| From UK-Analyst.com: Wednesday 31th October 2013 The Markets UK consumer confidence slipped in October for the first time in six months according to a new survey. Market research company GfK's monthly consumer confidence index dipped to -11 in October, down from -10 in September, confounding analyst expectations of an increase to -8. However, it must be remembered that, despite the slight drop, the index remains nearly 20 points higher than a year ago in a reflection of the recent strength of Britain's economic recovery. Nick Moon, Managing Director of social research at GfK, commented, "This may simply be a pause for breath. However ... it will be interesting to see if sentiment has run away with itself and there is a further drop next month." Social media giant Facebook has reported a 60% surge in revenues to $1.8billion (1.12 million pounds) over the three months ended September, swinging the tech giant into a net profit position of $425 million (265 million pounds), well up on the $59m (36.8 million pounds) loss it reported for the prior year period. The improvement was driven by an increase in advertising revenues, especially within the mobile segment as advertisers are now prepared to pay higher prices to have their content delivered across users' mobile Facebook feeds. Mark Zuckerberg, founder and Chief Executive of Facebook said, "For nearly 10 years, Facebook has been on a mission to connect the world. The strong results we achieved this quarter show that we're prepared for the next phase of our company, as we work to bring the next 5 billion people online." ADVERTISEMENT Interested in trading forex? Join us at our free educational seminar on Friday 1st November For more information CLICK HERE At the London close the Dow Jones was down by 46,68 points at 15,614.08 and the Nasdaq was up by 6.98 points to 3,392.36. In London the FTSE 100 closed down by 46.27 points at 6,731.43 and the FTSE 250 was down by 103.01 points to 15,479.95. The FTSE All-Share fell by 24.39 points to 3,585.32 while the FTSE AIM Index slipped by 0.75 points at 808.39.  Broker Notes Beaufort Securities stuck with its "buy" recommendation on retailer Next (NXT) after the company yesterday posted better than expected sales growth over the third quarter of 2013. The broker was also impressed with the company's share buyback plan and said it feels this has potential to cause significant value addition for the shareholders. Moreover, Beaufort is a fan of the company's "strong" online offering, the diversification into home-wares and potential in new overseas markets too. The shares fell by 5p to 5,445p. Cantor Fitzgerald stuck with its "sell" recommendation on fellow retailer Marks and Spencer (MKS) with a target price of 445p. The broker continues to believe that it will take a number of seasons before there is a marked improvement in performance in the womenswear business. Furthermore, Cantor notes that debt levels remain over 2 billion pounds and feels this restricts the company's ability to deliver an accelerated dividend payout. The shares were up by 10.3p to 503.5p. Canaccord Genuity has downgraded its "buy" recommendation to a "hold" stance on Management Consulting Group (MMC), cutting its target price from 32p to 28p. The downgrade comes on the back of the company announcement which revealed that both of the group's operating divisions are trading at the "lower end of expectations". As a result, Canaccord Genuity has reduced its current year EPS estimate by 14% to 2.5p and its FY14 EPS estimate by 13% to 2.9p. The shares inched up by 1.25p to 24.5p. Blue Chips Chemicals group Croda International (CRDA) warned investors that the adverse fluctuations of the Japanese Yen and Indian Rupee over recent months will mean that the company will not fully benefit from the increase in sales since July. These currency devaluations are particularly significant as the Asia-Pacific region accounts for around one quarter of the group's total revenues. The update comes after Morgan Stanley re-iterated its "overweight" stance earlier this month. The shares plunged by 199p to 2,436p. Oil producer Shell (RDSA) announced that third quarter profits came in at $4.5 billion (2.8 billion pounds), well down on the $5 billion (3.1 billion pounds) which was forecast by analysts and even further away from the $6.6 billion (4.1 billion pounds) which was generated in the prior-year period. The results will be particularly underwhelming for investors who may have observed that BP announced better than expected results earlier this week. Management explained that the results had been impacted by rising production costs and weaker industry refining conditions. The shares dlid by 107.5p to 2,076.5p. Drugmaker AstraZeneca (AZN) announced a 22% fall in pre-tax profits to $1.6 billion (1 billion pounds) for the 3 month period ended 30th September