Good morning traders!

US stocks ended sharply lower last night, with the Dow and S&P500 tumbling to their worst levels in three months, as concern about inflation, the prospect of higher interest rates and slowing economic growth took the shine off a fresh pullback in crude-oil prices.

The Dow closed down 123.75 points at 10,317.36. The benchmark index has now fallen three days in a row, with Wednesday's session marking its biggest one-day decline since June 24. The S&P500 dropped 18.08 points to 1,196.39, the first time the broad gauge has ended below the psychologically key 1,200 mark since July 8.

For its part, the Nasdaq fell 36.34 points to 2,103.02, its biggest one-day decline in nearly six months.

In Asia today, the Hang Seng ended the morning down 251.48 points at 14,909.55 whilst the Nikkei was down 296.05 points at 13,393.84 at halfway in Tokyo.

Crude prices eased further with New York's main contract, light sweet crude for delivery in November, down 44 cents at $62.35 a barrel from its close of $62.79 in the US overnight.

Off to find some UK news.....

Happy trading!

G.

Morning!

FPL director sells more than a few.

EDA bullish - small, recently listed outfit expecting small profit

STAR at Humbly Grove

ATH hiding a P?W in there - cost of gas oil hurting

AP. reports successful completion of trial

ALM contract

HFD sales well down on last year

STEM looks another blue-sky float trying to keep head above water - will this do it?

EOG in block 41 - very interesting. Wonder where they'll get a rig. ;-))

JLP in Madagascar - I'm biased coz I'm long, but it's worth putting the kitchen sink on........................ ;-)

CER and Russia - how many companies have the same trouble?

SPH complete distribution deals

OXB looking good on phase II

BGT looks interesting again on this - hmm

Later!

End of day market summary