Morning Euro Markets Bulletin

ADVFN III Morning Euro Markets Bulletin Daily world financial news Tuesday, 07 January 2014 09:29:44 Monitor Quote Charts News CFD's Spreadbetting Free BB   Sponsored by: Trendsignal Average over 1000 points a month Learn the simple trading strategy so you can do it too. For your free guide click here. London Market Report FTSE 100 Euronext Dax perf CAC 40 Please click on the images to view our interactive charts London open: Markets flat as investors await Eurozone CPI - Eurozone CPI data in focus ahead of ECB meeting - US jobs report to be closely watched - Jefferies lifts Ashtead, ITV and BSkyB early on - Dunelm falls after Q2 sales update techMARK 2,791.39 -0.03% FTSE 100 6,728.37 -0.04% FTSE 250 16,030.92 -0.11% UK markets opened flat once again on Tuesday morning as investors adopted a cautious approach ahead of some key inflation figures from the Eurozone. Eurozone consumer price index (CPI) data will be under scrutiny today ahead of the European Central Bank (ECB) policy decision later this week. The consensus estimate is for the annual rate of inflation in December to be unchanged from 0.9% in November, after having picked up from a four-year low of 0.7% in October. However, analysts at Danske Bank said they expect a fall in the CPI back down to 0.7%. "Although the expected decline puts pressure on the ECB, we do not expect more easing at the meeting on Thursday," they added. The FTSE 100 was trading little changed for a second straight day, down just 0.04% at 6,728.37. The index has traded within a narrow range over the last week or so, treading water just above the 6,700 level as volumes begin to pick up after a relatively quiet festive season. After the absence of any major macro news over Christmas, the economic data schedule has ramped up this week, with figures yesterday showing that activity in the global services sector - whilst still growing - had slowed slightly in December. This followed some disappointing manufacturing purchasing managers' indices from several nations last week. In the coming days, central bank meetings in the UK and Europe, the minutes of the latest Federal Open Market Committee meeting and the all-important US jobs report are likely to grab the most attention. Regarding for the US labour-market figures, Alex Conroy, Financial Trader at Spreadex, said: "Investors appear cautious ahead of the upcoming non-farm employment data due to be released on Friday, which could generate huge volatility if it fails to support the decision to start tapering." Ashtead, ITV, BSkyB up on Jefferies comments Construction equipment rental firm Ashtead was a high riser today after Jefferies upped its target for the stock, saying it sees upside risk to estimates, citing "strong […] trading momentum" and a "supportive 2014 macro outlook". Media groups ITV and BSkyB were also making gains after comments from Jefferies as it upgraded the stocks to 'buy' and 'hold', respectively. Supermarket chain Sainsbury continues to trade lower ahead of its Christmas sales update later this week. Bank of America Merrill Lynch cut its rating for the shares to 'underperform' this morning. Rival retailer Morrison was also in the red. Severn Trent, meanwhile, was hit by a downgrade by JPMorgan Cazenove to 'underweight'. UK homeware retailer Dunelm was a heavy faller early on despite returning to like-for-like (LFL) sales growth in the second quarter after a tough start to the year. Nevertheless, the improvement wasn't enough to stop LFL sales for the first half falling by 0.9%. The Share Centre: Cheaper fund investing has arrived at The Share Centre. We don't believe it's fair to charge you extra just for holding funds. So we don't. Find out more. Capital at risk. Click Here FTSE 100 - Risers Ashtead Group (AHT) 802.50p +1.58% William Hill (WMH) 409.50p +1.21% British Sky Broadcasting Group (BSY) 844.50p +1.02% Standard Life (SL.) 363.20p +0.86% Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY) 80.75p +0.80% Old Mutual (OML) 191.30p +0.79% Sports Direct International (SPD) 746.00p +0.74% Aberdeen Asset Management (ADN) 494.60p +0.73% Next (NXT) 6,215.00p +0.73% ITV (ITV) 199.10p +0.71% FTSE 100 - Fallers Morrison (Wm) Supermarkets (MRW) 251.70p -1.79% Sainsbury (J) (SBRY) 361.20p -1.79% RSA Insurance Group (RSA) 96.20p -1.74% Severn Trent (SVT) 1,675.00p -1.70% Fresnillo (FRES) 723.50p -1.63% Rio Tinto (RIO) 3,214.00p -1.59% Burberry Group (BRBY) 1,482.00p -1.53% Hargreaves Lansdown (HL.) 1,472.00p -1.27% Anglo American (AAL) 1,262.00p -1.02% Centrica (CNA) 339.00p -1.02% FTSE 250 - Risers KCOM Group (KCOM) 98.30p +1.71% Cobham (COB) 275.60p +1.44% Hays (HAS) 136.20p +1.19% Fidessa Group (FDSA) 2,320.00p +1.18% Kenmare Resources (KMR) 19.95p +1.01% Cable & Wireless Communications (CWC) 56.85p +0.98% Merlin Entertainments (MERL) 365.00p +0.97% Millennium & Copthorne Hotels (MLC) 600.50p +0.92% UBM (UBM) 669.50p +0.90% Kentz Corporation Ltd. (KENZ) 653.50p +0.85% FTSE 250 - Fallers Dunelm Group (DNLM) 918.50p -6.18% Bwin.party Digital Entertainment (BPTY) 121.30p -2.96% 888 Holdings (888) 165.60p -2.42% Evraz (EVR) 108.00p -2.26% Debenhams (DEB) 75.60p -2.14% Rank Group (RNK) 141.00p -1.81% Polymetal International (POLY) 554.50p -1.77% Ted Baker (TED) 2,160.00p -1.77% Ferrexpo (FXPO) 180.90p -1.58% UK Event Calendar Tuesday January 07 INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE Hill & Smith Holdings, Management Consulting Group, Sepura, TR Property Inv Trust INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS Balance of Trade (US) (13:30) Consumer Credit (US) (20:00) International Reserves (EU) (11:00) PMI Construction (GER) (08:55) Producer Price Index (EU) (10:00) Unemployment Rate (GER) (08:55) GMS Kazakhmys IMSS Topps Tiles TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS Dunelm Group UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS New Car Registrations (09:30) Learn to trade the most liquid financial market in the world At our free workshop we will give you a proven strategy for you to apply straight away. Also for simply signing up you will receive a free 50 page e-book from a publish FX trader.  Book your place now  Europe Market Report FTSE 100 Euronext Dax perf CAC 40 Europe open: Stocks little changed before German jobs data - Investors turn to German jobs data - Yellen confirmed as Fed Chair - China imposes new shadow-banking rules FTSE 100: 0.00% DAX: -0.02% CAC 40: -0.17% FTSE MIB: -0.06% IBEX 35: 0.28% Stoxx 600: 0.02% European stocks were little changed at the opening bell as investors waited on German jobs data to gauge the health of Europe's biggest economy. Unemployment in Germany is expected to have declined by 2,000 in December, while the jobless rate remained unchanged, according to the consensus forecast. Unemployment rose for a fourth consecutive month November by 10,000. "German unemployment has remained remarkably low throughout both the initial financial crisis and then the debt crisis, both when compared to the likes of the US and the UK and, particularly, the rest of the Eurozone," Craig Erlam, Market Analyst at Alpari, noted. The Eurozone consumer price index (CPI) will also be released this morning and is anticipated to remain unchanged at 0.9%. Concerns over falling inflation towards the end of last year prompted the European Central Bank (ECB) to cut interest rates to a record low of 0.25%. The ECB is targeting inflation of close to but below 2% but analysts believe morning's CPI is unlikely to spur further action from the central bank at this stage. In the US, Janet Yellen last night won Senate confirmation with a 56-26 vote to become the new Chair of the Federal Reserve, replacing Ben Bernanke. Bernanke's second term as