AFX UK at a glance share guide - Weekend

MARKETS
FTSE 100 5,345.8 down 12.8
FTSE 250 7,705.8 up up 10.5
DJIA 10,600.31 down 85.58
Nasdaq Comp 2,156.90 down 17.65
S&P 500 1,230.4 down 7.4
Gold 446.60 usd (442.05 usd)
Oil - Brent Sep 66.45 usd (65.38 usd)

WEEKEND PRESS
* Wal-Mart has held top-level talks with French supermarket giant Carrefour; any potential deal with Carrefour, worth 18 bln stg, expected to attract the immediate attention of TESCO - Mail on Sunday
* A 14 bln stg bid for o2, Britain's third-biggest mobile-phone company, was aborted at the 11th hour after Deutsche Telekom and KPN failed to reach agreement on the structure of a combined offer - Sunday Times
* Mobile phones giant o2 believes it faces a break-up bid that would see its German business hived off and the UK arm bought by a venture capital group, senior executives tell Financial Mail on Sunday
* Deutsche Boerse in running for COLLINS STEWART; Thomas H Lee and Hellman & Friedman, the private equity firms, also wooing 1.3 bln stg moneybroker - Sunday Telegraph
* 1.3 bln stg bidding frenzy may end in break-up of COLLINS STEWART TULLETT; co-founder and chief executive Terry Smith thought to be shaping up for broker battle with ICAP - The Business
* Approach boosts COLLINS STEWART TULLETT; suggested yesterday that a couple of private equity houses as well as a trade buyer have expressed an interest in buying the business - Saturday FT
* 1.4 bln stg fight starts for broker COLLINS STEWART TULLETT; among names in the frame are the group's chief executive, Terry Smith, CVC, Candover and Texas Pacific, and Collins Stewart rivals ICAP, Cantor Fitzgerald, GFI and Tradition Financial Services; Icelandic bank Kaupthing is another - Saturday Express
* COLLINS surges 23 pct on frenzied bid speculation; Cantor Fitzgerald, ICAP and Compagnie Financiere Tradition tipped as bidders, alongside Euronext and Deutsche Boerse - Saturday Mail
* COLLINS STEWART shares soar as bid approaches hint at America move; it is believed that there have been a handful of serious approaches, all from the US, one from a trade buyer and the rest from private equity houses - Saturday Times
* Oil prices set to break the critical 70 usd a barrel level, leading analysts warn; this further surge in the price, caused by mounting supply problems, geopolitical tensions and strong demand, will hit world economic growth - The Business
* ONGC, the Indian state oil and gas company, poised to launch a 2 bln stg-plus bid for PETROKAZAKHSTAN, the AIM-listed oil and gas explorer, in partnership with Lakshmi Mittal, the steel tycoon - Sunday Telegraph
* LONDON STOCK EXCHANGE this weekend preparing to defend itself against a takeover bid from Macquarie, Australia's largest investment bank, which plans to enter the bidding for the exchange - The Business
* OM Gruppen the operator of the Swedish Stock Exchange, thought to be mulling over a possible bid for the LONDON STOCK EXCHANGE aimed at trumping competing approaches from Euronext and Deutsche Boerse - Sunday Times
* BRITISH AIRWAYS set to ditch Gate Gourmet, the caterer whose dismissal of 660 staff precipitated chaos at Heathrow airport last week, as its exclusive supplier of in-flight food - Sunday Telegraph
* BRITISH AIRWAYS planning to cut up to 15 pct of its baggage handling staff - the group of workers who staged last week's wildcat strikes at Heathrow airport - Observer
* BRITISH AIRWAYS to use its upcoming move to the new fifth terminal at Heathrow to stamp out the militant "elements" at the airport which led to last week's wildcat strike, according to senior company sources - The Business
* BRITISH AIRWAYS' Heathrow crisis eases; BA begins flying a limited number of aircraft out of London's Heathrow airport, its global hub, as it tries to overcome two days of chaos in which its operations were paralysed by a wildcat strike - Saturday FT
* Rivals hover as BRITISH AIRWAYS faces 40 mln stg bill for strike - Saturday Express
* Crude oil prices hit 67 usd a barrel as fears grow that global refining may not match demand - Saturday FT
* Bombings cost capital 300 mln stg in retail sales; pick-up unlikely as missing visitors leave shops and attractions reeling; The British Retail Consortium and leading accountant KPMG will tomorrow unveil the worst monthly retail sales figures for central London since the monitor was launched three years ago - Sunday Express
* Retailers in central London hit by a fall in like-for-like sales of around 8 pct in July after shoppers stayed away following the terrorist attacks - Sunday Telegraph
