MARKETS
FTSE 100 4,735.7 up 32.5
FTSE 250 6,594.1 up 16.7
DJIA 10,590.20 up 162.20
Nasdaq Coq 2,138.23 up 41.42
S&P 500 1,191.35 up 17.55
Tokyo: Nikkei 10,973.07 up 188.82
Hang Seng midday 14,308.68 up 145.88
Gold 452.77 usd (448.97 usd)
Oil - Brent Jan 42.31 usd (45.58 usd)

BREAKING NEWS
* Whitehall fury at Brown demands for budget cuts; Chancellor tries to prevent pre-election increase in council tax; official attacks 'robbing Peter to pay Paul' - FT
* Sterling surges towards 2 usd barrier; rate rise predictions strengthen pound to levels last seen before Black Wednesday in 1992 - Telegraph
* Singapore hit by new 550 mln usd trading scandal - FT
* MARKS & SPENCER sales fuel speculation of tough times; M&S' 67,000 staff will this week get 40 pct off Christmas goodies at the struggling retailer as Stuart Rose, chief executive, looks to shift stock and boost sales - FT
* GLAXOSMITHKLINE hails blockbuster; Garnier says cervical cancer vaccine may be worth as much as 15 bln usd - Guardian
* Ian Gowrie-Smith, the pharmaceutical industry entrepreneur, understood to be in advanced talks to sell SKYEPHARMA, the drug delivery specialist he founded eight years ago, for upwards of 500 mln stg - Guardian
* Liverpool Football Club in talks with a consortium led by two US-based entertainment executives that could lead to a 100 mln stg-plus deal for control of the club - FT
* Vincent Tchenguiz, one of the property tycoon brothers who own Rotch, the private property group, trying to buy between 10 pct and 20 pct of IFX, the foreign exchange and spread-betting company - FT
* Sir Richard Branson's VIRGIN MOBILE makes bid to lock in its pay-as-you-go customers with the offer of 99 stg handsets complete with eight months of free calls and texts - Express

PRESS COMMENT
FT
THE LEX COLUMN comments on sterling, Eurozone bonds, SAGE (could have life in them yet), China Aviation Oil - MITCHELLS & BUTLERS (may be a while before the share price froths up further) - RPC (look teqting for investors willing to take a punt on the timing of any fall in raw material costs and recovery in European demand)
Mail
BIOQUELL (hospital bug hope injects excitement) - PHS (Numis sell)
Express
WHO'S DEALING: PARAGON (chairman and chief executive sell stock after exercising options) - SHARE WHISPER: TRIPLE PLATE JUNCTION (more good news could be on the way regarding its prospects in Vietnam) - BROKER'S VIEW: PARITY GROUP (Altium Securities sell)
Independent
THE INVESTMENT COLUMN: SHAFTESBURY (buy), EXPRO INTERNATIONAL (avoid), OASIS HEALTHCARE (hold on for better times)
Guardian
PREMIER FARNELL (CSFB sell)
Telegraph
QUESTOR: SAGE (not worth chasing), WS ATKINS (still some long-term upside), DE VERE (for the patient investor, there is good value)
Times
RUMOUR OF THE DAY: SECTORGUARD (talk it is close to its first bolt-on acquisition in the Midlands) - DIRECTORS' DEALINGS: GMA RESOURCES (technical director sells stock for 45,750 stg) - TErUS: MITCHELLS & BUTLERS (buy), BRADFORD & BINGLEY (hopes of takeover bid is best reason for holding the shares), SAGE (buy)
The Shares Magazine
Buy DIMENSION DATA, CANTERBURY FOODS, PACE MICRO TECHNOLOGY, MARCONI, WS ATKINS; The Plays of the Week: buy GLADSTONE, PARAGON, CHARTERIS; Tip Updates: buy BSS GROUP, BIOFUELS CORPORATION, YOOMEDIA

Morning all.

morning campers

its that cold here i had to snap the dog off the lamppost :-)

Morning punters!

UVS - losses worsen
http://www.uk-wire.com/cgi-bin/articles/200412020700038973F.html

FDL - acquisition for cash and interims look good
http://www.uk-wire.com/cgi-bin/articles/200412020700038717F.html
http://www.uk-wire.com/cgi-bin/articles/200412020700038712F.html

CRU - profit warning for FY. Divi cut, which was its main attraction
http://www.uk-wire.com/cgi-bin/articles/200412020700038796F.html

APG - interims and progress look poor
http://www.uk-wire.com/cgi-bin/articles/200412020700059002F.html

UCL - agreement on extension of contract
http://www.uk-wire.com/cgi-bin/articles/200412020700058987F.html

Vp. - looking OK at half way - in the price?
http://www.uk-wire.com/cgi-bin/articles/200412020700069030F.html

ELE - minnow with a decent trading update. Chart looks quite nice
http://www.uk-wire.com/cgi-bin/articles/200412020700079033F.html

ISD - thinly traded tiddler I've been watching trialling with B&Q. Bullish update. Someone knew yesterday. ;-))
http://www.uk-wire.com/cgi-bin/articles/200412020700089052F.html

HBR - they say inline, I say not on the forecasts I've got.
http://www.uk-wire.com/cgi-bin/articles/200412020700099057F.html

ZTX - not the best pre-close statement
http://www.uk-wire.com/cgi-bin/articles/200412020700099058F.html

MDY - terminates ELA agreement to go it alone?
http://www.uk-wire.com/cgi-bin/articles/200412020700109063F.html

CYH - wider loss, bullish outlook, share consolidation to prevent volatility. Hmm
http://www.uk-wire.com/cgi-bin/articles/200412020700109066F.html

WDNY - results look very good. Bullish for next year
http://www.uk-wire.com/cgi-bin/articles/200412020700109070F.html

DLAR - making a comeback?
http://www.uk-wire.com/cgi-bin/articles/200412020700189097F.html

AMS - NHS deal
http://www.uk-wire.com/cgi-bin/articles/200412020700199102F.html

JLP - acquisition of interest
http://www.uk-wire.com/cgi-bin/articles/200412020700239109F.html

XAN - returning to profit?
http://www.uk-wire.com/cgi-bin/articles/200412020700299119F.html

That's got to be it, Loads more, but far too much to get through today

Have a good one.

The LMC train is off and running again this am......

long BLND 822 s/l on

long SOF 154.5 s/l on

Morning all.

long ARM 102.75 s/l on

So far today:

Lobbed SPS +5
Longed GLD 23
Re-longed AXO 145

WTB looking good :-)

long MNKS 183 s/l on

long CTM 45 s/l on

long CS 55 s/l on

LAND cracked 1300 and rising !!!

covered WTB + 6.5 +8.5

covered LAND + 9

covered BLND +1.5

long BBY 303 s/l on

Mega Bucks-slow down the investors haven't seen this much action in ages on this board!;-)