Chairman expires January 31st after the Fed's next policy meeting when it may announce a further reduction to monetary stimulus. Meanwhile, China has imposed new rules to control its shadow-banking industry, according to reports. It is understood the controls include a ban on transactions designed to avoid regulations, such as moving interbank loans off balance sheets to reduce reported levels of lending. Swedish Match, BSkyB Swedish Match declined after Citigroup advised investors to sell the shares. BskyB gained following reports that it is interested in buying Channel 5. Sainsbury traded lower ahead of its Christmas sales update later this week. Bank of America Merrill Lynch cut its rating for the shares to 'underperform' this morning. Rival retailer Morrison was also in the red. The euro fell 0.07% to $1.3620. Brent crude futures rose $0.522 to $107.300 per barrel, according to ICE data. 40% Returns from unusual but proven industry Download your FREE Investment Guide here. US Market Report US close: Global services data dampens stocks - ISM services index eases in December - Factory orders beat expectations in November - Yellen confirmed as next Fed Chair - T-Mobile in 3.3bn-dollar spectrum deal with VZW Dow Jones: -0.27% Nasdaq: -0.44% S&P 500: -0.25% US stocks finished lower for a third day on Monday after a report showed that service-sector activity growth had slowed across the globe in December. According to Bloomberg, this is the longest losing streak to start a year for the S&P 500 since 2005. Following a quiet festive season in terms of corporate news and economic data, the schedule will ramp up this week with the minutes of the latest Federal Open Market Committee meeting and the all-important jobs report likely to grab the most attention. The Fed was again in focus on Monday after the US Senate approved Janet Yellen as the next Chair of the central bank, replacing Ben Bernanke who steps down at the end of the month. The vote was 56 to 26. Economic data in focus The Institute for Supply Management's US non-manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) for December unexpectedly fell from 53.9 to 53, showing that activity growth eased last month. Analysts had expected the PMI to rise to 54.7. This follows a raft of service-sector PMIs released earlier today which showed that growth had also slowed slightly last month in China, the Eurozone and the UK. Separately, data showed that factory orders in the US rose 1.8% in November compared with a revised 0.5% fall in October and ahead of the 1.7% gain expected. T-Mobile to buy spectrum from Verizon T-Mobile's shares gained after the US wireless carrier agreed to buy spectrum licences from Verizon Wireless for about $2.4bn, along with the transfer of spectrum worth $950m. "This is a great opportunity to secure low-band spectrum in many of the top markets in America," said T-Mobile Chief Exectuvie John Legere. General Electric edged lower after saying it will buy some assets from Thermo Scientific for about $1.06bn to grow its life sciences division. Solar power firm SolarCity jumped after Goldman Sachs added the stock to its 'conviction buy' list, while First Solar fell after the bank downgraded it to 'sell'. Goldman Sachs also dampened the share price of Twitter after labelling the stock as a 'sell', raising concerns about online advertising revenues. S&P 500 - Risers St Jude Medical Inc. (STJ) $63.64 +4.00% Boston Scientific Corp. (BSX) $12.33 +3.35% Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. (VRTX) $75.50 +2.79% Genworth Financial Inc. (GNW) $15.78 +2.53% Rockwell Collins Inc. (COL) $75.67 +2.52% Ventas Inc. (VTR) $58.20 +2.48% Health Care REIT Inc. (HCN) $54.29 +2.34% Regions Financial Corp. (RF) $10.07 +2.03% HCP Inc. (HCP) $36.81 +1.74% Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. (GT) $23.76 +1.67% S&P 500 - Fallers First Solar Inc. (FSLR) $51.26 -9.66% Celgene Corp. (CELG) $162.62 -4.23% AbbVie Inc (ABBV) $50.39 -3.65% Whole Foods Market Inc. (WFM) $54.30 -3.54% Plum Creek Timber Co. (PCL) $44.75 -3.43% Best Buy Co. Inc. (BBY) $39.41 -3.12% Sears Holdings Corp. (SHLD) $44.78 -2.93% Staples Inc. (SPLS) $15.33 -2.91% Kansas City Southern (KSU) $116.37 -2.84% eBay Inc. (EBAY) $51.77 -2.80% Dow Jones I.A - Risers Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS) $179.37 +0.68% JP Morgan Chase & Co. (JPM) $59.00 +0.58% Boeing Co. (BA) $138.41 +0.57% Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) $48.69 +0.56% Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) $92.33 +0.52% AT&T Inc. (T) $34.96 +0.46% Procter & Gamble Co. (PG) $80.64 +0.24% Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO) $22.02 +0.18% Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) $99.66 +0.15% Pfizer Inc. (PFE) $30.55 +0.10% Dow Jones I.A - Fallers Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) $36.13 -2.11% Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) $88.64 -1.31% E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co. (DD) $62.96 -1.29% Intel Corp. (INTC) $25.46 -1.24% Unitedhealth Group Inc. (UNH) $74.24 -1.15% Home Depot Inc. (HD) $81.10 -0.96% General Electric Co. (GE) $27.26 -0.80% Nike Inc. (NKE) $77.43 -0.77% McDonald's Corp. (MCD) $95.85 -0.71% Visa Inc. (V) $219.83 -0.60% Nasdaq 100 - Risers Sirius XM Holdings Inc (SIRI) $3.83 +7.28% Facebook Inc. (FB) $57.18 +4.81% Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. (VRTX) $75.50 +2.79% Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc. (GMCR) $76.95 +1.58% Liberty Global plc Series A (LBTYA) $89.98 +1.56% Nvidia Corp. (NVDA) $15.88 +1.34% Charter Communications Inc. (CHTR) $135.00 +1.22% Google Inc. (GOOG) $1,117.32 +1.11% PACCAR Inc. (PCAR) $59.16 +0.90% Vodafone Group Plc ADS (VOD) $38.74 +0.86% Nasdaq 100 - Fallers Celgene Corp. (CELG) $162.62 -4.23% Whole Foods Market Inc. (WFM) $54.30 -3.54% Staples Inc. (SPLS) $15.33 -2.91% eBay Inc. (EBAY) $51.77 -2.80% Randgold Resources Ltd. Ads (GOLD) $61.89 -2.40% Citrix Systems Inc. (CTXS) $61.01 -2.36% Verisk Analytics Inc. (VRSK) $63.65 -2.27% Liberty Media Corporation - Class A (LMCA) $142.09 -2.23% Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) $36.13 -2.11% Adobe Systems Inc. (ADBE) $58.12 -1.76% Download your free Santa Rally report. Have you heard of the stock market phenomenon called the Santa Rally? The FTSE 100 has risen in 18 of the last 20 Decembers*. Download your free report showing a breaking down of what the average rise has been for the stocks within the FTSE over the month of December.  Losses can exceed deposits. * Past performance is no guarantee of the future Newspaper Round Up Tuesday newspaper round-up: UK lending, Yellen, JPMorgan... Britain's rapid recovery will be hampered in 2014 unless the government acts to encourage corporate lending, a leading business group warns on Tuesday. The British Chambers of Commerce said growth this year will remain steady, but restrictions on lending to small and medium-sized businesses will restrict the pace of expansion. - The Guardian The US Senate on Monday approved Janet Yellen as head of the Federal Reserve, making her the first female chief of the US central bank. She was approved in a 56-26 vote, with some senators who had threatened to vote against her unable to get to Washington DC because of flight delays. - Financial Times JP Morgan is set for another $2bn in fines, putting the bank on track to pay out $22.2bn - more than a fifth of its revenues - in fines and settlements in the current financial year. Regulators and federal prosecutors in the US are preparing to fine the investment bank around $2bn, after it allegedly ignored signs of Bernie Madoff's Ponzi scheme. The settlement could be finalised as early as Tuesday, according