S&P Futures

U.S. stocks gained for the fifth day in a row with investors confident for the start of the earnings reporting period

Big Food Group owner of the Iceland frozen food chain and Booker wholesale business beat expectations after a long-awaited turnaround at Iceland. The firm said its Iceland stores achieved 1.7 percent like-for-like sales growth in the 13 weeks to September 26 after some three years of declines. Sales benefitted from the recent hot weather with soft drinks, ice cream and barbecue foods all selling well.Carphone Warehouse said it had a strong second quarter and had 140,000 customers on its new residential fixed-line service, talktalk. They said talktalk was now adding a net 8,000 customers per week, and raised its target to between 350,000 and 400,000 subscribers for the end of the year to March 2004. The company said it would take a 7-8 million pound charge to cover the costs.

Mothercare said its UK like-for-like sales had risen 6.6. percent in the 27 weeks to October 4 and expected its first half results to be "substantially ahead" of market expectations. Of course this has nothing to do with me becoming a grandad .....hmmmm

JJB Sports said it was in talks to sell its general retailing unit TJ Hughes, as it reported lower first-half group operating profit. It fell to 25.5 million pounds in the 26 weeks to July 27 from 34.3 million pounds a year earlier. The firm also raised its half-year dividend by 33 percent to 3.0 pence per share.

United Kingdom Calendar (F)inals (I)nterim	United States  (GMT)	Europe & World (GMT)
Wed 8th October Incepta (I), JJB Sports (I) Royal & Sun Alliance (RSA). Rights Deadline for Instruction Big Food Group Trading Statement Carphone Warehouse Trading Statement Mothercare Trading Statement	Genetech (Q3), Yahoo (Q3) 15.00 US Aug Wholesale Inventories 0.1% exp	Saab AB (Q3)
Ex Dividend: ASK Central (0.4), Abbot Group (1.4), Alfred McAlpine (4.5), Alpha Airports (1), Alumasc Group (6.3), Brammer (1.5), CD Bramall (3.64), CI Traders (1.25), Clinton Cards (1.8), Close Brothers (17), Domestic & General (14.16), Forth Ports (12.1), Fulmar (1.8),Galliford Try (1), Games Workshop (12.5), House of Fraser (1.7), Informa Group (2.66), Intermediate Capital (10.5), International Energy (3.025),Irish Life & Permanent (EUR 0.15), London Security (3), Manchester United (spec cash 1.5), Manchester United (1.83), Mayflower Group (0.5),Meggitt (2.4), Minerva (2.1), Morrison WM (0.55), Personal Group (2), Rexam (7.3), Sevefield-Rowe (6.25), Signet Group (0.341), Swan Hill Group (1.75), Tibbett & Britten (8.2), Ultimate Leisure (4.34), White Young Green (3.35), Wilmington Group (1.7), Wilson Bowden (7.5)
Good Trading!      david@FTSEDOW.com     www.FTSEDOW.com Futures Pivot Calculator