* UNITED BISCUITS cooking up plans for 2 bln stg float - Sunday Times
* European Commission wants to limit the number of Premier League football matches shown by BSKYB so that other broadcasters can finally get a slice of the lucrative pay-TV soccer market - Observer
* BSKYB will consider giving away its Sky+ digital video recorder product to new and existing customers, in a move that could cost the company 1 bln stg over three years - Saturday Independent
* Apple in a stew as Microsoft wins iPod patent ruling - Observer
* CABLE & WIRELESS threatens to pull the plug on its proposed takeover bid for ENERGIS after a group of hedge funds controlling a significant part of the private company's junior debt threatens to block the deal unless the offer is increased; C&W chief gives takeover rebels Monday deadline - Saturday FT
* ENERGIS believes opposition from hedge funds to its proposed 780 mln stg takeover by CABLE & WIRELESS is crumbling - Sunday Telegraph
* URBIUM receives an offer of more than 10 stg per share in a proposed takeover that would value the group at more than 100 mln stg; the new all-cash offer understood to have been made by Electra Partners - Sunday Telegraph
* MARCONI has sounded out all the leading international telecoms groups, including Siemens and Ericsson, about a possible 650 mln stg takeover - Sunday Telegraph
* SCOTTISH RADIO HOLDINGS chief executive David Goode to leave in a boardroom clear-out, despite EMAP boss Tom Moloney saying only last week he was "looking forward" to working with him - The Business
* Former Capital Radio board member Nathalie Schwarz approached by EMAP to take a role at its radio division - Sunday Express
* Guardian Media Group secretely considering plans to fire 407 staff in a cost-cutting operation designed to improve its profits - Sunday Telegraph
* WOOLWORTHS faces nationwide investigation by health and safety officers into allegations that staff and customers in its high street stores may have been put at risk from deadly asbestos dust - Mail on Sunday
* VT GROUP joins Lockheed Martin in 10 bln stg military training bid - Sunday Express
* Steven Norris, chairman of JARVIS, and Alan Lovell, his chief executive, have given up a large part of their pay to save the company from collapse - Sunday Times
* RWE puts its Dutch gas networks on the block, in a move expected to kickstart a multi-billion wave of Dutch utility sales - The Business
* A mystery bidder is circling European TV and radio group SBS Broadcasting, which is jointly listed on Nasdaq and Euronext and valued at 874 mln stg - The Business
* China's version of CARPHONE WAREHOUSE, EVERY BODY TALK MOBILE, plans to list on AIM this week - The Business
* Angry workers at CARPHONE WAREHOUSE seeking union help over fears they will be sacked for failing to meet tough new sales targets for TalkTalk, the chain's landline service - Independent on Sunday
* CENTRICA will tomorrow announce a joint venture with CERES POWER to build the UK's first fuel-cell-powered mini boiler for domestic use - Independent on Sunday
* Lawyers acting for victims of a BP refinery explosion in Texas warn the UK oil giant that the 700 mln usd it has earmarked to compensate the injured and bereaved is not enough - Observer
* SHELL may offer tax-efficient option to its rebel investors - Saturday Telegraph
* Kelvin MacKenzie wll tomorrow announce he has built up a 14.75 pct stake in HIGHBURY HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS; MacKenzie plans to use the stake to gain a seat on the board and ultimately achieve management control - Sunday Times
* Life assurers following the lead set by PRUDENTIAL earlier this year and freezing out companies handling complaints on behalf of customers with endowment-linked mortgages - Saturday FT
* ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND facing bill of up to 110 mln stg over collapse of Enron, according to analysts - Saturday Mail
* ING, the Dutch financial services group, starts disciplinary action against directors of Williams de Broe after an internal investigation uncovers a 56 mln stg hole in the accounts of its UK stockbroking arm - Saturday FT
* EMI in discussions with Wind-Up Records, the independent label behind Evanescence, Creed and Megan Mccauley, over a possible acquisition - Saturday FT
* ELECTRONIC ARTS signs a global deal with mobile gaming group Ideaworks3D to bring computer game The Sims to mobile phones - Sunday Express

