Well as you can see from the report no way as upbeat as yesterday, but things over in Yankland I beleive are on course for an xmas spike. How do we play it????, well first of all as usual keep around %15 of your portfolio in cash and the wait for the opportunities that present themselves.

I for one would now as I have been for the last 2 months looking at Gold and base metals. ZINC and COPPER. Any thouhts on this guys????????. SB I know you will be looking in anything to contribute???.

Anyway heres the gaff fro the US..................



AFTER HOURS In The US

Priceline tumbles 22 percent

By Carolyn Pritchard, CBS MarketWatch.com
Last Update: 6:09 PM ET Nov. 4, 2003


SAN FRANCISCO (CBS.MW) -- Priceline.com tumbled more than 22 percent in after-hour trading Tuesday after reporting third-quarter earnings that beat Wall Street's forecast but revenue that missed.



CBS MARKETWATCH TOP NEWS
U.S. stocks close down
Former HealthSouth CEO indicted; $278 million sought
Massachusetts, SEC charge ex-Pru brokers with fraud
Terra Lycos drops Yahoo's Overture amid dispute
Tyco cutting 7,200 jobs in restructuring; shares gain


But it was the Web travel booking site's forecast that investors were paying attention to in late trading. Priceline (PCLN: news, chart, profile) warned that fourth-quarter net income would come in at 2 cents to 8 cents a share, shy of the 11-cent average estimate of analysts polled by Thomson First Call.

Norwalk, Conn.-based Priceline said it swung to a third-quarter profit of $9.7 million, or 24 cents a share, on revenue of $243.4 million, from a loss of $24.3 million, or 64 cents a share, including charges, on revenue of $240 million. Respondents to Thomson's poll expected Priceline to post a profit of 21 cents a share on revenue of $251.3 million.

Shares of Priceline fell $6.59, or 22.5 percent, to $22.66 in late dealings and topped the volume-leader list on Nasdaq.

Video production technology firm Focus Enhancements (FCSE: news, chart, profile) said it swung to a profit in the third quarter. The company reported a profit of $532,000, or a penny a share. That compares with a loss of $1.5 million, or 4 cents a share, in the year-ago period. Revenue more than doubled, to $10.8 million from $4.1 million.

Looking ahead, the company said it expects to post a profit of a penny per share for the next two quarters, on sales ranging from $7 million to $8.5 million.

Shares of Focus lost 38 cents, or 10.3 percent, to change hands for $3.30 in after-hours trading action.

Heading in the opposite direction were shares of Primus Telecommunications (PRTL: news, chart, profile). The company swung to a profit in the third quarter, earning $5.8 million, or 6 cents a share, versus a loss of $14.4 million, or 22 cents a share, in the same period last year. Sales rose to $328.3 million from $260.5 million.

Primus raised its full-year forecast for 2003 to "in excess of" 46 cents a share on sales of $65 million to $70 million. The company's previous forecast called for earnings of 38 cents to 42 cents a share on sales of $50 million to $60 million.

Shares of Primus rose 81 cents, or 8.8 percent, to $10.

And ViroLogic (VLGC: news, chart, profile), which makes tests to measure drug effectiveness, said its third-quarter loss narrowed in the latest period. The company lost $400,000, or a penny a share, versus a loss of $5.6 million, or 23 cents a share, in the same quarter last year. Sales rose 54 percent, to $9.1 million from $5.9 million.

ViroLogic shares soared 13.5 percent to $1.85 in late dealings.

Esperion Therapeutics (ESPR: news, chart, profile) said after the bell that results of a new study show its investigational product candidate, ETC-216, reduced the size of plaque in coronary arteries and reversed atherosclerosis. The results of the study appear in the Nov. 5 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, according to Esperion.

Shares of Esperion added $1.91, or 10.9 percent, to $19.41.

Also busy were shares of Novell (NOVL: news, chart, profile). The software maker ended the regular session up 21 percent after announcing it had won a $50 million vote of confidence from IBM and also agreed to buy a company that could expand its role in the growing market for the Linux operating system. See full story.

