RAMSEY CROOKALL & CO  8th  November 2012

 Evening Report

The FTSE 100 ends 0.3% lower at 5776.05, giving back early gains as investors digested some worrying headlines from Europe. Media reports suggest Spain won't be asking for a bailout this year, while Greece may have to wait until the end of the month for euro zone finance ministers to make a decision on unlocking fresh funding. In individual stocks, ENRC is the biggest loser, down 2.64% following its 3Q results. Among mid-caps, Balfour Beatty slumps more than 17% after disappointing 3Q numbers. There are no major UK data points due Friday.

Insurer Aviva has said it is in talks with external parties in relation to the sale of the company's U.S. life and annuities business, and added that the operating profit trend is broadly in line with the half year.

U.K.-listed, Kazakhstan-focused miner Eurasian Natural Resources Corp. plans to invest $1.5 billion in three copper projects in the Congo over the next five years, the company's chief financial officer said Thursday.

Experian, the global information services company, Thursday announced a reduced pretax profit for the six months ended Sept. 30 and said that it is launching a new efficiency program expected to secure annualized savings of $75 million.

Wm Morrison Supermarkets PLC (MRW.LN) said Thursday comparable sales excluding fuel for the third quarter ended Oct. 28 were down 2.1% with total sales down by 0.4%, which it blamed on the challenging trading environment, but anticipates the full year performance to be broadly in line with Board expectations.

Yule Catto & Co,a manufacturer of polymers, said Thursday its full year underlying pretax profit is expected to be ahead of 2011 pro-forma of GBP96 million.

Mike Ashley's Sports Direct International is looking to expand into Europe and has recruited former Merrill Lynch executive Jeff Blue to assist it in pursuing its acquisitions ambitions, a person familiar with the matter told Dow Jones Newswires Thursday.

THE FTSE 100             closed             Down             15         @      5776 THE DOW JONES           @ 17:00             Down             16         @      12915                                                     THE NASDAQ              @ 17:00             Down             12         @       2925 Exchange Rates GBP – USD                  @       17:00                 1.5977 GBP - EURO                 @       17:00                 1.2540

Gold USD/Oz                    $1,723