Opening Market Overview

EUR Industrial Production m/m 1.0% 0.8% -1.0%

FTSE100 slightly higher at midday, recovering early losses

UK retailers set for best Christmas sales growth since 2007 - report

LONDON | Mon Oct 14, 2013 2:00pm BST
(Reuters) - British retailers are set to enjoy their best growth in Christmas sales since the financial crisis, according to a report published on Monday which forecast consumers would spend at least 2 billion pounds more than in 2012.

Market research specialist Verdict forecast spending in the fourth quarter would rise 2.2 percent from the same period in 2012 to 88.4 billion pounds - the best since 2007 when fourth-quarter spending grew 3.1 percent to 82.4 billion pounds.

Improving consumer confidence and job creation, along with a pick-up in the housing market, were some of the reasons cited by Verdict, which also pointed out that a baby boom during the recession meant consumers now have more children to buy Christmas presents for.

FTSE100 ends modestly higher, shrugging off US debt concerns

Obama hopeful as fiscal meeting nears with top lawmakers

WASHINGTON | Mon Oct 14, 2013 8:26pm BST
(Reuters) - President Barack Obama said lawmakers appear to have made progress on a deal to reopen the government and avert a looming default on Monday as he prepared to meet congressional leaders with a Thursday deadline drawing near.

Obama and Vice President Joe Biden were due to meet at 3 p.m. (2000 BST) with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner, and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, the White House said.