RAMSEY CROOKALL & CO  

20th September 2012

Evening Report

The FTSE 100 ends 0.6% lower at 5854.64, with miners worst hit after weak PMI numbers from China and the euro zone. US initial jobless claims also disappoint. Friday sees the release of UK public sector net borrowing data for August.  

BSkyB finished the session 1% ahead after regulator Ofcom cleared the company as fit to hold a UK broadcasting license.

Lonmin has reported that workers are returning to its Marikana mine following the end of a nearly six-week strike, but that production won't resume for a couple of days.

Rio Tinto is following through with plans to lay off workers at its Clermont thermal coal operation in northeastern Australia, with a large number of employees and contractors already told their jobs have been cut.

Imperial Tobacco Group said it expects its tobacco revenue to rise this year, as cigarette companies continue to rely on emerging markets growth and price increases to offset stagnant consumer demand.

Capital Shopping Centres Group a owner of shopping centers in the U.K. has launched a 300 million pounds bond offering, and said that it is actively considering of introducing equity partners into major assets of the company.

Morgan Sindall Group ,a U.K. construction, infrastructure and design business, said Thursday its investment division Morgan Sindall Investments Ltd., or MSIL, has been appointed as preferred partner for Slough Borough Council's Local Asset Backed Vehicle joint venture.

Ocado Group PLC the online grocer, has said that it expects an increase in the rate of sales growth in the fourth quarter after reporting a 10% rise in third quarter sales.

 Food wholesaler Booker Group PLC reported a 4.4% rise in like-for-like total sales for 12 weeks to Sept. 14, and said that outlook for the year as a whole remains unchanged.

THE FTSE 100             closed      Down       33        @      5,854 THE DOW JONES            @ 17:00     Down       11        @     13566 THE NASDAQ               @ 17:00     Down       11        @      3171 Exchange Rates GBP – USD        @      17:00                  1.6198 GBP - EURO      @      17:00                  1.2509