to reports. - The Telegraph Samsung sought to capitalise on its wider range of consumer devices in its ongoing contest with rivals such as Apple, as it launched a new "smart home" initiative that connects smartphones to home appliances like refrigerators. At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the South Korean electronics giant also showed off new curved television screens in ultra-high-definition and a 12-inch tablet aimed at business customers. - Financial Times The Canadian gold mining group part-owned by Borders-based mining tycoon Harry Dobson yesterday said it would look at a potential sale of the company. Kirkland Lake Gold, which has seen its market value drop sharply over the past year due to the falling value of gold, said it had launched a strategic review to look at ways to improve shareholder value. - The Scotsman Britain's car market sped up in 2013 to record its best year for sales since before the financial crisis. A combination of cheap credit and improved consumer confidence saw households buy more than 2.26m vehicles in the past 12 months, a rise of 10.5% on 2012. The total beat the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders' (SMMT) official estimate of 2.25m vehicles and consolidates the UK's position as Europe's second-largest car market behind Germany. - The Telegraph Energy companies should be simpler and more open with businesses about the prices they charge to supply gas and electricity, according to the main lobby group for small entrepreneurs. Days after the Government forced the big utility suppliers to make tariffs more transparent for householders, including telling them which deal is the cheapest, the same regime should apply for their commercial customers, the Federation for Small Businesses said. - The Times   New ADVFN Service - FREE Reports Get your free report on Isa's, Investment Trusts, Funds, Sipps Travel and Cars - FREE and Easy service CLICK HERE To advertise in the Euro Markets Bulletin please contact patrick@advfn.co.uk     To unsubscribe from this news bulletin or edit your mailing list settings click here. Registered Office/Accounts Dept: Suite 27, Essex Technology Centre, The Gable, Fyfield Road, Ongar, CM5 0GA. Customer Support +44 (0) 207 0700 961. Company registered in England and Wales: Number 2374988 VAT No. GB 549 2130 49

Evening Euro Markets Bulletin

ADVFN III Evening Euro Markets Bulletin Daily world financial news Monday, 06 January 2014 17:30:05 Monitor Quote Charts News CFD's Spreadbetting Free BB   Sponsored by: Trendsignal Average over 1000 points a month Learn the simple trading strategy so you can do it too. For your free guide click here. London Market Report FTSE 100 Euronext Dax perf CAC 40 Please click on the images to view our interactive charts London close: Markets flat after choppy session, services PMIs weakens - Miners limit gains after weak economic data - Services PMIs from China, UK, Eurozone and US weaken - RSA rises, UBS says takeover and break-up still possible - Retailers in focus ahead of updates techMARK 2,792.25 +0.13% FTSE 100 6,730.73 0.00% FTSE 250 16,049.30 +0.18% UK markets ended flat on Monday after a choppy session amid an influx of economic data which showed that service-sector growth had slowed across the globe during December. The FTSE 100, which briefly pushed into positive territory in afternoon trade, finished just 0.06 points higher at 6,730.73 after paring gains before the close of trade. "The party season is well and truly over, and City trading desks are back to full capacity," said Market Analyst Alastair McCaig from IG following a quiet festive season in terms of company news and economic data. He said that "traders are looking to keep their powder dry" ahead of a busy week that will see trading updates from a number of UK blue-chip stocks, along with central-bank meetings in the UK and Europe and the all-important US jobs report. Services PMIs point to slowdown Purchasing managers' indices (PMIs) from across the globe today showed that while activity in services sectors continued to expand in December, growth had eased on the previous month. This followed data last week which indicated a weakening in manufacturing growth in China, the US and UK in December. There was a surprise slowdown in growth in the UK services sector in December with the PMI falling from 60 to 58.8, below the 60.3 consensus forecast. The final estimate of the Eurozone services PMI was confirmed at 51 in December, down from 51.2 in November, with an ongoing contraction in France's services sector weighing on growth. Figures released overnight saw the China services PMI survey decline from 52.5 to 50.9, while the US ISM services index unexpectedly fell from 53.9 to 53 (forecast: 54.7). RSA gains after UBS comments, miners fall RSA Insurance was a high riser after UBS raised its target for the stock and added it to its 'Alpha Preferences Most Preferred List', saying: "While there are significant uncertainties, we think that the balance of risks is to the upside." Meanwhile, the bank also said that a takeover and break-up of RSA still "remains a possibility", following recent market chatter. Leading the downside were mining stocks despite a rise in metal prices today as investors reacted to the worsening economic figures out from top metals consumer China. Fresnillo, Antofagasta, Randgold Resources and Rio Tinto all suffered heavy losses in afternoon trade. Gold miner Centamin, however, bucked the trend after beating analysts' estimates with its fourth-quarter production results. Retailers were under pressure ahead of trading updates from the likes of Marks & Spencer, Tesco and Sainsbury later this week. The festive reporting season has so far been a mixed bag, with a profit warning from Debenhams contrasting with a stellar update from Next on Friday. M&S was in the red today on speculation that it is a "likely candidate to suffer from the highly promotional and competitive clothing market", according to Equity Analyst Amisha Chohan from Sanlam Securities. Meanwhile, Sainsbury declined after rival chain Asda reported strong Christmas trading in both store and online. Petrofac rose after Deutsche Bank lifted the stock to 'buy', while oilfield services peer Wood Group was dampened after the bank cut its rating to 'hold'. Learn to trade the most liquid financial market in the world At our free workshop we will give you a proven strategy for you to apply straight away. Also for simply signing up you will receive a free 50 page e-book from a publish FX trader.  Book your place now  FTSE 100 - Risers RSA Insurance Group (RSA) 97.90p +6.24% Hargreaves Lansdown (HL.) 1,491.00p +3.47% Persimmon (PSN) 1,290.00p +2.46% easyJet (EZJ) 1,597.00p +2.04% Ashtead Group (AHT) 790.00p +1.74% Barclays (BARC) 277.50p +1.70% Coca-Cola HBC AG (CDI) (CCH) 1,754.00p +1.68% Aggreko (AGK) 1,733.00p +1.64% International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (CDI) (IAG) 414.00p +1.52% ITV (ITV) 197.70p +1.49% FTSE 100 - Fallers Fresnillo (FRES) 735.50p -4.67% Antofagasta (ANTO) 787.00p -4.14% Randgold Resources Ltd. (RRS) 3,786.00p -3.52% Rio Tinto (RIO) 3,266.00p -3.09% G4S (GFS) 254.70p -2.11% Anglo American (AAL) 1,275.00p -1.70% Sainsbury (J) (SBRY) 367.80p -1.66% BHP Billiton (BLT) 1,828.50p -1.56% WPP (WPP) 1,361.00p -1.52% Royal Mail (RMG) 572.00p -1.38% FTSE 250 - Risers Dunelm Group (DNLM) 979.00p +4.48% Restaurant Group (RTN) 612.50p +3.73% Diploma (DPLM) 723.00p +3.29% Centamin (DI) (CEY) 46.55p +2.94% Entertainment One Limited (ETO) 271.00p +2.85% Barratt Developments (BDEV) 370.90p +2.83% Telecom Plus (TEP) 1,797.00p +2.69% Pace (PIC) 320.30p +2.66% Halfords Group (HFD) 457.40p +2.53% UDG Healthcare Public Limited Company (UDG) 335.00p +2.45% FTSE 250 - Fallers Polymetal International (POLY) 564.50p -4.48% Kazakhmys (KAZ) 201.30p -4.05% Wood Group (John) (WG.) 652.00p -3.76% NMC Health (NMC) 436.50p -2.98% Imagination Technologies Group (IMG) 179.60p -2.92% International Personal Finance (IPF) 520.00p -2.44% Petra Diamonds Ltd.