| The Markets The Bank of England has decided to once again hold interest rates at 0.5% and opted against another dose of quantitative easing. It is believed that the Bank may wait until November to decide if a further cash injection into the economy will help. Meanwhile, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development severely lowered its forecasts for the UK economy, expecting a contraction of 0.7% in the current year, having previously forecast growth of 0.5% in May. Over on the mainland, the European Central Bank also decided to hold rates constant, at 0.75%, although many were expecting rates to be lowered to 0.5%. The president of the ECB, Mario Draghi also unveiled a new bond buying scheme which the ECB hopes will lower borrowing costs for debt ridden countries, such as Spain. There was some good news from the US, which saw 201,000 jobs added in August, significantly beating forecasts of 140,000. At the London close the Dow Jones was up by 235.17 points at 13,282.65 and the Nasdaq was up by 53.53 points at 2,820.48. In London the FTSE 100 rose by 119.48 points to 5,777.34; the FTSE 250 finished 230.37 points ahead at 11,676.44; the FTSE All-Share gained 56.40 points to 3,006.21; and the FTSE AIM Index climbed by 3.88 points to 688.00. 
Broker Notes Northland Capital reiterated its "buy" recommendation for Johnson Service Group (JSG) with a 34p target price. The broker believes that the restructuring of the firm's dry cleaning business will improve profitability, leading it to increase its adjusted full year pre-tax profit target by 8.1% to 16 million pounds. Northland also noted that while the planned closure of 103 stores in 2013 will result in a fall in revenues, the broker expects the move will improve margins to 2.2%. On Northland's forecasts, the shares trade on a prospective earnings multiple of 6.9 times for 2012, falling to 6.1 times in 2013. The shares lost 0.5p to 30.5p.  Panmure Gordon maintained its "buy" rating for YouGov (YOU) with an increased target price of 105p from 85p. The broker expects the market research firm to benefit in the run-up to the US election, having signed a partnership with Microsoft to provide daily polling over the Xbox platform. Panmure also anticipate the introduction of a dividend following the completion of a period of acquisition and investment. YouGov shares were unchanged at 77.5p. Daniel Stewart retained its "buy" stance on 32Red (TTR) with a 55p target price. The online gambling company achieved record first half revenues, with turnover from its casino business rising by 52% to 14.5 million pounds and the broker said that the firm is well positioned for further growth. Additionally, with the group increasing its interim dividend, Daniel Stewart raised its full year dividend forecast by 0.1p to 1.4p per share, also noting that the shares trade on a prospective multiple of 12.1 times, falling to 9.1 times in 2013. The shares inched up by 0.375p to 44.25p. Blue-Chips Shares in WM Morrison Supermarkets (MRW) advanced by 12p to 292.7p after the company reported better than expected pre-tax profits for the six months ended 29th July of 440 million pounds, against consensus forecasts of 434 million pounds. The results were still below 2011's comparable performance, of 449 million pounds as it saw a tightening in consumer spending. However, the group noted that sales of its own value brand M Savers achieved sales growth of 40%. The firm added that it has converted 45 of its stores to the new Fresh Format model and has plans of completing over 100 in the full financial year. 
International Consolidated Airlines (IAG) announced that its British Airways subsidiary will terminate its joint agreement with Qantas as of 31st March 2013. The partnership covered services between the UK and Australia, which British Airways said is not a core part of its overall network. The firm will now look to focus on developing its Asia business and added that it is discussing new potential partnerships with a number of airlines. The shares flew up by 4.9p to 144.6p. Hotel and restaurant chain Whitbread (WTB) reported sales growth of 14.3% for the 24 weeks ended 16th August 2012, with growth in the last 11 weeks accelerating to 14.8%. The group's best performer was the Costa coffee shop brand, which saw sales rise 25.3% during the 24 weeks, driven by new store openings. The group has set a target of opening 350 net new stores, and 1,000 Costa Express units over the full financial year. Meanwhile, the company continued expanding its hotel business, with 1,565 net rooms opened year-to-date, with the goal of 4,500 net rooms by year end. Whitbread shares jumped by 111p to 2,210p. Mid-Caps Dixons Retail (DXNS) achieved like-for-like UK and Ireland sales growth of 7% for its first quarter, ended 21st July, while sales in Northern Europe rose 13% on a like-for-like basis. However, the electronics retailer's Southern Europe and PIXmania operations continues to struggle, with sales falling 10% and 3% respectively. The group has hopes that the upcoming launch of Windows 8 and associated computers and laptops should help boost trading heading into the Christmas period. The shares grew by 0.75p to 19.85p. 
