RAMSEY CROOKALL 21st   October 2011 Morning Report The FTSE 100 index advanced 0.5% as shares of Weir Group rallied 5.4%. U.K. banks also posted gains, with Barclays PLC up 2.4% and Royal Bank of Scotland up 2.2%. Euro-zone debt remains in focus ahead of this weekend's EU summit, and amid reports of another summit next week.

Thomas Cook rose after the troubled travel group said it had reached agreement with its bankers to amend the terms of its existing facilities while securing an extra £100m of headroom. Thomas Cook’s shares have fallen sharply after earnings were hit by a range of factors including economic weakness and turmoil in the Arab world.

Aggreko is lower despite the provider of temporary power for events such as sports contests and concerts, raising its profit guidance for the full year after a strong performance in the third quarter. It now says pre-tax profits for the full-year will be at least £320m, up slightly from its prediction in August that it would be around £315m.

Casino and bingo group Rank said that revenues in the 16 weeks to 16 October were flat compared with the corresponding period last year, as strong growth from online and mobile gaming was met with continued weakness from its Spanish operations. A lower win margin in its London venues also held back revenue growth.

Provident Financial has warned that as a result of rising food and utility costs, both customer and agent behaviour remains cautious which has "moderated the demand for credit" in the third quarter. Nevertheless, the firm confirmed that it anticipates a "good result" for the full-year and current trading is in line with targets.

THE FTSE 100  at 10:00                    Up            23         @         5407 THE DOW JONES closed                      Up            37          @         11541          NASDAQ COMP closed                        Down           5          @          2598             Commodities Spot Gold $/Oz           $1621                       Up                     0.17 %     Brent Crude Oil          $109.49                     Down                   0.30 %

Exchange Rates GBP – USD               1.5792 GBP - EURO             1.1482