(DI) (PDL) 119.00p -2.14% KCOM Group (KCOM) 96.65p -2.13% Micro Focus International (MCRO) 765.00p -1.92% Vedanta Resources (VED) 889.50p -1.77% Download your free Santa Rally report. Have you heard of the stock market phenomenon called the Santa Rally? The FTSE 100 has risen in 18 of the last 20 Decembers*. Download your free report showing a breaking down of what the average rise has been for the stocks within the FTSE over the month of December.  Losses can exceed deposits. * Past performance is no guarantee of the future Europe Market Report FTSE 100 Euronext Dax perf CAC 40 Europe close: Stocks mixed after Eurozone, US services data - Eurozone service activity and investor confidence grows - US services activity slows - Yellen to be confirmed as Fed Chair - German inflation rises in line with forecasts FTSE 100: 0.00% DAX: -0.08% CAC 40: -0.47% FTSE MIB: 0.63% IBEX 35: 0.92% Stoxx 600: -0.20% European stocks were little changed as Eurozone service activity grew in line with expectations while US services weakened. The purchasing managers' index (PMI) for Eurozone services came in at 51 in December, in line with expectations and unchanged from the previous month. A reading above 50 signals expansion. Also in the Eurozone, investor confidence improved with the Sentix index rising to 11 from 8 in December, beating the 9.5 forecast. In the US, the Institute for Supply Management's non-manufacturing PMI for December fell from 53.9 to 53, showing that activity growth eased last month. Analysts had expected the PMI to rise to 54.7. Separately, data showed that factory orders in the US increased 1.8% in November compared with a revised 0.5% fall in October and ahead of the 1.7% gain expected. US policymakers are turning to economic data to gauge whether the world's biggest economy is ready for a further reduction to monetary stimulus after the Federal Reserve last month announced it would cut monthly bond purchases to $75bn from $85bn. The US Senate was expected to confirm Janet Yellen as the next Chairman of the Fed later today, succeeding Ben Bernanke who steps down at the end of the month. In the UK, the services PMI dropped to 58.8 in December from 60 in November. Economists had expected a reading of 60.3. In China, HSBC services PMI for December declined to 50.9 from 52.5 in November, which could fuel fears of a slowdown in the world's second largest economy. German inflation, PMIs German inflation rose by 1.4% in December from 1.3% in the prior month, in line with forecasts. PMI services in Europe's largest economy fell to 53.5 in December from 54 in November, missing expectations for an unchanged reading. The country's chancellor, Angela Merkel, was forced to cancel her meetings for the next three weeks after breaking her pelvis in a skiing accident in Switzerland. Ziggo, RSA Ziggo's shares jumped following reports Liberty Global Plc is preparing an acquisition of the Dutch broadband provider. RSA Insurance Group advanced after a report said the insurer's Irish unit won't require further capital injections. Remy Cointreau retreated as Natixis lowered its rating on the producer of Remy Martin cognac to 'neutral' from 'buy' after Frederic Pflanz resigned as Chief Executive Officer last week. Sanofi slumped after JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered its recommendation on the drug-maker to 'neutral' from 'overweight', citing a possible weak earnings outlook in 2014. Precious metal miners Randgold Resources and Fresnillo were trading firmly lower this morning as gold and silver prices weakened. Commerzbank rallied after Euro am Sonntag reported that the lender plans to expand its wealth-management unit. Centamin rose after its full-year production exceeded its forecast. The euro was up 0.35% to $1.3637. Brent crude futures gained $0.112 t0 107.010 per barrel, according to the ICE, amidst continuing media coverage of recently increased tensions in the Middle East, and Iraq in particular. 40% Returns from unusual but proven industry Download your FREE Investment Guide here. US Market Report US open: Stocks mixed as ISM services index unexpectedly falls - ISM services index eases in December - Factory orders beat expectations in November - Yellen to be confirmed as Fed Chair - T-Mobile in 3.3bn-dollar spectrum deal with VZW Dow Jones: 0.03% Nasdaq: -0.34% S&P 500: -0.01% US markets opened flat to slightly lower on Monday morning in New York as investors geared up for a busy week, with figures released today showing a slowdown in service-sector growth across the globe during December. "Trading volumes should pick up significantly this week, as traders return to their desks following the festive period and the number of potential catalysts also rises substantially," said Market Analyst Craig Erlam from Alpari. While US service-sector data and factory orders were in focus today, the minutes of the latest Federal Open Market Committee meeting and the all-important jobs report due out later on in the week are likely to grab the most attention. "This week should go a long way to telling us whether the Fed made the right decision last month in deciding to reduce the pace of its asset purchases, or whether it should have waited for more proof that the recovery is in fact sustainable," Erlam said. The US Senate is also anticipated to shortly confirm Janet Yellen as Fed Chair to succeed Ben Bernanke who steps down at the end of the month. She would take over on February 1st. Acting as a backdrop, the Financial Times wrote today on how US shares - when measured by the cyclically-adjusted price-to-earnings (Cape) multiple - are overpriced. The so-called Shiller Cape for the US stockmarket now stands at 25, almost exactly where it was standing at its last peak, in 2007. Economic data in focus The Institute for Supply Management's US non-manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) for December unexpectedly fell from 53.9 to 53, showing that activity growth eased last month. Analysts had expected the PMI to rise to 54.7. This follows a raft of service-sector PMIs released earlier today which showed that growth had also slowed slightly last month in China, the Eurozone and the UK. Separately, data showed that factory orders in the US rose 1.8% in November compared with a revised 0.5% fall in October and ahead of the 1.7% gain expected. T-Mobile to buy spectrum from Verizon T-Mobile's shares gained after the US wireless carrier agreed to buy spectrum licences from Verizon Wireless for about $2.4bn, along with the transfer of spectrum worth $950m. "This is a great opportunity to secure low-band spectrum in many of the top markets in America," said T-Mobile Chief Exectuvie John Legere. Intel fell ahead of a speech by its Chief Executive Officer Brian Krzanich who is set to announce the chipmaker's latest strategy at the International Consumer Electronics Show today. General Electric edged lower after saying it will buy some assets from Thermo Scientific for about $1.06bn to grow its life sciences division. Solar power firm SolarCity jumped early on after Goldman Sachs added the stock to its 'conviction buy' list, while First Solar fell after the bank downgraded it to 'sell'. Profit from fast-growing Pacific Rim trade Maritime Investment with Secure Returns of 12% p.a. paid out monthly.  