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10 Year Bond

US Stocks rise sharply after Fed leaves funds rate at 1% and hints rates to stay low for months

Unilever managed a 11 percent rise in third-quarter profits as turnover came to virtually a complete halt. Profits rose to 1.25 billion euros on cost cutting bang in line with analysts forecasts of 1.25 billion. Sales were virtually unchanged at 12.29 billion euros. The company said underperforming businesses would progressively improve and higher levels of leading brand growth would resume.

Safeway reported a small rise in Q2 underlying sales but said first-half profits were likely to slip. Like-for-like sales were up 0.7 and It said underlying pre-tax profits would be around 173 million Abbey National said Q3 profit at its personal financial services business fell about 15 percent compared with the first half of this year as income fell. Mortgage lending rose 55 percent from a year earlier to 6.5 billion pounds giving the bank a 9.4 percent market share Wholesale banking assets dropped to 20 billion pounds at the end of September from 25.7 billion pounds at the end of June as Abbey sold risky securities to focus on personal financial Amersham medical which has agreed to a takeover by General Electric said it was on track to meet full year targets.

Unilever (Q3) 1,200m exp. BHP Billiton (Q1) PBT $606m exp.Safeway (Trading), Abbey National (Trading)

Scottish & Newcastle (EGM) to approve its 2.5bn sale of its pubs.

09.30 Sep net consumer credit 1.68 prev.

Halliburton, Amerada Hess, Conoco Phillips, Northrop Grumman, Boeing, Chubb,

France Telecom, Volkswagen, TeliaSonera

Ex Dividend: Air Partner Plc (9.1), Alexon Group Plc (2.33), Ashtenne Holdings Plc (3.8), Balfour Beatty Plc (2.6), Basepoint PLC (0.5), British Polythene Industries (7), Christie Group Plc (1), Collins and Hayes Group PLC (1), Dechra Pharmaceuticals Plc (2.75), Dicom Group Plc (3.22), GlaxoSmithKline plc (9), ICM Computer Group Plc (2.15), Invox PLC (16), James Halstead Plc (10), Linx Printing Technologies (6.1), Lookers Plc (3.3), Maiden Group Plc (2), Manganese Bronze Hldgs Plc (2), Mcbride Plc (2.1), Novar Plc (0.03625), Proactive Sports Group Plc (0.065), Reed Health Group PLC (1.62), RMC Group Plc (9.4), Senior Plc (0.65), Sirdar Plc (4), Sygen International PLC (0.55), Thorntons Plc (4.85), Wetherspoon (J.D.) Plc (2.33), William Sinclair Holdings PLC (4.5)

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