as the group lost exclusivity rights on several of its key brands. In a bid to combat this slide, the group has appointed Marc Dunoyer to be its new Chief Financial Officer. Dunoyer, who joined from rival GlaxoSmithKline, will be promoted from his current position of Head of Product Strategy. The shares were down by 21p to 3,309p. Mid Caps Natural resource consultancy RPS Group (RPS) said it was on track meet current market expectations for the year, with its energy business in particular performing "encouragingly" of late. Looking ahead, RPS said it has committed a maximum of 61 million pounds to acquisitions since June and expects that this and the investments made earlier this year should result in significantly improved trading for the Group in 2014. The shares lost 9.2p, finishing the day at 290p. Telecity (TCY) announced that Brian McArthur-Muscroft, Finance Director, is to step down from his position by 31st of January 2014. The data centre provider went on to say that it will begin the search for a new Finance Director immediately with Mr McArthur-Muscroft happy to conduct a handover if a replacement is found by 31st January 2014. The update comes after JP Morgan last week cut its target price on the company from 1,200p to 1,100p, re-iterating its "overweight" stance. slid by 28p to 762.5p. Asset management group Henderson Group (HGG) saw its assets under management grow up by 4.3% to 70.8 billion pounds between the beginning of July and the end of October. Management attributed this increase to improved investor confidence and a strong investment performance across its core product ranges. The shares ticked upwards by 0.1p to 214.4p. Small Caps PeerTV (PTV), the specialist in streaming TV over the internet, confirmed that its subsidiary, Digitek SMT Assemblies, has become an approved supplier of Strauss Water and has received orders which are expected to generate sales of about $1.5 million (0.93 million pounds) on an annual basis. Strauss is a manufacturer and supplier of food and beverage products and has high profile clients such as PepsiCo and Danone. The shares swelled by 0.63p to 3.63p. Mariana Resources (MARL), the Peruvian-based miner, revealed that an initial drill programme has begun at its Condor de Oro gold, copper and silver project in northern Peru. As part of the programme, five holes are being drilled to test the Pucayacu porphyry target area with the first hole already delivering positive results. Assay results will be released in batches, with the first in three-four weeks' time. The shares jumped by 0.57p to 3.58p. Housebuilder Mar City (MAR) revealed that it has secured a deal to construct 102 apartments and a retail unit of approximately 12,000 square feet on a site in North London. The deal, signed with Mar City Developments Limited, will be worth around 14 million pounds to Mar City and is estimated to be completed by the end of the first quarter of 2015. Given that the transaction is classified as a related party transaction under the AIM Rules, the group went on to calm any investor fears by stressing that the terms of the contract are fair and reasonable as far as the company's shareholders are concerned. The shares nudged ahead by 0.25p to 11.75p. 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 
European oil and gas explorer Ascent Resources (AST) announced that it has signed a multitude of agreements with its Slovenian partners which should be a step forward in bringing its Petisovci gas field into production. According to Ascent, the signing of these documents is the culmination of months of work and should ensure that production begins by next year. The update prompted Ascent Resources to re-iterate its 2p target price on the shares, nearly double the current price. The shares were up by 0.1p to 1.05p. Media firm Zoo Digital Group (ZOO) has swung into EBITDA profitability after recording an Adjusted EBITDA of $0.3m (0.19 million pounds) for the 6 months ended 30th September, well up on the loss of $0.3 million (0.19 million pounds) which it recorded over the previous 6 months. This performance was boosted by increased demand for its ZOOsubs product, a subtitle technology product which has apparently now been taken up by 3 major production studios. The shares increased by 0.38p to 13.75p. Ultrasis (ULT), the mental health specialist, announced that its joint venture, U2 Interactive, has won a new contract with Mental Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania (MHASP). As part of the agreement MHASP will offer Ultrasis' Beating the Blues anti-depressant treatment as part of a wider attempt to engage with individuals who are dealing with mild and moderate depression. The financial details of the arrangement were not disclosed to the market. The shares were up by 0.07p to 1.06p. Â | 
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