Find out more, Click Here. Broker Tips Broker tips: RSA Insurance, Petrofac, Centamin RSA Insurance was making gains on Monday morning after UBS raised its target on the stock by 13 per cent, saying that the firm's struggles in Ireland could be used as a 'catalyst for change'. Meanwhile, the bank also said that a takeover and break-up of RSA still "remains a possibility", following recent market chatter. Analyst James Shuck reiterated his 'buy' rating on RSA, as he upped his target from 100p to 113p. The stock was also added to UBS' 'Alpha Preferences Most Preferred List'. Deutsche Bank has lifted its recommendation for oilfield services group Petrofac from 'hold' to 'buy', saying that the stock's price at the moment is overly discounting risks. "Sentiment [...] has arguably bottomed and with a return to good growth likely to become more visible in 2014, trading on 8.5 times estimated fiscal year 2015 earnings, we upgrade to 'buy'," said Research Analyst Sebastian Yoshida. Canaccord Genuity has labelled Egypt-focused gold miner Centamin as a 'speculative buy' after fourth-quarter production results smashed expectations on Monday. "The results are positive and substantially better than we expected as we had based our forecast on the company's guidance of lower production in Q4/13 versus the average in Q1-Q3 due to the Stage 4 commissioning," said analysts Dmitry Kalachev and Peter Mallin-Jones.   New ADVFN Service - FREE Reports Get your free report on Isa's, Investment Trusts, Funds, Sipps Travel and Cars - FREE and Easy service CLICK HERE To advertise in the Euro Markets Bulletin please contact patrick@advfn.co.uk     To unsubscribe from this news bulletin or edit your mailing list settings click here. Registered Office/Accounts Dept: Suite 27, Essex Technology Centre, The Gable, Fyfield Road, Ongar, CM5 0GA. Customer Support +44 (0) 207 0700 961. Company registered in England and Wales: Number 2374988 VAT No. GB 549 2130 49

ADVFN Newsdesk - Buying interest Set to Return After Recent Weakness

ADVFN III World Daily Markets Bulletin Daily world financial news Monday, 06 January 2014 10:56:47    Monitor Quote Charts News Toplists Forex Boards   Is APPLE (AAPL) a Buy or Sell? Our revolutionary trading software alerted our members with a BUY signal for AAPL on 11/27/13 when it was trading around$540.  Since that time AAPL has risen to around $555. Had you followed this AAPL Buy alert, you could have turned $5,000 into over $15,000 in only 5 days for a whopping 200% return by buying the (AAPL Dec 21 '13 $550 Call) @ $5.70 and selling it 5 days later at $17.10 for a whopping 200% gain in only 5 days!  Click Here To See if You Should Be Buying or Selling AAPL! US Market The major U.S. index futures are pointing to a higher opening on Monday, with sentiment reflecting an improvement as traders contemplate their strategies for the New Year. The pullback in recent sessions could generate some strength, as traders seek out bargains. That said, sentiment may largely hinge on the results of the Institute for Supply Management's non-manufacturing survey. U.S. stocks retreated in the first trading week of the year that ended on January 3rd, as profit taking pressured stocks that ran up significantly over most of 2013. Last Monday, the major averages moved about in a lackluster mannerbefore closing mixed, with the underlying mood remaining cautious. With a consumer confidence reading released on Tuesday coming in above expectations, the averages closed 2013 on a moderately upbeat note. The markets remained closed on Wednesday for the New Year holiday. Soft manufacturing data released from China provided a reason for traders to take profits, and the major U.S. averages retreated notably on Thursday. The averages showed a lack of direction on Friday, as traders digested lukewarm auto sales results and some Fed speeches, before closing mixed. For the week ended January 3rd, The Dow Industrials edged down 0.05 percent, while the S&P 500 Index and the Nasdaq Composite Index fell over 0.5 percent each. Among the sector indexes, The Dow Jones Utility Average, the NYSE Arca Oil Index and the Philadelphia Oil Service Index ended down over 1 percent each for the week, while the NYSE Arca Airline Index and the NYSE Arca Gold Bugs Index advanced 5.22 percent and 2.68 percent, respectively. The Dow Industrials has pulled back from its record closing high since the start of the New Year. Given fears of buying being overdone amid shaky economic fundamentals, sustenance of the gains becomes a tough proposition, although momentum-related strength cannot be ruled out. On the upside, the index has resistances around 16,481, 16,533 and 16,600, while supports lie around 16,430 and 16,357. Santa Monica Wiz Kid Makes $87 Million Trading Stocks Using his same strategy you can get crazy rich – fast! Click Here and Find Out How! US Economic Reports CADUSD Oil Gold Allbanc Please click on the images to view our interactive charts The job market is expected to take the spotlight in the unfolding week, as Main Street prepares to receive 3 key jobs data during the week. The focus of the week is likely to be on ADP's private sector employment report for December, the weekly jobless claims data and the Labor Department's monthly non-farm payrolls report for December. Traders may also look to the Commerce Department's factory orders report for November, the results of the Institute for Supply Management's non-manufacturing survey for December, the Commerce Department's trade balance report for November, the FOMC minutes and some Fed speeches. The Federal Reserve's consumer credit report for November, the Commerce Department's wholesale inventories report for November and the results of the Treasury auctions of 3-year and 10-year notes and 30-year bonds round up the economic events of the week. The Commerce Department is scheduled to release its factory orders report for November at 10 am ET. Economists expect factory orders to have increased by 1.6 percent month-over-month. In October, factory orders were down 0.9 percent month-over-month following a 1.8 percent increase in September. Shipments and unfilled orders rose 0.4 percent and 0.1 percent, respectively. Inventories also edged up 0.1 percent. Meanwhile, durable goods orders that make up the bulk of factory orders rose 3.5 percent month-over-month in November following a 0.7 percent decrease in October. Excluding transportation, new orders were up 1.2 percent. Transportation equipment orders were up 8.4 percent and machinery orders rose 3.8 percent. Orders for computers and electronic products also improved, while orders for electronic equipment and primary metals fell. Non-defense capital good orders excluding aircraft, a key measure of capital spending, surged up 4.5 percent. The Institute for Supply Management is also due to release the results of its non-manufacturing survey for December at 10 am ET. The consensus estimate calls for an improvement in the index to 54.8 in the month from 53.9 in November. The non-manufacturing index fell to 53.9 in November from 55.4 in October. Of the eighteen industries surveyed, 11 reported growth. The new orders index fell 0.2 points to 56.4 and the order backlogs index slipped 1 point to 49. The employment index declined 3.7 points to 52.5. Tomorrow's Technical Set-Ups & Resistance Levels Over 100K traders are using this free analysis email to prepare and plan for the next trading day This daily report will include: Extreme Market Movement Recaps, Technical Set-Ups & Resistance Levels, Key Daily Events and a Complete Sector Analysis. Learn more about this free report now! Stocks in Focus FTSE 100 Euronext Dax perf CAC 40 Please click on the images to view our interactive charts SiriusXM announced that it has received a non-binding letter from Liberty Global indicating its intention