| The Markets The Bank of England has chosen not to continue with its quantitative easing stimulus programme which has so far injected 375 billion pounds into the UK's financial system. The Bank has also elected to keep interest rates at 0.5%. Although the UK is no longer in recession, a series of poor economic indicators led many economists to believe that quantitative easing would be used again. On the Continent, Greek politicians have narrowly backed a fresh round of austerity measures amid violent protests in the country. The 10.8 billion pound package was conditional on tax rises and pension cuts, with public anger from these conditions manifesting themselves in scenes of violence in Athens yesterday. Staying in Europe, the European Central Bank has kept interest rates on hold at 0.75% as the economic outlook deteriorates. Also, Spain has resisted asking for a bailout that would open the door to ECB bond purchases. At the London close the Dow Jones was down by 19.9 points at 12912.83 and the Nasdaq fell by 11.13 points at 2,601.56. In London the FTSE 100 fell by 15.58 points to 5,776.05; the FTSE 250 finished 65.66 points down at 11,895.66; the FTSE All-Share dropped 7.41 points to 3,021.56; and the FTSE AIM Index increased by 0.6 points to 695.76. 
Broker Notes Canaccord Genuity maintained its "buy" recommendation on Rightmove (RMV) with a target price of 1,800p and believes its recent trading statement suggests "healthy growth in revenue and earnings and strong cash generation". The UK's number one property website held 23.5 million pounds in cash as at 31st October 2012, which was 1.4 million pounds higher than the broker's forecast, an impressive achievement according to Canaccord. The broker is also impressed with the management team and welcomed Nick McKittrick's elevation to the position of Chief Executive. Shares in the company slipped by 5p to 1,585p. Daniel Stewart reiterated its "buy" recommendation on technology firm DDD Group (DDD) with a target price of 50p. The broker's recommendation comes on the back of the nationwide launch in China of Hangzhou ShumWang Technology's 3D gaming technology which incorporates DDD'S TriDef 3D software in i-cafes throughout China following a testing period in the summer. The broker believes that this news validates DDD's key position in the 3D PC market in China. The shares remained flat at 26.25p. 
Panmure Gordon keep to its "buy" stance on Aviva (AV.) with a target price of 425p. The broker believes that Aviva's sales of life insurance and pensions were "solid" as they were broadly in line with expectations. Panmure recognises that the share price may remain highly volatile because of the uncertainty surrounding the Euro crisis but, the broker believes, the insurance company is in a position to manage and should benefit as Europe emerges and interest rates start to recover. The shares crept up 1.8p to 330.3p. Blue-Chips Sweeteners firm Tate & Lyle (TATE) reported a 28% drop in profits to 172 million pounds for the six months ended 30th September 2012. This fall was attributed to softer market conditions in Europe and an increase in fixed costs. Adjusted profit before tax, however, which strips out one-off items, was up 2% on a constant currency basis at 179 million pounds, which reflected an improved performance in sales. The shares dropped 4p to 730p. RSA Insurance Group (RSA) announced a 4% increase in net written premiums to 6.2 billion pounds, driven by a 15% rise in net written premiums in emerging markets. The company cited good customer retention across all businesses and good new business volumes, together with the impact of repositioning activity in the UK and Italy as the reason for its growth. The shares fell by 0.7p to 112.4p. 
Global information services company Experian (EXPN) posted revenues of $2.3 billion (1.44 billion pounds) for the 6 months ended 30th September 2012, up 12% at constant exchange rates. However, pre-tax profits tumbled by 78% to $76 million (47.57 billion pounds) which the company attributed to a 403 million dollar accounting charge against Brazilian credit checker Seresa, of which it owns 99.6%. Shares in the company were up 4p at 1,048p. Security firm G4S (GFS), which failed to provide enough staff under its security contract for the London Olympic and Paralympic Games, will stop running East Yorkshire's Wolds prison from next July according to the Ministry of Justice. This has been compounded by the fact that the firm has not been awarded any further prison contracts that it was bidding for. These developments have confirmed Chairman John Connolly's fear that the fiasco surrounding the Olympics security operation may lead to the company being frozen out of future government contract wins. The shares lost 8.4p to 259.2p.