PRESS COMMENT
FT
THE LEX COLUMN comments on BRITISH AIRWAYS (management is already having difficulty delivering 300 mln stg of staff cost cuts by March 2007; and the real hot potato - the spring 2008 move to Terminal 5 - is one Sir Rod will be happy to hand on to his successor, Willie Walsh), BAA (The operator of Heathrow also suffers from the union turf wars there; ironically, though, the severe capacity constraints at the airport mean the dispute will have a negligible effect on revenues), Switzerland (many Swiss continue to relish their comparative isolation from the pressures familiar to much of the outside world; Nestle, for example, reacted like a bear with a sore head this year when shareholders criticised it; newly active investors in Switzerland should be braver), ThyssenKrupp (as a pure steel stock and on a lower valuation, Arcelor looks a better bet), US earnings (it may be time to revisit the predictive powers of the yield curve) - Weekend share watch: ELEMENTIS (after the coup, the wait for something dramatic), GREYSTAR RESOURCES (resource figure could soon reach 10 mln ounces; a deposit of this size could attract big mining companies amd make Greystar a bid target), LAWRENCE (strong expected profit growth over the next two years already factored in - chairman)

Express
MARKET REPORT: BOOTS (hopes that BHI could fetch as much as 2 bln stg), SCOTTISH & NEWCASTLE (Carlsberg merger speculation), PARAGON (bid rumours), IBS OPENSYSTEMS (speculation that it is on the shortlist for a new local government contract) - SHARE WHISPER: BOWLEVEN (speculation it is about to announce a big gas discovery in Cameroon, West Africa) - WHO'S DEALING: ICAP (chief operating officer and his wife buy 150,000 shares at 310 pence)

Mail
MARKET REPORT: RECKITT BENCKISER (Deutsche Bank's analysts obviously believe Boots Healthcare International is at the top of Reckitt's shopping list, but Novartis or Johnson & Johnson could flush its plans down the toilet), o2 (talk that Morgan Stanley is working on a 175 pence-a-share break-up bid, which is said to involve Deutsche Telekom and Telefonica) - INVESTMENT EXTRA: NEW INDIA INVESTMENT TRUST (still have plenty of potential)

Times
PERSONAL INVESTOR: Graham Searjeant comments on UK banks (all but HSBC are a snip for global predators; if we scorn our banks, then like so many sound, basic, long-term UK businesses, they will disappear) - STOCK MARKETS: o2 (intensifying speculation of a bid from Deutsche Telekom), EPIC GROUP (Futuremedia says it is considering a counterbid) - TEMPUS: Individual stocks that are more attractively priced than the best FTSE 100 averages include HSBC, SCOTTISH & SOUTHERN ENERGY, PREMIER FOODS, FINDEL, GREENE KING, NEXT, WH SMITH, MARKS & SPENCER, ROYAL & SUN ALLIANCE, LEGAL & GENERAL, AVIVA

Telegraph
THE MARKET: BOWLEVEN (speculation it is to announce a significant gas find in Cameroon) - SATURDAY QUESTOR: Those interested in follwing JPMF Natural Resources Fund's UK picks should look at BURREN ENERGY, TULLOW OIL, RIO TINTO; the fund also holds XSTRATA (a bit heady); two of its more interesting investments are PETRA DIAMONDS and OXUS GOLD; SMALL CAP VALUES: JAMES FISHER (still represent good value), HAMWORTHY (a buy), HOME ENTERTAINMENT (cut your losses now)

Guardian
Market forces: AEGIS (rumours of further purchases by Vincent Bollere), HOT GROUP (DC Thomson reveals increased holding of 2 pct), CAPITAL MANAGEMENT AND INVESTMENT (speculators believe shell company financier Hugh Osmond might reverse the life assurance business he purchased for 1 bln stg in April from Henderson Group into Capital Management), ITV (Oriel Securities believes the outlook for advertising is not as bad as many fear; it also thinks September's interim results could be accompanied by a dividend rise or a share buyback)

Independent
PRIVATE INVESTOR: Sean O'Grady buys more SHELL; he is sure that they and oil have further to go) - NO PAIN, NO GAIN: Derek Pain comments on three shares he should have held on to: ANGLO PACIFIC, INTER LINK FOODS and MEARS - MARKET REPORT: o2 (Telefonica seen as the most plausible buyer)

SUNDAY PRESS COMMENT
The Business
THE ALCHEMIST: This week's selection from Clem Chambers is ASTRAZENECA; on the speculative side, he says ACAMBIS looks an exciting punt - SMALL-CAP INVESTOR: DOMESTIC & GENERAL (buy) - AIM INVESTOR: OMG (now a hold rather than a buy) - BENCHMARK: Ian Watson comments on Russia (Putin offers perestroika to nervous Russian oligarchs), Nivea cream (it is thought that the earnings hungry TCHIBO may force through product and marketing changes in a company Beiersdorf often regarded as a one-hit wonder), ICAP (founder and chief executive Michael Spencer believes the UK's property derivatives market will develop slowly at first and then race away)