to buy all of the shares in SiriusXM it does not already own. The proposal offers to convert all SiriusXM outstanding shares that Liberty does not already own into the right to receive 0.0760 of a new share of Liberty Series c common stock. Rambus and Samsung announced that the companies have signed a comprehensive 10-year license agreement providing Samsung access to Rambus' technologies to be used in Samsung ICs in return for quarterly royalty payment of $15 million for the first 5 years, with an initial payment of $22 million for the fourth quarter of 2013. Boeing said the members of the International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers, or IAM, District 751 have approved its contract extension offer. The company noted that the contract provides for its 777X and its Composite wing to be built in the Puget Sound area by Boeing employees represented by the IAM. A. Schulman and Sonic are due to release their quarterly results after the close of trading. Trade Free for 60 Days at ETRADE Click here European Market European stocks opened lower and have been seeing some volatility since then. The major averages are currently-trading higher. In corporate news, the U.K.'s Cable & Wireless said Phil Bentley began his role as CEO of the company, effective January 1st, replacing Tony Rice. Balfour Beatty said it has been awarded a 154 million pound contract to carry out the full transformation work to the London 2012 Olympic stadium for its operator E20 Stadium. No platform or data fees with no trade minimums Trade free for 60 days + get up to $600 cash. Join TD Ameritrade Asian Markets USDCAD USDEUR USDGBP USDJPY Please click on the images to view our interactive charts Chinese economic uncertainties worked in the minds of Asian traders, as the major averages in the region declined across the board. Meanwhile, the South Korean market, which declined sharply last week, staged a moderate rebound. The results of a private survey showed that Chinese service sector activity slowed in December, kindling worries concerning a slowdown in economic growth in the world's second largest economy. Japan's Nikkei 225 average retreated under the weight of a stronger yen, which pushed currency sensitive export stocks lower. The average declined sharply in early trading and steadily thereafter until the mid-session. Subsequently, the average consolidated before closing down 382.43 points or 2.35 percent at 15,908. Fast Retailing slipped 5.76 percent and was the worst performer among the index components. Mitsumi Electric, Mitsubishi Logistics, Takara Holdings, Advantest, Japan Steel and Mitsubishi UFJ also declined sharply. After seeing some volatility until late morning trading, Australia's All Ordinaries declined steadily until late afternoon trading before moving sideways. The index closed down 24.10 points or 0.45 percent at 5,328. The market witnessed broad based weakness, with energy and material stocks leading the slide. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index closed at 22,684, down 133.13 points or 0.58 percent, and China's Shanghai Composite Index fell 37.43 points or 1.80 percent before closing at 2,046. On the economic front, revised estimates released by Markit Economics and HSBC showed that non-manufacturing growth in China slowed in December. The service sector business activity index fell 1.6 points to 50.9. A survey by the Australian Industry Group showed that service sector activity in Australia remained in contraction territory in December. The service sector purchasing managers' index fell 2.8 points to 46.1. Currency and Commodities Markets Crude Oil futures are rising $0.10 to $94.06 a barrel after sliding $6.36 or 6.34 percent to $93.96 a barrel in the week ended January 3rd. Last Monday, Oil fell over $1-a-barrel amid some profit taking following the previous week's sharp advance. The weakness extended into Tuesday's session, with Oil dropping by close to $1-a-barrel despite the strength in equities. The commodity plunged close to $3-a-barrel on Thursday amid risk aversion. A decline of about $1.50-a-barrel on Friday resulted in Oil declining in all four sessions of the week. Gold futures, which climbed $24.60 or 2.01 percent to $1,238.60 an ounce in the previous week, are currently adding $2.20 to $1,240.80 an ounce. The U.S. dollar retreated in the week ended January 3rd amid mitigation in risk appetite. The greenback declined 1.16 percent against the euro during the week before ending at $1.3589. Additionally, the dollar fell 0.46 percent against the yen to 104.87. The U.S. dollar is currently-trading at 104.64 yen and is valued at $1.3596 versus the euro.     To unsubscribe from this news bulletin or edit your mailing list settings click here. Registered Office/Accounts Dept: Suite 27, Essex Technology Centre, The Gable, Fyfield Road, Ongar, CM5 0GA. Customer Support +44 (0) 207 0700 961. Company registered in England and Wales: Number 2374988 VAT No. GB 549 2130 49

Morning Euro Markets Bulletin

ADVFN III Morning Euro Markets Bulletin Daily world financial news Monday, 06 January 2014 09:47:29 Monitor Quote Charts News CFD's Spreadbetting Free BB   Sponsored by: Trendsignal Average over 1000 points a month Learn the simple trading strategy so you can do it too. For your free guide click here. London Market Report FTSE 100 Euronext Dax perf CAC 40 Please click on the images to view our interactive charts London open: Markets flat ahead of busy week, PMIs in focus - Services PMIs on tap, Chinese data weakens - RSA leads financials higher - Retailers in focus ahead of trading update, M&S falls techMARK 2,787.71 -0.03% FTSE 100 6,727.98 -0.04% FTSE 250 16,028.46 +0.05% UK markets opened broadly flat on Monday morning with gains in the financial sector offset by weakness in retail as investors readied themselves for a busy week. The FTSE 100 was little changed early on from Friday's closing price of 6,730.67. Following a relatively quiet festive season in terms of corporate news and economic data, the calendar is pointing to several key 'risk events' in the next few days that could spark some volatile moves on financial markets worldwide. These include inflation figures, central bank meetings in the UK and Europe, and Friday's all-important jobs report in the States. A series of global purchasing managers' indices (PMIs) from services sectors are in focus today, after data last week showed a weakening in manufacturing growth in China, the US and UK in December. According to consensus estimates, service-sector growth is expected to have accelerated slightly in the UK and US in December. The final estimate of the Eurozone services PMI confirmed a small slowdown from the previous month, with France's services sector still firmly in contraction. Meanwhile, figures released overnight saw the HSBC/Markit PMI survey for China's services sector decline from 52.5 to 50.9, showing that growth had slowed significantly in December. "This number still represents growth in the industry so it isn't worth worrying about at this stage. However, it could be an early warning sign that, as in 2013, China is going to struggle to maintain these high levels of growth," said Market Analyst Craig Erlam from Alpari. RSA gains after UBS comments RSA Insurance was a high riser this morning after UBS raised its target for the stock from 100p to 113p and maintained a 'buy' rating. The bank added the stock to its 'Alpha Preferences Most Preferred List', saying: "While there are significant uncertainties, we think that the balance of risks is to the upside." Financial peers Hargreaves Lansdown, Prudential, HSBC and Legal & General were also performing well in early trading. Retailers will be closely watched this week ahead of trading updates from the likes of Marks & Spencer, Tesco and Sainsbury. The festive reporting season so far has been a mixed bag, with a profit warning from Debenhams contrasting with a stellar update from Next on Friday. M&S was a heavy faller this morning on speculation that it is a "likely candidate to suffer from the highly promotional and competitive clothing market", according to Equity Analyst Amisha Chohan from Sanlam Securities. Petrofac rose after Deutsche Bank lifted the stock to 'buy', while oilfield services peer Wood Group was dampened after the bank cut its rating to 'hold'. Learn to trade the most liquid financial market in the world At our free workshop we will give you a proven strategy for you to apply straight away. Also for simply signing up you will receive a free 50 page e-book from a publish FX trader.  