After the bell, shares of Novell rose 3.4 percent, to $7.58.

Shares of Redback Networks (RBAK: news, chart, profile) were seeing heavy trading again. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Monday.

At last check, Redback shares had edged lower by a penny, to 32 cents.

Also after the bell, Prudential Financial (PRU: news, chart, profile) said it earned $230 million, or 46 cents a share, down 41 percent from the same period last year. Prudential said after-tax adjusted operating income for the period was $361 million, or 70 cents a share, compared to $303 million for the same period last year. Analysts had expected earnings of 56 cents a share, according to Thomson First Call. The Newark, N.J.-based company said it expected earnings in the range of $2.40 to $2.50 for the year, based on after-tax adjusted operating income.

Prudential had its securities division thrust into the spotlight earlier Tuesday after a Massachusetts regulator filed fraud charges against five of its former brokers. William Galvin, secretary of the commonwealth for Massachusetts, claimed that the five engaged in a scheme that allowed offshore hedge funds to profit at the expense of mutual fund shareholders. See full story.

Share of Prudential gained 30 cents in after-hours trading, to $38.35.

The Nasdaq-100 After Hours Indicator, which tracks late trading in the technology sector, shed 1.57 points, or 0.11 percent.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average ($INDU: news, chart, profile) lost 19.63 points, or 0.2 percent, to end Tuesday's session at 9,838.83, while the Nasdaq Composite ($COMPQ: news, chart, profile) shed 9.74 points, or 0.5 percent, to close at 1,957.96. See Market Snapshot.

Carolyn Pritchard is a reporter for CBS.MarketWatch.com in San Francisco.ENDS.


More AFTER HOURS
•Protein Design gains on results; Cephalon falls 6:24pm ET 11/03/03
•Microsoft, CV Therapeutics busy after the bell 6:00pm ET 10/31/03
•Skyworks tumbles, Brightpoint surges after the bell 5:53pm ET 10/30/03
•Akamai Technologies tops after-hours trading 6:03pm ET 10/29/03
•LookSmart soars, Gilead tumbles after the bell 5:46pm ET 10/28/03


Latest Industry News Get Alerted on News in this Industry
•Merck, pharma stocks close lower as slide persists 4:15pm ET 11/04/03
•Abel sees drugs, biotechs paying off 12:01am ET 11/04/03
•Protein Design gains on results; Cephalon falls 6:24pm ET 11/03/03
•Cephalon to buy Cima Labs for $515 mln 5:55pm ET 11/03/03
•Teva closes up in mixed pharma sector 4:34pm ET 11/03/03ENDS.

GF.

Monday 10th Nov, After Hours Trading In The US.

Generally good for monday, after hours. Cisco did well late on.

AFTER HOURS

Vertex Pharma falls as drug trial halted

By Carolyn Pritchard, CBS MarketWatch.com
Last Update: 7:00 PM ET Nov. 10, 2003







SAN FRANCISCO (CBS.MW) -- Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals tumbled in after-hours trading Monday after the company halted a clinical drug trial, while Concur Technologies slumped on a lower-than-expected earnings forecast.



CBS MARKETWATCH TOP NEWS
U.S. stocks close down as tech doubts gnaw
Alliance execs quit amid fund probe
WTO rejects U.S. appeal on steel subsidies
United winds up pitch for new low-cost airline
RealNetworks inks Rhapsody broadband deal with Comcast




Free! Sign up here to receive our Internet Daily e-Newsletter!




TRACK THESE TOPICS
My Portfolio Alerts
Company: Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc Add
Create
Column: After Hours
Create
Company: Aventis Add
Create
Company: Concur Technologies Inc Add
Create

Get Breaking News sent directly to your inbox







Create A Portfolio | Create An Alert



Biotech firm Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX: news, chart, profile) and pharmaceutical partner Aventis (AVE: news, chart, profile) said after the bell that they're voluntarily postponing mid-stage patient testing of an experimental rheumatoid arthritis treatment called pralnacasan.

