| From UK-Analyst.com: Thursday 18th July 2013 IMPORTANT: Are your UK-Analyst emails being delayed? Add UK-Analyst@news.t1ps.com to your safe senders/contact list to help resolve the problem The Markets UK retail sales rose in June according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics. The new data revealed that retail sales were up by 0.2% on a monthly basis and 2.2% higher on an annual basis, in further evidence of increasingly favourable conditions for consumers. The figures were boosted by good sales performances from department stores, which seemed to used price promotions to good effect. This increasing level of sales came despite inflation continuing to outstrip wage growth with data released earlier in the week confirming that inflation had increased by 0.2% to 2.9%. Chris Williamson, Chief Economist at Markit, said, "A further increase in retail sales in June rounds off a good second quarter for retailers, with spending growing at almost twice the rate seen in the first three months of the year." Over in the US, the number of new applicants for jobless benefits fell to its lowest level since May as the jobs market continues to show signs of strengthening. New claims fell by 24,000 to a seasonally adjusted 334,000 according to figures from the US Labor Department, re-affirming the view that the jobs market is growing despite the onset of this year's tax system changes and federal budget cuts. The data is consistent with recent figures which showed that 195,000 US jobs were created in June. Russell Price, a Senior Economist at Ameriprise Financial, commented, "The labor markets are healing, and as companies see further demand for their goods and services, there is certainly less risk for job loss." ADVERTISEMENT Get free trading guides from Evil Knievil (How to successfully short stocks), Zak Mir (Top AIM market picks for 2013) and other top financial commentators by CLICKING HERE 
At the London close the Dow Jones was increased by 114.81 points at 15,585.33 and the Nasdaq nudged upwards by 3.21 points to 3,088.49. In London the FTSE 100 grew by 62.43 points to 6,634.36 and the FTSE 250 was up by 95.52 points to 14,819.80. The FTSE All-Share grew by 31.30 points to 3,513.13, while the FTSE AIM Index ticked upwards by 3.18 points to 708.08.  Broker Notes Shore Capital stuck with its "buy" recommendation on property group LondonMetric Property (LMP) after it confirmed the exchange of contracts on two retail assets in Cardiff and Milton Keynes for a total consideration of 25.8 million pounds. Following these acquisitions, LMP's retail investment portfolio will comprise 35 assets with a combined portfolio value of around 385 million pounds. On this basis, the broker continues to believe that LMP has a well diversified portfolio, a strong tenant mix and high occupancy and therefore maintains its "buy" recommendation. The shares slipped by 0.1p to 111.9p. N+1 Singer stuck with its "buy" recommendation on drug development group Summit Corporation* (SUMM) with a target price of 8.8p The broker notes today's announcement which revealed that Summit has entered into a funding agreement with an Australian DMD foundation in a deal worth 760,000 pounds - cash which will go towards the development of its SMT C1100 DMD drug. The broker feels that this agreement brings further validation of SMT C1100 as a novel treatment for DMD, a fatal muscle wasting disease with no current cure. The shares were up by 0.125p to 4.625p. Canaccord Genuity maintained its "buy" stance on online gaming group Playtech (PTEC) with a target price of 780p. The broker was impressed with what it saw on a site visit to its Live Casino facility in Riga in Latvia. In Cannaccord's view, the trip re-emphasised the rising barriers to entry, increasingly sticky customer relationships and the number of growth drivers for the business. The shares jumped by 5p to 660p. 