Book your place now  FTSE 100 - Risers RSA Insurance Group (RSA) 97.25p +5.53% Petrofac Ltd. (PFC) 1,241.00p +1.64% Coca-Cola HBC AG (CDI) (CCH) 1,748.00p +1.33% Hammerson (HMSO) 503.00p +0.80% HSBC Holdings (HSBA) 661.30p +0.75% IMI (IMI) 1,543.00p +0.72% Sports Direct International (SPD) 739.00p +0.68% Ashtead Group (AHT) 781.00p +0.58% BAE Systems (BA.) 434.70p +0.58% Tesco (TSCO) 332.35p +0.56% FTSE 100 - Fallers Marks & Spencer Group (MKS) 435.80p -1.85% Randgold Resources Ltd. (RRS) 3,865.00p -1.50% Carnival (CCL) 2,456.00p -0.97% CRH (CRH) 1,565.00p -0.95% Rio Tinto (RIO) 3,338.50p -0.93% Reckitt Benckiser Group (RB.) 4,743.00p -0.88% InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) 1,985.00p -0.70% Vodafone Group (VOD) 234.15p -0.66% WPP (WPP) 1,373.00p -0.65% Tullow Oil (TLW) 850.00p -0.64% FTSE 250 - Risers Centamin (DI) (CEY) 47.07p +4.09% Dunelm Group (DNLM) 960.00p +2.45% Rank Group (RNK) 144.40p +2.41% Crest Nicholson Holdings (CRST) 388.90p +2.34% Perform Group (PER) 225.20p +2.32% Hays (HAS) 134.70p +2.20% Renishaw (RSW) 2,120.00p +2.17% African Barrick Gold (ABG) 204.30p +1.34% RIT Capital Partners (RCP) 1,292.00p +1.33% QinetiQ Group (QQ.) 223.40p +1.32% FTSE 250 - Fallers NMC Health (NMC) 435.80p -3.13% Wood Group (John) (WG.) 661.50p -2.36% KCOM Group (KCOM) 96.95p -1.82% Evraz (EVR) 109.00p -1.80% Polymetal International (POLY) 581.00p -1.69% Wetherspoon (J.D.) (JDW) 774.00p -1.65% Micro Focus International (MCRO) 768.00p -1.54% Fidelity China Special Situations (FCSS) 104.00p -1.52% BTG (BTG) 578.50p -1.45% Download your free Santa Rally report. Have you heard of the stock market phenomenon called the Santa Rally? The FTSE 100 has risen in 18 of the last 20 Decembers*. Download your free report showing a breaking down of what the average rise has been for the stocks within the FTSE over the month of December.  Losses can exceed deposits. * Past performance is no guarantee of the future Europe Market Report FTSE 100 Euronext Dax perf CAC 40 Europe open: Stocks mixed before batch of PMIs - Investors watching Eurozone and US PMIs - Analysts expect pick up in trading this week - Chinese services PMI falls FTSE 100: -0.02% DAX: 0.01% CAC 40: -0.06% FTSE MIB: 0.53% IBEX 35: 0.44% Stoxx 600: -0.13% European stocks were little changed as investors awaited a slate of data in the Eurozone and the US following a quiet week. Analysts said this week could see a return to normal trading volumes with the majority of traders coming back from their Christmas vacations. Kicking off the week is the release of the Eurozone purchasing managers' index (PMI) figures. The PMI Composite, which gauges manufacturing and services activity, is expected to come in at a reading of 52.1 in December, in line with the previous month. A reading above 50 signals expansion. Also out this morning in the Eurozone is a report on investor confidence which is forecast to show the index increased to 9.3 in January from 8 last month. German inflation data will be unveiled this afternoon with economists anticipating the consumer price index to rise 1.4% in December from 1.3% the prior month. In the US later on, the Institute for Supply Management will report its manufacturing PMI Composite for December which is estimated to jump to 54.5 from 53.9 in November. Separately, data may show factory orders in the US rose 1.7% in November compared to a 0.9% fall in October, according to the consensus forecast. Any sign pointing to continued recovery in the world's biggest economy is likely to fuel speculation that the Federal Reserve may introduce a further scaling back of monetary stimulus at its meeting this month. Last month the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) said it would start reducing monthly bond purchases to $75bn from $85bn. "It really is going to be quite a chaotic week in the financial markets, particularly the latter half of the week, which will include the first batch of company earnings, the FOMC minutes from last month's meeting, Bank of England and European Central Bank rate decisions and the December US jobs report," Craig Erlam, Market Analyst at Alpari, pointed out this morning. "There's still plenty to focus on in the first half of the week though, especially compared to the last couple of weeks, which were severely lacking in data, earnings and trading volumes." In a disappointing start to the week, however, the Chinese HSBC services PMI for December dropped to 50.9 from 52.5 in November. While it was still above the 50 level that indicates expansion, analysts fear it could be an early warning sign that the world's second largest economy may struggle to maintain growth. Sanofi, Centamin Sanofi slumped after JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered its recommendation on the drugmaker to 'neutral' from 'overweight', citing a possible weak earnings outlook in 2014. Centamin advanced after its full-year production exceeded its forecast. Marks and Spencer declined as investors predicted a poor earnings report for the retailer this week. The euro rose 0.04% to $1.3594. 40% Returns from unusual but proven industry Download your FREE Investment Guide here. US Market Report US close: Stocks end mixed after Bernanke comments - Bernanke delivers upbeat message on recovery - Snow storm, vacations affect trading volumes - New York ISM eases, vehicle sales fall Dow Jones: 0.17% Nasdaq: -0.27% S&P 500: -0.03% US stocks ended mixed on Friday on a low-volume day as investors digested comments from out-going Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke. It was a choppy session on Wall Street, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average making slight gains and the Nasdaq and S&P 500 registering small losses by the close. Volumes were said to be significantly lower than usual due to a severe snow storm that swept through the Northeast, with a state of emergency declared in New York and New Jersey. Analysts also pointed out that many market participants were still away on their Christmas holidays. Nevertheless, those who were still trading were mostly focused on Bernanke during the session, as he delivered a prepared speech at the American Economic Association. Bernanke said that the US economy was poised for stronger growth in the short - term, as he defended the central bank's move to scale back stimulus last month. Bernanke, who is due to end his eight-stint as Fed Chairman later this month, said: "The combination of financial healing, greater balance in the housing market, less fiscal restraint, and, of course, continued monetary policy accommodation, bodes well for US economic growth in coming quarters." In economic data on Friday, the Institute for Supply Management's index on business conditions in New York declined to 63.8 in December from 69.5 the month before. Meanwhile, US vehicle sales totalled 15.3m last month, down from 