Supermum apologises, but technical difficulties have prevented her from
bringing you her weekly chart today. Her Weekly Chart View will return next week.

A Brief Look At The Week Ahead

M&A activity seems set to dominate the week, yet again, with Rio Tinto's defence against the BHP Billiton bombardment likely to take centre stage. The possibility of a Punch Taverns/M&B merger should also get big coverage, with investors in Enterprise Inns among the more interested spectators. The demise of Northern Rock will continue to eat up column inches in the business press if reports of a proposed hugely discounted rights issue by one of the bidding consortia is to be believed. The prospect of a share value of 20p or 40p is unlikely to persuade even the most optimistic of investors to hold on. The bulk of corporate reporting is midweek. Look out for numbers from Sage, DSG International and Kelda on Wednesday and M&B, United Utilities and Bradford & Bingley the following day. For the smallcap watchers, watch out for an update from JJB Sports which is set to be dire following the England football debacle. Good hunting! Greystone Thanks, as always to Kyoto and Digger for their invaluable input to the Traders Thread (Greystone is Alan English, City Editor at MoneyAM.)

Friday's market reports:

Telegraph
The Times
The Times (Need to know)
The Guardian
The Independent
This is Money

Intermediate Capital Group, Europe's biggest independent provider of mezzanine loans, yesterday embraced the credit crisis, posting a 33pc increase in interim pre-tax profits, adding the current market volatility offered "the opportunity of a lifetime".
ICG's sub-prime 'chance of a lifetime'

Lenders are cracking down on sub-prime borrowers across Britain and could force tens of thousands of homeowners into forced sales of their homes, property experts warned yesterday.
Sub-prime time bomb is set to explode in Britain

The number of mortgages approved for homebuyers sank to a record low during October, according to figures released by the British Bankers' Association that provide further evidence of a slowdown in the property market.
Mortgage approvals dive as market cools

Repeat it softly, but some experts on the US economy have begun to use the word 'depression'.
America flirts with dreaded D-word

The weak dollar used to be an economic issue. But the greenback has now dropped so far, and has so much further to fall, that its decline is of profound political importance.
Bet your bottom dollar tensions will follow

The die is now cast. As the euro brushes $1.50 against the dollar, it is already too late to stop the eurozone hurtling into a full-fledged economic and political crisis. We now have to start asking whether the EU itself will survive in its current form.
Will Europe impose exchange controls to head off disaster?

Sterling is swiftly losing its lustre on the world's foreign exchange markets, as investors bet that the credit crunch will lead to a sharp deterioration in the health of the UK economy.
Rate cuts threaten to send pound sliding

The sub-prime crisis is gathering speed and even the biggest of Britain's banks could find themselves in trouble.
More banks face being bowled over

Mortgage bank Alliance & Leicester is expected to make significant write-downs on the value of its holdings of so-called 'toxic loans' in its trading update.
A&L set to make huge 'toxic loan' write-offs

The CBI has warned that the credit crunch is now taking its toll on smaller companies, with the pace of contagion into the wider economy growing. One in five small and medium- sized enterprises (SMEs) surveyed by the business body said credit tightening by lenders was affecting, or expected to affect, their decisions and plans in the coming year.
Heat on Chancellor intensifies as small firms feel credit squeeze

THE commercial property market is facing its worst year since it crashed in the early 1990s, according to forecasters that include CB Richard Ellis, the worlds biggest property consultant. The firm predicts that returns will plunge to almost zero by the end of this year.
A zero year for property

The specialist investment funds at the heart of the credit crunch are to be broken up and sold on by advisers. Bank of New York, the investors' trustee in Mainsail, a structured investment vehicle (Siv) designed by Barclays' investment banking arm, Barcap, has appointed boutique investment bank Houlihan Lokey Howard & Zukin to find buyers for its assets.
Sivs to be broken up and sold

Cash - the lifeblood of commerce - has ceased to circulate properly as investors are too nervous to put their money to work. As a result, recession could become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
While money lies idle, the real economy suffers

What goes on in your brain when markets are crashing? The new science of neuro-economics - a hybrid of neuro science, economics and psychology - has begun to shed light on that question. Within 12 milliseconds, or one-25th the time it takes you to blink your eye, upsetting financial news can activate the amygdala, a structure in your brain that generates emotions like fear and anger.
Don't be a Footsie neurotic

Ratings agencies Standard & Poor's and Moodys are among 49 companies which have become embroiled in legal action in the wake of the credit crisis.
Shareholdersact against ratings agencies

Over the last week prospects for the world economy seem to have slipped again. Money markets are intensely jittery and equity markets have started to register the potential for a severe knock to corporate earnings. Could things get still worse? Could we be on the brink of a severe downturn or even a recession?
Consumer spending key to averting recession

House prices fell this month at the fastest rate since July 2005 as the number of new buyers declined more swiftly even than the faltering supply of homes for sale.
House prices in Britain tumble at fastest rate since 2005

Britain could be heading for a United States-style mortgage crisis as almost one and a half million people see their mortgage repayments rocket by 140 a month next year, a report out today says.
Soaring repayments could lead to mortgage crisis for Britons

Schroders, one of the UK's leading managers of commercial property investments, yesterday wiped 12.5 per cent off the value of units in its flagship 2bn fund, amid growing fears of a collapse in the sector.
Fund managers raise exit penalties to prevent property collapse

Europe isn't strong enough to prop up the global economy as the US slowdown takes hold which is where the Asian savings glut comes in.
Get ready for the rise of Chinese shareholders

Investors will be on the lookout for any sign of trouble from Barclays as it issues its second trading statement of the month tomorrow.
The Week Ahead: Take two... It's crunch time (again) at Barclays

NIKKEI	AUSTRALIA	SHANGHAI	HANG SENG

Good morning traders!

In Asia today, the Nikkei closed up 246.44 points at 15,135.21, while the Hang
Seng ended the morning up 1,061.62 points at 27,602.71.

New York's main oil contract, light sweet crude for January delivery, was up 34
cents at $98.52 a barrel from $98.18 in late US trading Friday.

Happy trading!

G.

OUTLOOK - UK companies results for 2 weeks to Dec 7OUTLOOK Rio Tinto seen using investor seminar to outline M&A defence strategyTokyo shares close sharply higher on China's investment plansTFN UK calendar and forecasts for todayAustralian shares close higher after investors endorse election result - UPDATETFN economic and business calendar to Friday Dec 7Australian shares close higher after investors endorse federal election result

Thomson Financial UK at a glance share guide weekend

London shares outlook - Higher with strong NY advance Friday; takeover chatter

The Monday Press RoundupThomson Financial UK at a glance share guide

BROKERWATCH AstraZeneca cut to 'sell' from 'reduce' at Dresdner Kleinwort

BROKERWATCH Capita upgraded to 'buy' from 'neutral' at UBS, target 800 pence

BROKERWATCH Air France-KLM upgraded to 'buy' from 'hold' at CitigroupTokyo shares close sharply higher on China's reported investment plans - UPDATE

BROKERWATCH Premier Oil cut to 'neutral', E&P price targets cut at Credit SuisseBROKERWATCH National Grid upped to 'overweight' from 'equal-weight' by Lehman

BROKERWATCH Kelda upgraded to 'equal-weight' vs 'underweight' at Lehman BrothersBROKERWATCH United Utilities upgraded to 'equal weight' at Lehman Brothers

FTSE opens modestly higher

UK smallcap opening - Patagonia Gold up on 'very encouraging' drilling results

London shares open higher with strong NY advance Friday; takeover chatterUK smallcap opening - Spectrum Interactive up as trading beats forecasts