CORRECTION STOCKWATCH Shire firmer; Bridgewell keeps 'overweight', tgt 1,160p

London shares - midday features

Midday Market Roundup

UK small caps higher at midday, with Maghreb Minerals firmer on drilling update

STOCKWATCH Shire flat; FDA approvable letter news for new drug slightly negativePrecious Metals Summary - London AM FixingsWALL STREET OUTLOOK Higher as M&A buoys sentiment; Alltel in 27.5 bln usd buyout

hello all,

we are experiencing some problems with our suppliers.

work is being done to rectify the problem so will hopefully be up and running again soon.

geoff

                LUNCH TIME FUN

OUTLOOK Morrison Q1 LFL sales growth excluding petrol seen around 3.5 pct

Metals - Gold falls below 660 on rebounding dollar, unimpressive copper price

Precious Metals Summary - London PM Fixings

End-of-day Market Roundup

                JOKE OF THE DAY

Two elderly women were eating breakfast in a restaurant one morning.
Ethel noticed something funny about Mabel's ear and she said,

"Mabel, did you know you've got a suppository in your left ear?"

Mabel answered, "I have a suppository?"
She pulled it out and stared at it.

Then she said, "Ethel, I'm glad you saw this thing.
Now I think I know where my hearing aid is."

               

Stocks mixed; S&P 500 passes high close

NEW YORK (AP) - Wall Street reached another milestone in a muted session
Monday, when the Standard & Poor's 500 index briefly passed its record close of
1,527.46 for the first time in more than seven years.
The S&P 500, considered by market professionals the best indicator of stock
performance, surpassed the mark shortly after noon following a fresh spate of
takeover deals. The broad market index has lagged the Dow Jones industrial
average in recovering from the prolonged stock slump earlier this decade.
The S&P 500 rose as high as 1,529.87, then edged back to 1,525.09, up 2.34,
or 0.15 percent, as cautious investors locked in some profits from weeks of
gains. The index's advance was driven by buying in non-technology sectors such
as energy, materials, industrials and financials, S&P data showed. It is still
well below its all-time trading high of 1,552.87 set on March 24, 2000, the day
the index reached its record close.
Reassuring Wall Street on Monday that acquisition activity will keep up its
record pace this year, General Electric Co. said it is selling its plastics
division to Saudi Arabia's largest industrial company, Saudi Basic Industries
Corp., for $11.6 billion.
The announcement followed news Sunday that telecommunications company Alltel
Corp. agreed to be bought for $24.8 billion, and that China's upstart state
investment company was investing $3 billion in Blackstone Group LP. Blackstone,
the second-largest U.S. private equity firm, is planning an initial public
offering for later this year, and has been on a buying tear; just last week, it
snapped up credit card services provider Alliance Data Systems Corp. for $6.43
billion.
The Dow retreated modestly after venturing further into record territory
earlier in the day. The blue-chip index fell 13.57, or 0.10 percent, to
13,542.96 after hitting an intraday high of 13,586.03.
The Nasdaq composite index rose 20.34, or 0.80 percent, to 2,578.79, after
reaching a six-year high of 2,587.87.

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Good night and good luck for tomorrow

Good joke, Master :o)

Goodnight to you, too!