16.3m in November and below the 16m expected by analysts. Delta jumps after December traffic numbers Airline stocks performed well despite a storm that grounded hundreds of flights across New York. Investors at Delta Air Lines shrugged off the weather to celebrate the company's announcement that passenger unit revenue grew by 10% year-on-year in December. Southwest Airlines also gained. Tech giant Apple was providing a drag on the Nasdaq, extending losses after Wells Fargo downgraded the stock to 'market perform' form 'outperform' the day before. A number of other broker ratings changes were also moving stocks on Friday, including Exelon Corp. which retreated as Bank of America downgraded the energy firm to 'underperform' from 'neutral'. Sprint Corp. slid after Stifel Nicolaus & Co. downgraded the mobile phone operator to 'sell' from 'hold', while fibre-optics group Finisar Corp. rallied after Raymond James Financial raised its rating to 'strong buy' from 'outperform'. FireEye jumped after buying Mandiant Corp. in a $1.05bn deal that consolidates the cyber security peers. S&P 500 - Risers Delta Airlines Inc. (DAL) $29.23 +5.52% Garmin Ltd. (GRMN) $46.58 +3.58% Southwest Airlines Co. (LUV) $19.42 +2.86% Seagate Technology Plc (STX) $56.82 +2.54% Tenet Healthcare Corp. (THC) $44.20 +2.50% E*TRADE Financial Corp. (ETFC) $20.30 +2.47% Hewlett-Packard Co. (HPQ) $28.34 +2.46% Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (ANF) $32.79 +2.44% Fossil Group Inc (FOSL) $121.22 +2.41% Citigroup Inc. (C) $53.40 +2.16% S&P 500 - Fallers Peabody Energy Corp. (BTU) $18.78 -3.89% Micron Technology Inc. (MU) $20.97 -3.19% Cliffs Natural Resources Inc. (CLF) $25.05 -3.02% Apple Inc. (AAPL) $540.98 -2.20% Exelon Corp. (EXC) $26.62 -2.02% Sears Holdings Corp. (SHLD) $46.13 -2.02% Owens-Illinois Inc. (OI) $34.86 -1.89% Intuitive Surgical Inc. (ISRG) $373.46 -1.65% MeadWestvaco Corp. (MWV) $36.11 -1.58% J.C. Penney Co. Inc. (JCP) $8.74 -1.58% Dow Jones I.A - Risers Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) $91.85 +0.90% JP Morgan Chase & Co. (JPM) $58.66 +0.77% Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS) $178.15 +0.71% Unitedhealth Group Inc. (UNH) $75.10 +0.71% Boeing Co. (BA) $137.62 +0.70% International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) $186.64 +0.60% Merck & Co. Inc. (MRK) $49.73 +0.48% United Technologies Corp. (UTX) $112.90 +0.36% American Express Co. (AXP) $89.74 +0.32% 3M Co. (MMM) $138.45 +0.23% Dow Jones I.A - Fallers Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) $48.42 -1.18% Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) $36.91 -0.67% Coca-Cola Co. (KO) $40.46 -0.49% AT&T Inc. (T) $34.80 -0.43% Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) $78.65 -0.33% Nike Inc. (NKE) $78.03 -0.27% Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) $99.51 -0.24% Walt Disney Co. (DIS) $76.11 -0.21% Travelers Company Inc. (TRV) $89.16 -0.19% Home Depot Inc. (HD) $81.89 -0.16% Nasdaq 100 - Risers Garmin Ltd. (GRMN) $46.58 +3.58% Maxim Integrated Products Inc. (MXIM) $28.73 +3.12% Seagate Technology Plc (STX) $56.82 +2.54% Sirius XM Holdings Inc (SIRI) $3.57 +2.00% Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc. (GMCR) $75.75 +1.50% Yahoo! Inc. (YHOO) $40.12 +1.34% Staples Inc. (SPLS) $15.79 +1.28% Activision Blizzard Inc. (ATVI) $18.29 +1.22% Monster Beverage Corp (MNST) $67.52 +1.11% Automatic Data Processing Inc. (ADP) $80.73 +1.09% Nasdaq 100 - Fallers Micron Technology Inc. (MU) $20.97 -3.19% Vimpelcom Ltd Ads (VIP) $12.40 -3.13% Randgold Resources Ltd. Ads (GOLD) $63.41 -2.81% Baidu Inc. (BIDU) $175.28 -2.62% Apple Inc. (AAPL) $540.98 -2.20% Intuitive Surgical Inc. (ISRG) $373.46 -1.65% Illumina Inc. (ILMN) $108.61 -1.53% Symantec Corp. (SYMC) $23.11 -1.49% Whole Foods Market Inc. (WFM) $56.29 -1.37% Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc. (ALXN) $131.72 -1.29% Profit from fast-growing Pacific Rim trade Maritime Investment with Secure Returns of 12% p.a. paid out monthly.  Find out more, Click Here. Newspaper Round Up Monday newspaper round-up: Retail sales, Land Securities, George Osborne... Christmas failed to light up the high street, with figures today pointing to an "underwhelming" December for many retailers. Releasing its latest sales tracker, accountancy firm BDO said overall like-for-like sales among UK "mid-market" retailers were down 2.2 per cent year-on-year. Last minute present hunting saw non-fashion sales pick up in the final week of December, offsetting a weak start to the month, the report noted. - The Scotsman Britain's largest property company is in talks to open a designer outlet centre at the O2 Arena in Greenwich in an attempt to rival the upmarket Bicester Village in Oxfordshire. Land Securities has signed a six-month exclusivity agreement with AEG Europe, one of the world's largest concert promoters and owner of the venue in southeast London, to negotiate options for jointly developing a luxury retail centre in an unused part of the former Millennium Dome. - The Times George Osborne will on Monday warn that years of spending cuts lie ahead even as the Prime Minister seeks to reassure the grey vote that their pensions are safe in Conservative hands. The Chancellor will strike a sombre tone as he tries to persuade the electorate that Britain's recent economic recovery is not enough to overcome the woes of the past five years. This will be a "year of hard truths", the chancellor will say on a visit to the Midlands. - Financial Times George Soros is worried about China, and we should take note. The hedge fund boss, who built his fortune betting on the world's money markets, is concerned that 20 years of rapid growth is about to run out of steam. Soros […] will be a prominent figure at the World Economic Forum in Davos later this month, when policymakers and business people debate how to foster global growth. - The Guardian Brussels is set to ease financial reforms so that big European banks are not forced automatically to split lending operations from risky trading. In a draft European Commission proposal, seen by the Financial Times, the separation is no longer mandatory, would be less costly and restrictive than first envisaged and national supervisors are given wide discretion in applying the reforms. - Financial Times Britain's manufacturers will enjoy faster growth than those in Germany or any other western European economy this year from rising demand at home and abroad, according to a report. In its annual survey of companies, manufacturers' organisation EEF found 70% of firms forecast an improvement in the economy in 2014, while just 5% thought conditions would deteriorate. The balance of 65% compares with the sombre outlook at the same time last year when the reading was just 7%. - The Guardian The Chairman of Albemarle & Bond, brought back full time to rescue the debt-plagued pawnbroker in April last year, has been given a £100,000 bonus, despite a failed rights issue and the departure before Christmas of a potential buyer. Greville Nicholls was made Chief Executive of Albemarle in 1995 and oversaw its admission to the Alternative Investment Market, as well as rapid expansion. - The Times   New ADVFN Service - FREE Reports Get your free report on Isa's, Investment Trusts, Funds, Sipps Travel and Cars - FREE and Easy service CLICK HERE To advertise in the Euro Markets Bulletin please contact patrick@advfn.co.uk     To unsubscribe from this news bulletin or edit your mailing list settings click here. Registered Office/Accounts Dept: Suite 27, Essex Technology Centre, The Gable, Fyfield Road, Ongar, CM5 0GA. Customer Support +44 (0) 207 0700 961. Company registered in England and Wales: Number 2374988 VAT No. GB 549 2130 49