The companies said an animal toxicology study showed "liver abnormalities after a nine-month exposure to pralnacasan at high doses." There have been no similar effects on humans who participated in pralnacasan studies, the companies added.

Separately, Vertex reported a third-quarter loss of $86.4 million, or $1.12 a share, compared to a loss of $33.5 million, or 44 cents a share, the year before. The results included a charge of $42.4 million associated with lease restructuring. Sales in the period fell to $18.4 million from $34.3 million.

Shares of Vertex traded at $9.50 in late dealings, down 25 percent.

Concur Technologies (CNQR: news, chart, profile), which provides applications for managing corporate expenses, posted third-quarter earnings of $1 million, or 3 cents a share, versus a loss of $2.7 million, or 10 cents a share, in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2002. Excluding charges, Concur's profit was 4 cents a share, in line with the forecast of analysts polled by Thomson First Call. Sales in the period rose 10 percent to $14.2 million.

The company also provided a wide-ranging forecast, saying it expects a pro forma profit of 8 cents to 23 cents a share for fiscal 2004; analysts are currently looking for 25 cents a share, on average.

Shares of Concur fell $2.94, or 25.8 percent, to $8.45.

Teen retailer Pacific Sunwear (PSUN: news, chart, profile) reported third-quarter earnings of $24.5 million, or 31 cents a share, compared with a profit of $15.9 million, or 21 cents a share, the year before. Sales rose more than 23 percent in the quarter, to $281.3 million from $228.2 million the year before. The results bested analysts' expectations for earnings of 29 cents a share, on average, on sales of $277.5 million, according to Thomson First Call. See full story.

Shares of Pacific Sunwear gained 3.1 percent in after-hours trading to $22.26.

And Register.com (RCOM: news, chart, profile), which provides Web site registry and other Internet services, said it swung to a profit in the third quarter with earnings of $2.4 million, or 6 cents a share, compared to a loss of $14.6 million, or 36 cents a share, in the third quarter of 2002. Last year's loss included $17 million for a goodwill write-down and amortization of intangibles. Revenue edged higher in the quarter, to $25.7 million from $25.5 million.

At last check, Regsiter.com shares were up 13.4 percent at $5.32.

Finally, shares of AsiaInfo Holdings (ASIA: news, chart, profile), a telecom software provider, said it had signed a contract with Liaoning Mobile, a major China Mobile subsidiary, to construct a customer identification and billing center for the carrier's IP/data business.

AsiaInfo also said it signed a separate contract in which it will help the carrier build a disaster redundancy system for its BOSS network. The values of the contracts were not disclosed.

Shares of Asia added 5.9 percent in recent dealings to $7.40.

The Nasdaq-100 After Hours indicator, which tracks late trading in the technology sector, fell 0.11, or 0.01 percent.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average ($INDU: news, chart, profile) finished Monday's session down 53.26 points, or 0.5 percent, at 9,756.53, while the Nasdaq Composite ($COMPQ: news, chart, profile) shed 29.10 points, or 1.5 percent, to end at 1,941.64. See Market Snapshot.

Carolyn Pritchard is a reporter for CBS.MarketWatch.com in San Francisco.

gf.

Tuesday 12th of november. Very light volumes. Looks like its gong to be thursday before our markets pick up, make your own minds up please.

AFTER HOURS

Sycamore off, Computer Sciences up

By Carolyn Pritchard, CBS MarketWatch.com
Last Update: 5:52 PM ET Nov. 11, 2003







SAN FRANCISCO (CBS.MW) -- Shares of Sycamore Networks fell more than 7 percent in Tuesday's evening trading session after posting a sequential drop in sales for the latest quarter, while shares of Computer Sciences ticked higher after the company beat Wall Street's quarterly forecast.



