anything under 7 cheap cheap cheap. good div. just paid. chart looks sick

Stop to entry for risk free trade.

Stop to 365.5 to lock in +5.0

Stop to 370.5 to lock in + 10.0

Stop to 375.5 to lock in + 15

Good call here Chris.

Thanks skinny.

Stopped out this am, left a buy order on the spreads @ 381.0 more in hope than expectation.

Two days on the trot now my buy order close to being triggered, maybe it's trying to tell me something.

Order triggered this am stop 374.0

Stop to entry for risk free trade.

Stop to 386.0 to lock in + 5

The race for the White House reaches its climax this week and it is poised to be one of the closest contests ever seen in the US.

Elsewhere, in a busy week of financial reporting in the retail industry, most of the attention will be saved for Marks & Spencer.



Mr Bolland has been under pressure after disappointing figures in May, which prompted the company to cut three-year sales growth targets and reshuffle the general merchandise management team. Womenswear remains the area of concern for M&S, with fierce competition compounded by stock management issues that have left the retailer short of bestselling lines.

For the second quarter, analysts are expecting general merchandise like-for-likes sales to fall 2.5pc and food sales to rise 1.5pc.Profit before tax should be around £280m, down more than 10pc on last year. Bethany Hocking, analyst at Investec (EUREX: INVF.EX - news) , said: “Unlike with Next (Berlin: NXG.BE - news) , M&S’s figures do not include the expected strong October. The highly promotional strategy in GM (NYSE: GM - news) is brand-damaging, in our view, we don’t see acceptable returns on £2.4bn capital expenditure in 2013 to 2015 and we expect bid speculation, which has driven the shares higher, to die down.”

Half Yearly Report

Half-year results:

• Group sales1 up 0.9% at £4.7bn
• Underlying profit before tax3 £297m (last year pro-forma4 £307m; reported £315m)
• Underlying basic earnings per share3 14.6p (last year 15.6p)
• Interim dividend 6.2p per share (last year 6.2p)
• Net debt £2.6bn (last year pro-forma4 £2.6bn; reported £2.0bn)

Statutory results:

• Profit before tax £290m (last year £321m)
• Basic earnings per share 14.2p (last year 16.0p)

Went short on the spreads today @ 396.5 stop 410.0

Out for now @ 382.5 + 14.0

Sir Philip Green rumoured to be shopping for M&S
Thu 06 Dec 2012


LONDON (SHARECAST) - Speculation has surfaced that Sir Philip Green, who has sold a 25 per cent stake in his Topshop and Topman chain for 500m pounds to a US private equity outfit, is lining up a bid for Marks & Spencer, whose shares were up in midday trade.

Rik Thakrar, risk manager and senior dealer at Spread Co said: “It is no secret that Sir Philip has long coveted Marks & Spencer, and has wanted to bring his expertise to restore the blue-blooded retailer to former glories.

"Investors are clearly speculating that the Arcadia Chairman will use his newly acquired funds to launch a takeover of M&S. Despite shares being close to a one-month high, the Spread Co dealing desk has recorded a surge in long positions in M&S this morning.”

The buyer of Green’s stake in Topshop and Topman was US private equity group Leonard Green and Partners. It is also likely that any future bid for M&S will involve some form of private equity backing, given the current £6.3bn market cap of M&S.

Green’s last attempt to take over Marks & Spencer failed eight years ago. He offered £9.1bn in a hostile bid, which equated to 400p a share.

At 12.15 Marks & Spencer shares were up 3.3p at 397.6p.

sp falling away again?

Interim Management Statement

MARKS AND SPENCER GROUP PLC
QUARTER 3 2012/13 INTERIM MANAGEMENT STATEMENT
13 weeks to 29 DECEMBER 2012

· Group sales +0.6% *

· Total UK sales +0.3%:Food +2.7%; GM -2.2%

· Like for like UK sales -1.8%:Food +0.3%; GM -3.8%

· Multi-channel sales +10.8%

· International sales +4.1% *

Just been filled @360 - hmmm.

On edit :- actually filled @356.91!

Does this have further to fall?