.92 points at 15,428.28.

Oil continued to rise. New York's main contract, light sweet crude for delivery in February, was up 39 cents at $66.70 a barrel from its close of $66.31 in the US overnight.

Have a happy day!

G.

AFX UK at a glance share guide

LONDON (AFX) - The FTSE 100 index is expected to open in negative territory hit by rising oil prices, a decline in US indices and disappointing quarterly numbers from Intel and Yahoo!. News that heavy selling has led to the Tokyo Stock Exchange to suspend trading will also have knocked sentiment, dealers said.
CMC Markets is indicating the FTSE 100 to open down 42 points, after closing 41.2 points lower yesterday at 5,699.0.

MARKETS
FTSE 100 5,699.0, down 41.2
FTSE 250 8,881.6, down 65.2
DJIA 10,896.30, down 63.60
Nasdaq Comp 2,302.69, down 14.35
S&P 500 1,282.95, down 4.65
Tokyo: Nikkei closed early at 15,341.18, down 464.77
Hang Seng midday 15,428.28, down 147.92
Gold 558.80 usd (562.10 usd)
Oil - Brent March 64.90 usd (63.18 usd)

TODAY'S PRESS
* GAZPROM planning an assault on the UK market with plans to provide 20 pct of Britain's gas by 2015, possibly through the 10 bln stg takeover of a company such as SCOTTISH POWER - Guardian
* UK productivity gulf widens; figures show US gained further in 2005; gap has grown wider under Labour leadership; weakness mirrors that of Germany and France - FT
* MARKS & SPENCER understood to be working on plans to place its Simply Food stores in up to 300 BP service stations nationwide - FT
* Hermes Pensions Management, which is owned by and manages the BT pension scheme, the UK's largest, is investing 1 bln stg of the BT fund's 34 bln of assets in commodities - FT
* ITV eyeing an expansion on the Emerald Isle; it could pay more than 100 mln stg to buy another 45 pct in commercial broadcaster TV3 after cash-strapped Canadian firm CanWest put its holding up for sale - Mail
* PILKINGTON Poised to approve 2.2 bln stg offer by NIPPON SHEET GLASS - Times
* Baugur ready to trump rival's 124 mln stg bid for THORNTONS - Independent

PRESS COMMENT
FT
THE LEX COLUMN comments on TESCO (shareholders, as well as shoppers, deserve to see more cash back in their pockets), Commodities (financial gains could be squeezed this year), European pharmaceuticals (Europe's drug stocks still look a good bet), Boston Scientific/Guidant (with limited savings available, such an aggressive price puts too much faith in the strategic benefits of a deal), Livedoor (may survive the scandal, but in very different shape - possibly with new management and a much more conservative approach to business)
Mail
888 HOLDINGS (LADBROKE bid speculation)
Times
Directors' dealings: TIKIT GROUP (two directors sell stock for 378,000 stg) - Rumour of the day: URBAN DINING (murmurs that Andrew Bonnell is the front-runner to buy Tootsies, the 30-strong American diner chain where he is managing director) - TEMPUS: PEARSON (hold), WOGEN (hold), DE VERE GROUP (hold) Independent
THE INVESTMENT COLUMN: OLD MUTUAL (buy), JD SPORTS (worth holding)
Telegraph
QUESTOR: DE VERE (hold), BLACKS LEISURE (buy), PACE MICRO (long-term buy)

Morning all.

Good morning all

Little W

Great clip LMFHO........PC brigade would have this banned as they could not see the funny side.......rather like the 17th century puritans, why cant we transport them back there so we can get on with our lives.........

Midday Market Summary

Great clip LW - as sarkee says... ;-)

Good afternoon all

I thought it a bit of "lighthearted" relief in our very serious world

End-of-day Market Summary

:-)

Hi Greystone,

Not Dead yet then

:-)

Jeff

Aus close