CBS MARKETWATCH TOP NEWS
Sinai top U.S. economic forecaster in October
Broadcasters seen facing threat from video recorders
Sycamore falls, Computer Sciences rises after the bell
U.S. stocks close lower
Oracle may drop PeopleSoft bid over refund offer




Free! Sign up here to receive Thom Calandra's StockWatch e-Newsletter!




TRACK THESE TOPICS
My Portfolio Alerts
Company: Sycamore Networks Inc Add
Create
Column: After Hours
Create
Company: Computer Sciences Corporation Add
Create
Company: Coherent Inc Add
Create

Get Breaking News sent directly to your inbox







Create A Portfolio | Create An Alert



Telecom equipment maker Sycamore Networks (SCMR: news, chart, profile) said that it narrowed its fiscal first-quarter loss, though sales dropped from the prior quarter. Sycamore said after the closing bell that it lost $12.2 million, or 5 cents a share, compared with a loss of $17.4 million, or 7 cents, in the same quarter a year ago. Revenue rose to $8.4 million from $5.9 million. Excluding one-time items, Sycamore said it lost 4 cents a share, matching the consensus of analysts surveyed by Thomson First Call. See full story.

Sycamore shares lost 41 cents, or 7.6 percent, to change hands for $4.95 after the bell, and the stock was near the top of the volume leaders list on Island ECN.

Technology services company Computer Sciences (CSC: news, chart, profile) beat Wall Street's expectations, posting a rise in second-quarter earnings for its fiscal 2004 that were boosted by government contracts. The company said it made $108.1 million, or 57 cents a share, in the quarter, versus earnings of $92.9 million, or 54 cents a share, in the same quarter a year earlier. Revenue rose to $3.59 billion from $2.72 billion.

Excluding items, Computer Services made 60 cents a share in the quarter, which beat the forecast of analysts, who had been looking for earnings of 59 cents a share, according to Thomson First Call. See full story.

Shares of Computer Sciences added $1.31, or 3.2 percent, to change hands for $42.10 in late dealings.

Coherent Technologies (COHR: news, chart, profile) said that it swung to a loss in its fourth quarter of fiscal 2003, hurt by restructuring charges and its additional purchase of Lambda Physik AG shares. The semiconductor maker said it lost $25 million, or 84 cents a share, in the period ended Sept. 27. A year earlier, Coherent made $6.4 million, or 22 cents a share. Revenue in the period slipped to $101.5 million from $106.1 million. See full story.

Shares of Coherent fell 96 cents, or 4.2 percent, to $21.80 after the bell.

Finally, Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF: news, chart, profile) reported third-quarter numbers that met analysts' expectations but warned that the fourth quarter would come in flat. The teen and children's lifestyle retailer delivered a 6 percent increase in fiscal third-quarter earnings, posting a profit of $50.4 million, or 51 cents a share, compared to $47.6 million, or 48 cents a share in the year-ago period. Abercrombie also said that said same-store sales dropped 9 percent and total sales rose 6 percent to $444.9 million compared to $419.3 million a year ago. See full story.

Shares of Abercrombie shed 56 cents in late dealings, to $28.27.

The Nasdaq-100 After Hours Indicator, which tracks late trading in technology stocks, was down 1.08 points, 0.08 percent.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average ($INDU: news, chart, profile) ended Tuesday's session down 18.74 points, or 0.2 percent, at 9,737.79, while the Nasdaq Composite ($COMPQ: news, chart, profile) shed 10.89 points, or 0.6 percent, to finish at 1,930.75. See Market Snapshot.

Carolyn Pritchard is a reporter for CBS.MarketWatch.com in San Francisco.


GF.

A pretty good after hours session in the US, with around 60/40 in risers favour.

AFTER HOURS

Agilent Tech gains in after-hours trade

By Carolyn Pritchard, CBS MarketWatch.com
Last Update: 4:52 PM ET Nov. 17, 2003







SAN FRANCISCO (CBS.MW) - Shares of Agilent Technologies added almost 7 percent in Monday's late trading session after the electronics and testing equipment maker said it swung to a profit in the latest quarter. Shares of Marvel Enterprises and ATI Technologies gained after both companies raised their outlooks going forward.



