Afternoon all from Korea. The long weekend's market reports:

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

Friday

American factories recorded their best month's trading in almost six years in March as the manufacturing sector returned to much-needed form on the back of the nascent global economic recovery.
US factory output close to six-year high

One of the world's most powerful investment houses has given notice that Britain's cherished AAA credit rating could be lost within a year, with disastrous consequences for the public finances and the stability of the financial system.
Britain 'could lose cherished AAA credit within 12 months'

The Paris-based regulation committee said it was starting an investigation into several "technology driven" developments as part of the EU's revision of trading rules known as markets in financial instruments directive (MiFID).
European regulators to investigate high-frequency trading

The $1.7bn (1.1bn) UK commodity fund believes that despite a strong rebound in the oil price last year, there has still not been a reflection of the West's emergence from recession.
Oil price to reach $90 this year, Hermes predicts

Japans desperate fight with deflation - the policy battle that could decide the fate of the worlds second-largest economy - is being undermined by a mobile phone application and an army of penny-pinching housewives.
Web-savvy housewives sabotage efforts to save Japans economy from stagnation

Saturday

Economists are predicting the pace of recovery accelerated in the first quarter of 2010, providing a pre-election boost to the Government.
UK economy 'grew faster' in the first three months of 2010

Deutsche Bank acquisition ... GM sales up ... Sharp launches 3-D screen
Need to know

Sunday

Some of the worlds biggest investment banks could be forced to pump billions of pounds into their UK businesses following a probe by the City regulator. The Financial Services Authority has been conducting stress tests on the British operations of foreign banks to examine what would happen if their parent companies went bust.
The world's biggest investment banks ordered to inject billions

The UK's biggest investigation yet into insider dealing is now targeting independent traders who may have used privileged information about trades to gain a market advantage, say City sources.
FSA inquiry focuses on day traders

Several foreign retailers have plans to set up shop in the UK this year, attracted by the scale of the market - retail sales hit 286bn last year - and a national obsession with shopping.
Foreign retailers are gearing up to conquer Britain's high streets

Monday

This weeks meeting of the Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee comes just as Parliament prepares to be dissolved before a general election in May. This alone would suggest that the MPC is likely to opt to sit tight, rather than make any rate change or announcement on quantitative easing (QE) just now.
Bank set to hold fire on rates and quantitative easing

London-listed mining companies are bracing themselves for a wave of ethnic violence in South Africa as tensions escalate following the murder of notorious far-right politician Eugene Terreblanche.
Mining groups fear backlash in South Africa

The former chairman of the US Federal Reserve, has said there is "momentum building up" in the US economy.
Alan Greenspan upbeat on US economy

Housing transactions over the last two years have struck a record low, building pent-up demand from 1.5m potential buyers that is waiting to explode on to the market, according to new research.
Lack of houses for sale triggers mounting demand

Sunwing claim ... BP report ... Gulfsands talks ...
Need to know

NIKKEI 225	AUSTRALIA ASX200	HANG SENG	SHANGHAI COMPOSITE
KOSPI	SENSEX	VIX	GBP/USD
NYMEX CRUDE	GOLD

The Fund is expected to suggest the tax - which is effectively on banks' cashflow - as one of the best ways governments can raise significant amounts from banks without drastically distorting the financial system.
IMF targets banks with 'excess profits tax'

Good news at last for the Alternative Investment Market (Aim). After almost two years of seeing companies pack their bags and march away from the index in record numbers, it seems that the recession for the small cap sector is finally coming to an end.
Small Talk: Drop in delisting signals end of recession for small cap sector

Walgreen sales ... SABB loss ... Entergy spinoff ...
Need to know

Good morning traders!

In the US last night, the Dow closed up 46 points at 10,974, the Nasdaq added 27
points at 2,430 and the S&P500 gained 9 points at 1,187.

In Asia today, the Nikkei was down 76.77 points at 11,262.53, while the Hang
Seng was recently ahead 297.65 points at 21,537.

Crude oil traded at $86.41 a barrel on Nymex.

Gold settled at $1,127 an ounce.

Happy trading!

G.

End-of-day Market Overview