Mid-Caps Pub operator JD Wetherspoons (JDW) announced a 7.1% increase in like-for-like sales for the 13 weeks to 28th October 2012, with total sales increasing by 11%. These figures were boosted by a good performance during the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and the company does not expect this level of growth to be sustained for the rest of the year. On the downside, operating margins fell by 0.4 percentage points to 8.6% as costs increased in areas such as tax, labour and bar & food supplies. The shares grew 9p by to 521.5p Shanks Group (SKS), the waste management business, announced a 8% drop in revenues to 339.6 million pounds and a 54% fall in pre-tax profits to 7 million pounds for the 6 months ended 30th September 2012. These were driven by a poor performance in the solid waste markets in the UK which were adversely affected by recession and record lows in construction output. The shares remained flat at 83p. 
Telecommunications firm Cable & Wireless Communications (CWC) announced a 1% increase in total group revenues to 1.43 billion pounds for the 6 months ended 30th September 2012.. This growth was primarily driven by a 36% increase in mobile data growth coupled with strong mobile subscriber growth in Jamaica reflecting a new competitive environment. The shares jumped by 2.07p to 38p. Small Caps, AIM and PLUS Back in September, Vipera (VIP), the financial software specialist, announced it had signed its largest contract in the year to date - a win of 500,000 pounds. However, the company has now announced that the project has progressed and that billings are now expected to exceed this amount. In addition, because of other business wins, the company expects revenues for the year to December 2012 to be "substantially in excess" of the prior year total. The shares soared by 1p to 5p. Vane Minerals (VML) has added to its copper exploration assets with the acquisition of 38 unpatented lode claims in Idaho, USA. The deal, which has a term of 50 years, relates to claims within the mineral district, a 72 square mile area that historically has shown copper, gold and high grade silver production. AVEN Associates LLC, the 100% owned subsidiary of Vane, will pay 20,000 dollars (12,500 pounds) in January 2013 with the payment rising 10,000 dollars (6,250 pounds) per year until year eight of the agreement when it will remain at 100,000 dollars (62,500 pounds) per annum thereafter. The shares gained 0.05p to 0.93p. Italy based oil and gas company Sound Oil (SOU) has received formal approval to proceed with the drilling of the Nervesa appraisal well. After approval from the Italian Ministry of Economic Development, which is expected in five weeks, operations at the site can commence with a view to begin drilling around the end of the year. The project has an estimated value approximately equivalent to the market capitalisation of the firm, 34.44 million pounds. The shares were down by 0.05p at 1.1p. 
Coal developer, Oracle Coalfields (ORCP) has signed a memorandum of understanding with Thatta Cement Company for the proposed supply of coal from Block VI of the Thar coalfield in Pakistan. The agreement will see Oracle supply dried coal to Thatta's cement works after representatives from both parties meet to sign a coal supply agreement, where the specifications, quantity and price will be ratified. The shares inched up 0.13p to 2.25p. Field management company ServicePower Technologies (SVR) reported that it has purchased a source code license from Bella Solutions for its management software for an undisclosed amount. Under the agreement, ServicePower will host its own version of the software and will further develop it to provide a hosted, subscription based service to its network of independent service providers. The shares gained 0.13p to 5.88p. New World Oil and Gas (NEW) announced that drilling of the second well on its flagship Blue Creek project, located in Northwest Belize, remains ahead of schedule and in line with the initial geologic prognosis. Furthermore, as the project is running $750,000 (470,250 pounds) under budget, New World has used this money to drill into the Y3 formation where the company believes potential exists for multiple productive horizons. The shares fell by 0.25p to 9.375p. | 
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