CBS MARKETWATCH TOP NEWS
Agilent Tech shares up on quarterly profit after hours
U.S. stocks fall for third day on terrorism fears
Morgan Stanley to pay $50 mln fine for fund violations
Hollinger shares leap as scandal prompts possible sale
Features of the Medicare drug benefit deal




Free! Sign up here to receive our Midday Market Report e-Newsletter!




TRACK THESE TOPICS
My Portfolio Alerts
Company: Agilent Technologies Inc Add
Create
Column: After Hours
Create
Company: Marvel Enterprises Inc Add
Create
Company: Ati Technologies Inc Add
Create

Get Breaking News sent directly to your inbox







Create A Portfolio | Create An Alert



Agilent posts a profit

Agilent (A: news, chart, profile) said it earned $13 million, or 3 cents a share, during the fiscal fourth quarter versus a loss of $236 million, or 51 cents a share, in the same period last year. Sales were $1.68 billion versus $1.74 billion last year. Excluding charges, Agilent earned 15 cents a share, much better than the 5 cents a share that analysts had expected. See full story.

Shares of Agilent rose $1.80, or 6.7 percent, in late dealings to change hands for $28.55.

Marvel, ATI Technologies raise outlook

Marvel Enterprises (MVL: news, chart, profile) raised its 2004 sales and earnings estimates on Monday, as the comic book publisher cited stronger promotional support from retailers and better-than-expected international licensing. New York-based Marvel said sales should amount to $415 million to $435 million, up from its previous forecast of $315 million to $345 million. Earnings should hit a range of $1.31 to $1.48 a share, up from its previous estimate of 96 cents to $1.14 a share. See full story.

Shares of Marvel pared back its gains in recent action to trade higher by 10 cents at $30.

And graphics-chip maker ATI Technologies (ATYT: news, chart, profile) upped its expectations for the first quarter of fiscal 2004. The company said it expects to report adjusted net earnings in a range of 16 to 20 cents a share on sales of between $440 million to $470 million.

Analysts polled by Thomson First Call are looking for earnings of 13 cents a share, on average, on sales of $424.7 million.

For the second quarter, ATI said it expects to see continued strength but due to seasonality expects slightly weaker revenue and profit.

Shares of ATI were last trading for $15.45, up $1.60, or 11.6 percent. The stock was one of the most active issues on Island ECN.

But shares of Sun Microsystems (SUNW: news, chart, profile) recently moved into the top spot on Island's volume leaders list with a rise of almost 11 percent to $4.52 and volume of about 800,000. The reason for the sudden move was unclear.

Also after the bell, insurance giant MetLife (MET: news, chart, profile) said that vice-chairman and chief financial officer Stewart G. Nagler will retire in late 2004 after 40 years with the company. Bill Wheeler, who heads up MetLife's Individual Business Product Management, Marketing and Business Development division, will assume Nagler's finance-related responsibilities effective Dec. 1.

Separately, MetLife said that it plans to resume its common stock repurchase activity under its existing $1 billion share repurchase program, of which $806 million remains.

Shares of MetLife added 10 cents to finish Monday's session at $30.32. The stock was unchanged in very light after-hours dealings.

The Nasdaq-100 After Hours Indicator, a barometer of late trading in the technology sector, was up 0.6 points, or 0.04 percent.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average ($INDU: news, chart, profile) finished Monday with a loss of 57.85 points, or 0.6 percent, at 9,710.83, while the Nasdaq Composite ($COMPQ: news, chart, profile) shed 20.65 points, or 1.1 percent, to close at 1,909.61. See Market Snapshot.

Carolyn Pritchard is a reporter for CBS.MarketWatch.com in San Francisco.

A superb day on the US markets backed up by excelent after hours trade.http://toplist.island.com/ds/data/toplist/toplist.jsp?filter=all&width=555&tabs=true&links=true&sort=tradedshares&order=asc&html=true&ah=true&rows=50

cheers GF.