European shares hit 2004 lows as techs sink ( Reuters) Wednesday August 11, 03:10 PM
European shares fell to year lows on Wednesday as technology companies were pulled lower by cautious guidance from top U.S. Internet equipment maker Cisco Systems and high crude oil prices cast a pall over investor sentiment.

Full planes don't make fat profits for EU airlines ( Reuters) Wednesday August 11, 02:43 PM
Passengers are returning to the skies in droves but record fuel prices and cut-throat competition still threaten Europe's aviation underdogs which are being squeezed by larger rivals.

UK spending more time, money on media -- regulator ( Reuters) Wednesday August 11, 02:43 PM
LONDON, Aug 11 (Reuters) - British consumers are spending more time and money watching TV, logging onto the Internet and tuning into radio, media regulator Ofcom said on Wednesday, spurred by the rapid uptake in broadband and digital TV.

U.S. stocks drop at open; Cisco drags on techs ( Reuters) Wednesday August 11, 02:37 PM
NEW YORK, Aug 11 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks fell at the open on Wednesday, giving back some of Tuesday's gains, as a disappointing forecast from Cisco Systems Corp. weighed on technology stocks.

MOVES -- CSFB, Morley, Deutshe Bank, others ( Reuters) Wednesday August 11, 02:33 PM
LONDON, Aug 11 (Reuters) - The following financial services industry appointments and moves were reported on Wednesday.

UK Equities - to August 26 ( Reuters) Wednesday August 11, 02:27 PM
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CSFB hires two business service analysts ( Reuters) Wednesday August 11, 02:18 PM
Credit Suisse First Boston has hired two analysts to its business services team, the investment banking arm of Credit Suisse said on Wednesday.

Before the Bell-Cisco, Kulicke & Soffa, UTStarcom fall ( Reuters) Wednesday August 11, 02:05 PM
NEW YORK, Aug 11 (Reuters) - Shares of UTStarcom Inc.

U.S. stocks set to fall; Cisco disappoints ( Reuters) Wednesday August 11, 02:05 PM
NEW YORK, Aug 11 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks are set to fall on Wednesday, giving back some of Tuesday's gains, as a disappointing forecast from Cisco Systems Corp. may weigh on technology stocks.

Centrica signs UK's first major LNG import deal ( Reuters) Wednesday August 11, 01:51 PM
LONDON, Aug 11 (Reuters) - British utility Centrica on Wednesday signed the first major deal to import liquefied natural gas (LNG) for the UK market as part of a plan to secure supplies for its customers at a time when North Sea reserves start to dwindle.

UK's Interserve preferred bidder for $731 mln deal ( Reuters) Wednesday August 11, 01:49 PM
British support services company Interserve Plc said on Wednesday that one of its joint ventures had been named preferred bidder for a 400 million pound ($731 million) contract with the UK Ministry of Defence.

Table-Kim Eng Q2 net profit up 69.1 pct ( Reuters) Wednesday August 11, 01:45 PM
Three months to June 30, 2004

FTSE hit by ex-divs, oil worries; Rentokil gains ( Reuters) Wednesday August 11, 01:18 PM
Britain's FTSE 100 index stayed near the day's lows by mid-day on Wednesday, pressured by the weight of major stocks such as BP going ex-dividend, while talk of a break up lifted Rentokil Initial .

Malaysia's Public Bank aims to double cardholders ( Reuters) Wednesday August 11, 12:54 PM
Malaysia's fourth-biggest lender, Public Bank Bhd , said on Wednesday it aimed to nearly double its credit card holders in three years, helped by a new card that carries the Manchester United soccer club brand.

U.S. stocks set to slide; Cisco weighs ( Reuters) Wednesday August 11, 12:50 PM
NEW YORK, Aug 11 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks are set to fall in early trading Wednesday, giving back some of Tuesday's gains, as technology stocks weaken after a disappointing forecast from Cisco Systems Corp. .

Before the Bell-Cisco, ASML Kulicke & Soffa fall ( Reuters) Wednesday August 11, 12:47 PM
NEW YORK, Aug 11 (Reuters) - Shares of Kulicke & Soffa Industries Inc. fell before the bell on Wednesday after it said fiscal fourth-quarter revenue will be short of its prior forecast by as much as 31 percent.

Table-CSE Global Q2 net profit up slightly ( Reuters) Wednesday August 11, 12:45 PM
Three months to June 30, 2004

Before the Bell-Cisco, ASML fall ( Reuters) Wednesday August 11, 12:30 PM
Shares of Cisco Systems Inc.

U.S. stocks set to slide on Cisco caution ( Reuters) Wednesday August 11, 11:56 AM
U.S. stocks look set to tumble in early trading Wednesday, giving back a chunk of Tuesday's big gains, as technology stocks weaken after a disappointing forecast from Cisco Systems Corp. .

Dresdner cuts Scottish & Southern to "hold" ( Reuters) Wednesday August 11, 11:45 AM
Investment bank Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein cut its rating on Scottish & Southern Energy to "hold" from "add" on Wednesday, citing a recent outperformance by the UK utility's shares.

Eurostocks suffer on U.S. outlooks, techs tumble ( Reuters) Wednesday August 11, 11:41 AM
Tech stocks led European shares lower on Wednesday as U.S. networks giant Cisco Systems undermined the sector with a weaker-than-expected outlook, while Germany's Beiersdorf tumbled after its profit missed forecasts.