In order to develop its presence in the field testing market, Spirent Communications (SPT) has agreed to buy Maryland, USA, based Metrico Wireless for a cash consideration of 52 million dollars (32.7 million pounds). The target performs real-world conditions testing for voice and data services, complementing Spirent's existing lab based capabilities. The communications technology company also noted that Metrico has a number of major clients, including: "the top seven wireless operators in the United States [and] several leading mobile operators in Europe". Shares in Spirent gained 2.8p to 158.9p. Go-Ahead Group (GOG) reported that it enjoyed record passenger levels, of 1.1 billion, across both its bus and rail services during the year ended 30th June. The group benefited from increased travel during the Olympic games, estimating that one in ten of all rail ticket holders utilised it services. However, pre-tax profits declined by 3.5% to 94.2 million pounds, as the public transport operator was significantly impacted by rail subsidy cuts. The shares climbed by 18p to 1,300p Small Caps, AIM and PLUS Anglo African Agriculture (AAAP) became the first company to list on the PLUS market since its acquisition by ICAP (IAP) in June 2012. The group is, somewhat unsurprisingly, an investment vehicle with the aim of purchasing holdings in or acquiring companies in the African farming sector. The firm raised 452,266 pounds on admission through the placing of 45,226,600, representing 81.9% of the enlarged share capital. The shares closed at 1.25p. As one one company emerges on stage, another takes its final bow, with Baydonhill (BHL) announcing plans to delist from the AIM market. The currency exchange broker believes that falling stock markets, exacerbated by low liquidity, has resulted in its market capitalisation unfairly representing the company and creating a demoralising effect within the group. The company added that delisting would save around 100,000 pounds per annum, which could be utilised to develop the business. Baydonhill shares crumbled by 1.5p to 2.25p. May Gurney Integrated Services (MAYG) has warned that it will fall significantly short of full year market forecasts as it struggles to deal with operational issues with two contracts that account for 3% of historic revenues per annum. The construction company also noted substantial costs arising from the run-down of its facility services business and has made a provision of 10 million pounds against them. Due to the poor performance, Philip Fellowes-Prynne has agreed to step down from his position as chief executive officer and will be replaced by current board member Willie MacDiarmid on an interim basis. The shares collapsed by 91p to 130p. 
Hydrocarbons explorer Valiant Petroleum (VPP) announced that it has put itself up for sale as it looks to "maximise value for shareholders". The group said that it has build a stable foundation, with average production volumes of 7,453 barrels of oil per day in 2011. Separately, the firm released interim results, reporting a pre-tax loss of 43.5 million dollars (27.3 million pounds) as the result of a 76.4 million dollar (48.0 million pound) exploration write off. The shares swelled by 20p to 480p. Shares in Cyprotex (CRX) tumbled by 0.625p to 4.5p after it reported an operating loss of 189,000 pounds for the six months ended 30th June 2012, down from a profit of 23,000 pounds in the first half of 2011. Growth in the UK and Europe, was counteracted by the delay of a major toxicology screening contract in the US. The preclinical research company maintained that it will be able to meet full year market expectations, noting a strong order book and a traditional 45%:55% seasonal weighting. Trakm8 Holdings (TRAK) launched its ecoN fuel saving technology, which it believes is capable of reducing fuel consumption by up to 20%. The system monitors the vehicle operators driving and provides feedback on harsh braking, acceleration and cornering, which can be used to augment driver behaviour. The group noted that it retained a strong financial position and that it is trading in-line with expectations. The shares leapt by 2p to 13p | 
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