Mail on Sunday
COMPANIES AND MARKETS: CABLE & WIRELESS (will this week switch on the first part of its 190 mln stg next-generation broadband network), ROCKHOPPER EXPLORATION (will float tomorrow on AIM), TRIAD (embattled boss Mira Makar threatening to call EGM if directors fail to make public results of an inquiry into accounting irregularities) - MIDAS: WILLIAM RANSOM (prospects look good; a decent dividend yield - for a drugs company - of almost 3 pct also helps) - TAKING STOCK: Simon Watkins comments on RANK GROUP (bumper disposal earnings may not be forthcoming), OXFORD BIOMEDICA (Pfizer deal likely to be announced tomorrow), CAIRN ENERGY (speculation it could attract a bid from one of the oil giants such as SHELL)

Sunday Telegraph
BUSINESS COMMENT: Robert Peston comments on BRITISH AIRWAYS (the caterers may be rubbish, but BA is to blame), Oil companies (as and when the oil price touches 100 usd, a windfall tax on the oil companies will become irresistible, whatever the risks to the economy) - Equity View - BLUE CHIP VALUES: STANDARD CHARTERED (hold on), ROLLS-ROYCE (readers who followed our initial advice have made a return of 48 pct and should bank some of that profit); Look who's trading: HBOS (two directors sell stock, but investors should resist taking profits); SMALL CAP COMMENT: BODY SHOP (analysts believe that a fair price for the shares is about 260 pence; if the shares reach that level, investors should take profits; but until then, keep buying), 4IMPRINT (buy), MICHAEL PAGE (buy), HAMWORTHY (a speculative buy)

Sunday Times
INSIDE THE CITY: John Waples comments on WHITBREAD (trio in place to shake up Whitbread), COUNTRYWIDE (the group may own a stake in Rightmove, which is gearing up for a 200 mln stg float, but this is the wrong time in the cycle to own Countrywide shares), MARKET MOLE: RPS (top fund managers Ted Scott and Dan Nickols have bought into RPS) - DIRECTORS' DEALS: UBC MEDIA GROUP (bosses sell a big chunk of their shares to DC Thomson); MORGAN SINDALL (chairman sells 1.5 mln shares at 800 pence each)

Observer
THROG STREET: Oliver Morgan comments on BRITISH ENERGY (the queston is, will oil and gas prices hold on until the FTSE reshuffle next month), BALFOUR BEATTY (once the accounting changes are factored in, the growth in earnings is expected to be 7 pct - the same as it would have been anyway), EASYJET (private equity groups could find it easier to unlock the easyJet conundrum than the Icelanders; whatever the outcome, shareholders should strap themselves in and enjoy the ride)

As Alan is still away on his hols this weekend, I have added the traders thread etc for tomorrow.

Therefore go easy on me as it will not be as comprehensive as when Greystone is in the seat.

I also realise before anyone points it out, that the newspaper roundup is showing as blank at the moment. I am not quite sure why but I will be in the ofice before 7am tomorow, and I will get one of the techie guys to take a look and get it up and running.

Alan will be back on Wednesday when normal service will be resumed! :)

Finally, a big thanks to Supermum as always for her thoughts on SMIN


Cheers Ian

Take a look at COFFEE REPUBLIC ( CFE ). Travor Brown has raised his stake from 4% to 10 % in the last few weeks. Shares are only 1.5p up 30 % over the last month etc. Julian Richer holds 17%. They are making the whole company a franchise model ( using the subway sandwiches method etc ) . If it catches on , a sure winner........... !!!
Barty.

LONDON (AFX) - The following is a compilation of results for UK companies due out in the two weeks to Aug 26.

TUESDAY AUG 16
Schroders PLC. Deutsche Bank forecasts six months to June pretax profit under IFRS 112.8 mln stg vs 60.8 mln under GAAP.

THURSDAY AUG 18
Weir Group PLC. Arbuthnot Securities forecasts six months to June pretax profit before exceptionals and goodwill under IFRS 22.5-23.5 mln stg vs 24.6 mln; interim dividend 3.55 pence vs 3.45.

TUESDAY AUG 23
Bodycote International PLC. Williams de Bore forecasts six months to June pretax profit before exceptionals and goodwill under IFRS 27.3 mln stg vs 22.2 mln; interim dividend 2.35 pence, up 4 pct.