Blue-Chips Trading facilitator London Stock Exchange (LSE) revealed that revenues were up by around 39% over the three months ended 30th June. The exchange provider attributed this improvement to growth across all business segments, with its Information Services business in particular benefiting from good growth from the FTSE. The current consensus amongst investment banks on the stock is bullish, with RBC Capital Markets and Morgan Stanley retaining positive stances on the company earlier this month. The shares climbed by 110p to 1,590p. Mining giant Anglo American (AAL) delivered mixed production results for the second quarter of the year on the back of a 24% fall in exploration spend. Declines in production of iron ore, coal and nickel cancelled out increases in the extraction of copper, platinum and diamond output - the latter of which benefitted from improved grades from its mines in Botswana. Anglo American went on to blame a 9% fall in metallurgical coal production to "strategic production cuts" as it bids to lessen exposure against a backdrop of weakening commodity prices. The shares swelled by 20.5p to 1,377.5p. Petrofac (PFC) has upped its stake in its Abu Dhabi based joint-venture with Mubdala Petroleum, Petrofac Emirates, to 75%. Petrofac Emirates was founded in 2008 and provides design, engineering and construction services to oil and gas projects in the UAE. Management explained that it is now looking to build on the success already achieved on the back of the partnership and stressed that it now aims to to attract further UAE nationals to join its team. The shares increased by 15p to 1,289p. Mid Caps Polymer technology group Fenner (FENR) claimed that it traded in line with expectations for the period spanning 1st March to 17th July. Fenner expects to return to growth in the 2013/14 financial year despite the downturn in the Australian mining sector, driven by improved levels of trading within its Advanced Engineered Products division. Otherwise, Fenner stressed that its balance sheet remains strong with borrowings at a level consistent with management expectations. The shares gained 12.7p, finishing the day at 335p. Sportswear retailer Sports Direct (SPD) announced a 40% rise in pre-tax profits to 207.2 million pounds for the year ended 28th April, while revenues were up by 20.9% to 2.19 billion pounds. The uplift in business was partly driven by the impact of the Olympics and European football Championships, which benefited the first part of the financial year. As a result of its success, Sports Direct pledged to distribute around 126 million pounds worth of shares to 2,000 of its 12,000 strong workforce. The shares were up by 37.5p at 638p. Housebuilder and construction group Galliford Try (GFRD) announced that its infrastructure business has been selected by Yorkshire Water to work on its "AMP6 Framework" programme in a deal thought to be worth around 110 million pounds to the firm. Work under the contract will run between 2015 and 2020 and will see 75 million pounds worth of work carried out on sewerage plants and a further 35 million pounds on "other installation projects". The shares edged upwards by 20p to 1,019p. Small Caps Avacta Group (AVCT), the diagnostic tool manufacturer, revealed that it has raised 4.7 million pounds by issuing new shares at 0.55p - a small premium to yesterday's closing price of 0.535p. Avacta said that it would use the proceeds of the fundraise to grow the Life Sciences division of the business, specifically progressing with its affimer drug development tool. Looking ahead, management explained that it sees this project as "key in terms of revenue growth contribution". The shares surged by 0.075p to 0.61p. Package holiday and logistics firm Dart Group (DTG) revealed a 27% uplift in revenues to 869 million pounds for the year ended 31st March, while pre-tax profits grew by 44.1% to 40.5 million pounds. The significant level of revenues growth was boosted by the expansion of its Jet2Holidays business which managed to increase holiday customers by 93%. However, Dart refused to get carried away with its prospects and remains "cautiously optimistic" on future profit growth given the current economic climate. The shares flew upwards by 25p to 241p. Kibo Mining* (KIBO) confirmed that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Korean East-West Power Co (EWP) in relation to the Rukwa Coal to Power project. The development represents a major milestone as Kibo and EWP attempt to develop a 300 MW -350 MW mouth-of-mine thermal coal plant at the Rukwa deposit in southern Tanzania. Kibo stressed that the deal should be rubber-stamped in the beginning of August when it hosts EWP on a site visit at the project in question. The shares soared by 1.5p to 4.25p. 
Lighting manufacturer PhotonStar (PSL) grew revenues by 13% over the first 6 months of 2013 while gross-profit ticked upwards by 12% to 1.69 million pounds. The LED lighting specialist delivered these results despite issues surrounding the development of its ChromaWhite lighting product range and subdued levels of demand from the European market. The firm went on to forecast that sales and revenues will increase at a rate consistent with previous years during the second half of 2013. The shares inched gained 0.5p, finishing the day at 7p. Medical group Optos (OPTS) stressed that it remains confident in hitting full year revenue expectations and claimed that sales of its flagship retina screening product, Daytona, are currently showing strong signs momentum. This pledge will be especially welcomed by investors who have seen the share price dive on fears over problems with the device. Separately, Optos confirmed that Finance Director Louisa Burdett - the former CFO at the Financial Times Group - has resigned, with current Group Director of Finance, Robert Kennedy being promoted into the role of interim Chief Financial Officer. The shares surged by 27.25p to 147.25p. Crop nutrition supplier Plant Impact (PIM) has signed an agreement with the Brazilian unit of Bayer CropScience to go on and market its advanced nutrition technologies for soybean. Veritas, the technology in question, is thought to increase the plant's capability to fix pods at important stages in its growth cycle. The financial details of the agreement were not disclosed to the market. The shares grew by 3.375p to 23.375p. * Kibo Mining and Summit are corporate clients of a subsidiary of Rivington Street Holdings, the ultimate owner of UK-Analyst. | 
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