| From UK-Analyst.com: Tuesday 10th 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 House prices in the UK grew at the quickest rate in nearly 7 years in August according to figures from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). RICS' seasonally adjusted house price balance grew to +40 from a slightly upwardly revised +37 in July - the highest since November 2006. A breakdown of the figures revealed that it was not just London and the South East driving the improvements ,as areas all across the UK exhibited gains. These figures represent the latest indication that government initiatives such as the Help to Buy Scheme are feeding through to property demand. A statement from RICS said, "Momentum is increasingly broad-based across the country; this isn't just a London story. With positivity starting to return to areas right across the UK, it seems those who may have been waiting for the right time to sell are choosing now to do so." Following yesterday's promising Chinese export figures, it has emerged that Chinese industrial production grew by more than expected in August, in the latest sign that the nation's slowing growth may be beginning to stabilise. Government figures revealed that the nation's factory output grew by 10.4% from a year earlier, above market expectations for a 9.9% increase. The Chinese economy has struggled of late as a result of slowing demand from an EU which has been strangled by recession and a USA still recovering from the financial crisis. Li Huiyong, an Economist at Shenyin & Wanguo Securities, argued, "The better-than-expected figures showed the recovering momentum of China's economy is stronger than market expectations. The three key drivers of China's economy, including exports, investment and consumption, have shown an obvious rebounding trend in August." 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 91.84 at 15,154.96 and the Nasdaq grew by 15.56 points to 3,185.49. In London the FTSE 100 was up by 53.25 points at 6,583.99 and the FTSE 250 increased by 177.87 points to 15270.73. The FTSE All-Share was up by 30.99 points at 3,510.20 while the FTSE AIM Index grew by 5.32 points to 773.50.  Broker Notes Canaccord Genuity maintained its "sell" stance on protein research firm Abcam (ABC) with a target price of 396p. The broker notes that Abcam's full year results were in line with market expectations as it generated 122.2 million pounds in revenues for the period ended 30th June. However, Canaccord believes that the group faces major challenges in its largest market, the US, following major NIH budget cuts . Canaccord also feels that trading in the EU remains challenging. The shares grew by 10.25p to 480.75p. N+1 Singer stuck with its "buy" stance on healthcare services firm United Drug (UDG) with a target price of 320p. The broker remains a fan of the business model and the track record of execution and believes that UDG will increasingly be regarded as a core Healthcare Services holding. Furthermore, N+1 sees the current valuation as "undemanding" on a P/E of 13x FY14, particularly in the context of a targeted doubling of EPS by FY17. The shares were down by 1.1p to 333.9p. Shore Capital upgraded its "hold" stance to a "buy" recommendation on food group Premier Foods (PFD) after holding a conservative view on the firm for many years. Although still burdened by its balance sheet, the broker feels that Premier Foods is now in a more stable position since new management has come in. The broker also envisages significant cost savings on the back of increased operational efficiencies. The shares were up by 16.75p at 166.5p. 
Blue Chips Engineering firm Rolls Royce (RR.) has been awarded a $175 (111.5 million pounds) contract to supply equipment and related services to power the flow of natural gas through Kazakhstan's Line C Gas Pipeline to Asia Gas Pipeline LLP. When it reaches full operating capacity in 2016, the Central Asia-China Gas Pipeline network will transport up to 55 billion cubic metres of gas each year from Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, through and Kazakhstan to China. The shares slipped by 3p to 1,131p. Premier Inn and Costa Coffee owner Whitbread (WTB) confirmed that underlying sales were up by 2.1% over the 11 weeks ended 15th August as hotel demand remained strong in the London region. Underlying revenues generated from its Costa Coffee UK stores rose by 3%, a slowdown on the 8% achieved in the first quarter, as the hot summer burnt the demand for hot drinks. The update comes after Morgan Stanley re-iterated its "equal weight" stance on the group with a target price of 2,900p. The shares dived by 78p to 3,138p. Mid Caps Manufacturer of industrial products Fenner (FENR) expects full year results for the period ended 31st August to be in line with expectations following a "successful end to the financial year." The group went on to say that its balance sheet remained strong, with net debt levels better-than-expected at around 125 million pounds, partly as a result of a reduction in working capital and exchange rate movements. Looking ahead, the company anticipates returning to growth in its 2013/14 financial year. The shares surged by 18.6p to 389.5p. Asset manager Ashmore Group (ASHM) saw its assets under management grow by 22% to $77.4 billion (49.23 billion pounds) for the period ended 30th June, while pre-tax profits nudged upwards by 6% to 257.6 million pounds. The group - which specialises in emerging markets - said it saw minimal impact from the widespread exodus from emerging market investments as a result of concerns centred on a withdrawal of the U.S. central bank monetary stimulus. The shares swelled by 19.3p to 382.2p. Small Caps Mining player Orosur Mining (OMI) revealed that production and costs came in better than expected from San Gregorio, Uruguay's only producing gold mine. Gold production came in at 16,851 ounces, compared with guidance of 13,500 to 14,500 ounces, while cash operating costs were an impressive US$755 an ounce, well ahead of the originally anticipated US$950 to US$1,000 an ounce. However, Orosur management refused to get carried away and stressed that 2013 production should be in line original expectations, rather than exceeding them. The shares soared by 6.5p to 17.375p. Manufacturer of surgical tools Surgical Innovations (SUN) announced a 28.4% increase in revenues to 3.88 million pounds for the year ended 30th June, while pre-tax profits grew by 19.4% to 567,000 pounds. The firm praised the uptake of its resposable range of products in the UK and said that its presence in the US is also now improved after the establishment of additional distributional relationships. The Leeds-based medical tool designer went on to argue that it is depending on new products for hip arthroscopy and a hernia mesh fixation device for future growth. The shares were up by 0.375p to 6.75p. Electronic technology firm Stadium Group (SDM) saw its revenues edge up from 20.93 million pounds to 21.44 million pounds over the six month period ended 30th June 2013, while adjusted pre-tax profits halved to 370,000 pounds over the period. In a meeting with management today, CEO Charlie Peppiatt explained that the bulk of the drop off in profits was a result of a delay in orders by a major customer, in revenues which are now expected to come in over the second half of the year. The shares jumped by 3p to 43.5p. 
Waste specialist Straight (STT) announced that it has secured a contract with Bournemouth Borough Council to supply the new Waste Inner Caddy for food recycling. With a 12 litre capacity, the new product will hold up to 9kg of food waste as the council attempts to deal with ever increasing levels of food waste in the area. The financial details of the agreement were not disclosed but the shares grew by 4.5p to 41p. Video technology firm Blinkx (BLNX) has entered into a partnership with Zazoom, the parent company of the popular video brand Buzz60, in order to create a co-branded channel of original video content entitled blinkx Buzz. The new website will predominantly cover the latest celebrity news. Last week, Jefferies initiated coverage on the Blinkx with a "buy" recommendation. The shares swelled by 7.25p to 157p. Online education firm ILX Group (ILX) swung into the red over the 15 months ended 30th June after it reported a pre-tax loss of 1.7 million pounds, well down on the 0.6 million pounds profit it recorded for the previous year. ILX blamed restructuring costs related to its training business for its demise but insisted that it was now in a position to accelerate growth via acquisitions. On that front, ILX also announced the 16 million pound reverse takeover of Australian communications services provider Progility. The deal will be paid for by the issue of 159.7 million new shares in the company at a price of 10p each. As part of the deal ILX will also change its name to Progility. The shares were down by 1.125p at 8.75p. | 
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