Persimmon PLC six months to June pretax profit before exceptionals and goodwill 232-242 mln stg vs 220 mln; interim dividend 11.5 pence, up 26 pct.

WEDNESDAY AUG 24
BHP Billiton PLC year to June net earnings before exceptionals and goodwill 6.30 bln usd vs 3.51 bln; total dividend 15.7 pence, up 8 pct.

THURSDAY AUG 25
Corus Group PLC. Williams de Broe forecasts six months to June pretax profit before exceptionals and goodwill 420 mln stg vs 163 mln; interim dividend 0.5 pence.

Davis Service Group PLC. Williams de Broe forecasts six months to June pretax profit before exceptionals and goodwill 43.0 mln stg vs 40.6 mln; interim dividend 5.6 pence, up 6 pct.

Hilton Group PLC. Williams de Broe forecasts six months to June pretax profit before exceptionals and goodwill 197 mln stg vs 190 mln; interim dividend 3.9 pence, up 8 pct.

Rentokil Initial PLC. Williams de Broe forecasts six months to June pretax profit before exceptionals and goodwill 139 mln stg vs 167 mln; interim dividend 2.12 pence, up 10 pct.

Rexam PLC. Williams de Broe forecasts six months to June pretax profit before exceptionals and goodwill 142 mln stg vs 138 mln; interim dividend 7.6 pence, up 5 pct.

Tomkins PLC second quarter pretax profit before exceptionals and goodwill under IFRS 63-68 mln stg vs 71.2 mln; interim dividend 5.1 pence, up 5.6 pct.

Outlook

LONDON (AFX) - Leading shares are expected to open slightly lower this morning, following Friday's weak performance on Wall Street, as record high crude prices heightened inflation concerns on both sides of the Atlantic, dealers said.
According to spread-betting firm IG Index, the FTSE 100 index is expected to open around 7 points lower, after closing at 5,345.8 on Friday.

Monday Aug 15
FORTHCOMING EVENTS
INTERIMS
Nelson Resources
Michael Page
Raymarine
Systems Union

FINALS
None scheduled

AGMs
None scheduled

EGMs
Mercury Group

ECONOMICS
UK July Rightmove house price survey (2301 GMT Sunday)
UK CBI SME trends survey (2301 GMT Sunday)
London retail sales monitor (0830 GMT)

MARKETS
Tokyo: Nikkei midday 12,288.13, up 26.45
Hang Seng midday 15,407.07, down 43.88

TODAY'S PRESS
* Arms industry faces shake-up; six-month review will pinpoint which military technologies stay in Britain; more weapons could come from overseas suppliers - FT
* Carrefour denies Wal-Mart talks - Independent
* BRITISH AIRWAYS expects to have all European short-haul operations from Heathrow back to normal today, as well as most long-haul flights - FT
* Commerzbank chief investigated; prosecutors probe Klaus-Peter Muller as part of alleged money-laundering scandal; bank plays down investigation as a 'legal step' - FT
* BELLWAY secures key renewal project - FT
* MARCONI sale shows pension loophole; UK regulators may be powerless to force Huawei to protect telecoms employees' savings - Independent

PRESS COMMENT
FT
THE LEX COLUMN comments on the impact of new International Financial reporting Standards on BT GROUP, Dell (retains a heavy weighting in US PCs; there is a risk that sky-high revenue growth rates - high teens in recent years - could slip back towards the mid to low teens; while it would leave Dell well ahead of the pack, Friday's 7 pct share price fall is a reminder of the excellence investors now expect), Ethical investment (socially responsible investment could account for 15 pct of the UK stock market by 2009, according to recent analysis)
Independent
Small Talk: Stephen Foley comments on HIGHBURY HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS (arrival of Kelvin MacKenzie should just about tip the balance in favour of saving Highbury), EASIER (second auditor quits), EDEN RESEARCH (censured by Ofex), ASHTON PENNEY (seeking AIM listing)
Express
Hilary Cook, director of investment strategy at Barclays Stockbrokers says Asian economies typically offer good levels of cyclical exposure; her current favourite is the Aberdeen Far East Emerging Markets unit trust - THE AIM MARKET: NEPTUNE MINERALS (October float), ASHTON PENNEY (temp agency plugs boardroom gaps)

as this is the "traders thread", maybe someone could answer a question?

suppose i open a T10 for example, and the share is suspended. where would i stand wrt settlement?

Just noticed that the divi on STAN of 18.94p Is wrong

Thats there payment In Cents!

Think It's only around about 11p now.

You're worth a divi then Stan...where can I buy shares in you?
;>)
(just kidding)