| From UK-Analyst.com: Monday 9th September 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 Chancellor George Osborne today insisted that the government was planning to bring in measures designed to help reduce everyday costs for households, especially those which have suffered from a drop in living standards in the aftermath of the financial crisis. In a speech ahead of the Conservative Party conference later this month, the Chancellor also went on to argue that the economy is "turning a corner", citing a range of recent positive economic data. However, on the other side of the house, Labour claimed that living standards have fallen under Osborne's chancellorship, despite the improvement in recent economic data. Osborne said in his speech, "This is a hard, difficult road we have been following. But it is the only way to deliver a sustained, lasting improvement in the living standards of the British people." According to consultancy KPMG, British employers took on permanent staff at a slightly slower pace last month after hiring at the highest level in more than two years in July. On a brighter note, figures also revealed that temporary appointments rose at the fastest rate since 1998. KPMG's monthly index measuring permanent job placements slipped in August to 61.3 from 63.3 the previous month, maintaining a significant cushion between its current mark and the 50 threshold which separates growth and contraction. The employment climate in the UK is under particular scrutiny at present as the Bank of England last month said it would not consider increasing interest rates until the unemployment rate hit 7%. Over in Asia, Chinese exports grew at an unexpectedly high pace in August, in the latest news that suggests the slowing of economic growth in the world's second largest economy may be beginning to stabilise. Figures from the Asian nation showed shipments rose by 7.2% during the month compared to the previous year, with predictions having been around the 5.5% mark. Liu Li-Gang and Zhou Hao, economists at ANZ, explained, "China's August trade sustained the upward trend seen since July, in line with accelerating growth momentum and improving market sentiment." 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 up by 43.31 at 14,980.79 and the Nasdaq grew by 10.43 points to 3,140.37. In London the FTSE 100 was up by 14.89 points at 6,547.33 and the FTSE 250 increased by 70.94 points to 15048.28. The FTSE All-Share was up by 1.55 points at 766.09 while the FTSE AIM Index grew by 1.55 points to 766.09.  Broker Notes Cantor Fitzgerald downgraded its "hold" recommendation to a "sell" stance on home electronics group Darty (DRTY) with a target price of 65p. The broker notes the 18% rally in the share price over the last three months and feels that this valuation is now starting to look demanding. Furthermore, Cantor feels that French profitability remains under pressure and is unsure on whether this market can improve over the next year given the structural pressure as on-line penetration continues to grow. The shares closed down by 1p at 79p. Canaccord Genuity maintained its "buy" recommendation on business support firm Wilmington Group (WIL) with an increased target price of 229p. The broker notes that Wilmington is a highly cash generative business, operating in fragmented markets and feels that it has significant scope to add value and augment growth through bolt-on acquisitions. Canaccord goes on to acknowledge that the shares are already up by 21% so far this year but feels the rating remains attractive, on a 2013 PER multiple of 14 times. The shares inched up by 5p to 190p. Cantor Fitzgerald stuck with its "sell" recommendation on Marks and Spencer (MKS) but increased its target price from 380p to 445p reflecting the 15% rise in the sector over the last three months of the year. However, the broker continues to believe that the group's womenswear business will take "a number of seasons" to get to a level where there is a significant improvement in both the like-for-like sales and profitability of the division. The shares added 1.8p to 500.5p. 