Table-Eastgate Tech H1 net profit surges ( Reuters) Wednesday August 11, 11:38 AM
Six months to June 30, 2004

Losses widen at UK furniture retailer Homestyle ( Reuters) Wednesday August 11, 11:38 AM
Full-year losses widened 10-fold at Britain's Homestyle Group Plc as the furniture retailer wrote down the value of its core business and disposed of its textiles division in the face of intense competition.

Eurotunnel halts tunnel traffic for 2 hrs ( Reuters) Wednesday August 11, 11:35 AM
Traffic through the undersea tunnel linking France and Britain will be halted for two hours from 1030 GMT on Wednesday due to faulty signalling systems, tunnel operator Eurotunnel said.

EU approves BAE buy of tank maker Alvis ( Reuters) Wednesday August 11, 11:31 AM
BAE Systems , Europe's biggest military contractor, won permission from the European Commission on Wednesday to buy British tank maker Alvis for 355 million pounds, the EU executive said.

Table-Eastern Asia Tech Q2 net sinks into red ( Reuters) Wednesday August 11, 11:13 AM
Three months to June 30, 2004

Technology groups set to weigh at Wall St opening ( Reuters) Wednesday August 11, 11:11 AM
Technology trio Cisco Systems , National Semiconductor and Kulicke & Soffa were set to drag Wall Street lower at the opening bell on Wednesday amid fresh signs of faltering demand.

UK's Centrica signs 4 bln stg Malaysian LNG deal ( Reuters) Wednesday August 11, 11:06 AM
LONDON, Aug 11 (Reuters) - British utility Centrica has signed a 15-year deal to buy liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Asean LNG Trading Company, a unit of Malaysian state oil and gas company Petronas, the UK firm said on Wednesday.

Fitch says expects at least one UK bid for Abbey ( Reuters) Wednesday August 11, 11:02 AM
LONDON, Aug 11 (Reuters) - Banking group Abbey National Plc can expect to get at least one takeover bid from a British peer, thanks to the sector's strong performance in the first half of the year, Fitch Ratings said on Wednesday,

Singapore shares end down 3rd day, properties drop ( Reuters) Wednesday August 11, 10:53 AM
SINGAPORE, Aug 11 (Reuters) - Singapore shares fell for the third straight day on Wednesday as City Developments and other property stocks gave up some of their recent gains that helped drive the market to three-and-a-half-year highs last week.

Rail work keeps UK's Balfour on track, gets new CEO ( Reuters)
Table-GP Batteries Q1 net profit up slightly ( Reuters)
Exxon's Angolan Kizomba A starts production ( Reuters)
Hollinger Int'l, board in settlement talks-NY Post ( Reuters)
MOVES-HSBC Asset Management, Deutsche Bank, ING ( Reuters)
Singapore shares end down for 3rd day, properties drag ( Reuters)
Techs lead European shares lower, Beiersdorf dips ( Reuters)
ING raises UK's Rentokil to "hold", shares rise ( Reuters)
HK stocks down as earnings disappoint, China plays hit ( Reuters)
FTSE loss deepens as ex-divs, Cisco update weigh ( Reuters)
UK biotech Xenova H1 cash reserves almost double ( Reuters)
Nikkei ends higher on bank news, positive Fed view ( Reuters)
Dutch unit of Air France-KLM raises ticket prices ( Reuters)
P&O says gains rights to invest in Indian port ( Reuters)
HK stocks end down on weak results, China plays hit ( Reuters)
JP Morgan lifts Liberty Int'l price target ( Reuters)
Man shares climb after value of key fund rises ( Reuters)
RESEARCH ALERT-CSFB ups UK insurer Friends Provident ( Reuters)
European shares down as Cisco offsets bullish Fed ( Reuters)
StanChart leaves HK prime rate unchanged at 5 pct ( Reuters)
FTSE buckles under weight of ex-divs, Man Gp gains ( Reuters)
CSFB ups UK insurer Friends Provident -dealers ( Reuters)
UK's Balfour Beatty H1 profits rise, names new CEO ( Reuters)
UBS cuts Scottish & Southern to "neutral" ( Reuters)
BAA says July traffic up 8 pct at its UK airports ( Reuters)
UK's Balfour Beatty names Tyler as new CEO ( Reuters)
UK's Balfour posts 33 pct rise in H1 profit ( Reuters)
Singapore shares ease, techs and property fall ( Reuters)
BAA says July airport traffic rises 8 pct ( Reuters)
Table-OCBC Q2 net profit up 35.3 pct ( Reuters)
European stocks -- Factors to watch on Aug 11 ( Reuters)
HK stocks down slightly by midday, earnings awaited ( Reuters)
Chilean right buries mining royalty bill ( Reuters)
Press Digest - British business press - Aug 11 ( Reuters)
Nikkei up 0.91 pct at midday on positive Fed view ( Reuters)
Press Digest - Financial Times - Aug 11 ( Reuters)
HK stocks start higher after U.S. rate hike, banks lead ( Reuters)
Tokyo stocks up on positive Fed view of US economy ( Reuters)
Table-Pacific Century Q2 net sinks into red ( Reuters)
HK stocks seen up after U.S. rate hike, earnings eyed ( Reuters)