Blue Chips Healthcare business GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) confirmed that it has agreed to sell its Lucozade and Ribena brands to Suntory Beverage and Food Limited, a Japanese food company, for 1.35 billion pounds in cash. The deal is part of Glaxo's strategy of separating older products from its drug development unit - a division which it wants to spend more time and effort on. The beverages in question generate around 600 million pounds in annual sales and, according to Suntiry, represent the first in a string of major acquisitions as it targets Southeast Asia, Middle East, Africa and Latin America to help double sales to 2 trillion yen by 2020. The shares fell by 11p to 1,640p. Primark owner and sugar business Associated British Foods (ABF) claimed that it is set to deliver operating profit ahead of market expectations for the 6 months ended 14th September. AB Foods explained that this was mainly the result of its Primark business - which generates around a third of the group's profit - as it "delivered a strong finish to the year" over the summer period. Meanwhile, the group also hinted at a "substantial improvement" in performance from its grocery business which includes brands such as Silver Spoon Sugar, Twinings Tea and Ryvita biscuits. The shares lost 33p to close at 1,818p. Construction firm AMEC (AMEC) has been awarded a five year extension to the Western Gas Alliance mains replacement contract by Wales & West Utilities. It is thought that this new contract - which will run until 2018 - extension is worth around 40 million pounds a year. The work involves replacing 420km of gas mains each year and completing 40,000 customer gas connections. The shares were flat at 1,050p. Mid Caps LondonMetric Property (LMP) confirmed that it has acquired two distribution warehouses in Northampton and Leicester for a combined 23.1 million pounds. The retail and distribution property owner has now acquired 88 million pounds worth of property this year as it looks to grow its rental income and heighten its exposure to capital growth opportunities. The update comes after JP Morgan re-iterated its "buy" recommendation on the company last week. The shares closed up by 2.7p at 112.5p. Galliford Try's (GFRD) building business has secured a 35 million pounds contract to construct the second phase of HM Prison & Young Offenders' Institution Parc in Bridgend, South Wales. The agreement, which has been awarded in partnership with G4S, covers a new house block containing 216 cells that will accommodate 387 prisoners while a 350 space car park, extended perimeter walls and security fencing will also be created. The shares closed up by 1p at 1,023p. Airport support services firm BBA Aviation (BBA) confirmed that discussions on a potential merger between itself and maintenance business StandardAero have now been terminated. Back in August, the two companies revealed that they had started talks to merge some of their assets in a deal that, according to media reports at the time, could have been worth up to 2.7 billion pounds. Westhouse Securities currently has a "add" recommendation on the group with a target price of 320p. BBA Avation finished down by 3.4p at 315.4p. Small Caps Medical group Futura Medical (FUM) claimed that it has received "a positive opinion from the relevant Notified Body" on all aspects of its new CSD500 condom product. It is now expected that this product will be awarded the CE mark certificate later this month which will authorise the product for marketing throughout Europe. According to Futura, the product in question is proven to produce a firmer erection and increase penile size in healthy men whilst wearing a condom during sexual intercourse and to give women a longer lasting sexual experience. The shares surged by 7.125p to 73.5p. Wireless technology firm Toumaz (TMZ), announced that its wireless speakers, AV receivers and internet radios will now all be able to stream the Spotify connect music playing service directly. Users will be able to control their music and volume from their phone, tablet and audio devices without needing to use the bandwidth on those devices to stream the service. Any financial agreements in relation to the deal were not disclosed. The shares gained 0.5p to 5.5p. Telit Communications (TCM) announced a 10% increase in revenues to $108.5 million (69.22 million pounds) for the 6 months ended 30th June, while pre-tax profits more than doubled to $5.6million (3.6 million pounds) over the period. The firm praised its relatively low dependency on its top 10 customers as they only accounted for 33% of total revenues in the period, though this was up from 30% in the corresponding period of 2012. Looking ahead, the group hinted at possible acquisitions as a means of generating growth in the short--medium term. The shares rose by 8.5p to 94.5p. 
Retail property specialist SpaceandPeople (SAL) announced a 46% increase in revenues to 18.2 million pounds for the 6 months ended 30th June while pre-tax profits swelled by 60% to 613,000 pounds. The firm - an international experiential marketing and media group - said it had benefited from the impact of its new business wins in 2012 and its investment in "key areas" including Germany. The shares closed the day 7p higher at 135p. Risk management technology firm Brady (BRDY) has lowered its full year revenue expectations on the back of slowing demand from the commodity and energy sectors. Although the company posted a 23% increase in revenues to 14.9 million pounds for the first half of 2013, the firm's EBITDA was down by 24% to 1.3 million pounds. Despite its troubles, Brady insists that it is on track to secure "several very significant contracts" which should feed through to overall results in 2014 and beyond. The shares closed down by 12p at 60.5p. Business support services group Digital Globe Services (DGS) saw revenues grow by 28% to $25.5 million (16.24 million pounds) for the year ended 30th June, while EBITDA was up by 32% to $4 million (2.55 million pounds). The company endeavours to help companies acquire solutions for large, consumer-facing organisations and hopes to harness the moderate uplift in global economic conditions as it looks to grow. The shares fell by 10.5p to 213p. | 
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