Textile maintenance services provider Davis Service Group (LSE: DVSG) is set to release its final report on Monday.

Bank Close Brothers Group (LSE: CBG) will report on its interim results on Tuesday, while IP commercialisation company Amphion Innovations (AIM: AMP), security services group G4S (LSE: GFS) and oil and gas services company Wellstream Holdings (LSE: WSM) will release their finals.

On Wednesday, property company Derwent London (LSE: DLN), Hikma Pharmaceutical (LSE: HIK) and direct marketing software developer smartFOCUS (AIM: STF) will report on their final results. Housebuilder Taylor Wimpey (LSE: TW) will release its annual report.

Market research group Aegis (LSE: AGS), medical technology company Biocompatibles International (AIM: BII), bakery chain Greggs (LSE: GRG), electronic components distributor Premier Farnell (LSE: PFL) and oil and gas producer Salamander Energy (LSE: SMDR) will report on their final results on Thursday. Temporary power provider Aggreko (LSE: AGK) will release its annual report.

Next week’s economic updates will include Empire State Manufacturing Survey and US industrial production as well as Japan’s consumer confidence data on Monday, US housing starts on Tuesday and EU and UK inflation numbers on Tuesday, US producer prices, Bank of England interest rate minutes and UK unemployment rate on Wednesday, US inflation and jobless claims number, Philly Fed index and UK mortgage approvals on Thursday and Germany’s producer price index on Friday.

The FTSE 100 is currently projected to add 0.2% on Monday to extend last week’s gains, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average is seen 0.1% higher. The broader S&P 500 index and the technology heavy NASDAQ composite are set to follow Dow.

Textile maintenance services provider Davis Service Group (LSE: DVSG) is set to release its final report on Monday.

Bank Close Brothers Group (LSE: CBG) will report on its interim results on Tuesday, while IP commercialisation company Amphion Innovations (AIM: AMP), security services group G4S (LSE: GFS) and oil and gas services company Wellstream Holdings (LSE: WSM) will release their finals.

On Wednesday, property company Derwent London (LSE: DLN), Hikma Pharmaceutical (LSE: HIK) and direct marketing software developer smartFOCUS (AIM: STF) will report on their final results. Housebuilder Taylor Wimpey (LSE: TW) will release its annual report.

Market research group Aegis (LSE: AGS), medical technology company Biocompatibles International (AIM: BII), bakery chain Greggs (LSE: GRG), electronic components distributor Premier Farnell (LSE: PFL) and oil and gas producer Salamander Energy (LSE: SMDR) will report on their final results on Thursday. Temporary power provider Aggreko (LSE: AGK) will release its annual report.

Next week’s economic updates will include Empire State Manufacturing Survey and US industrial production as well as Japan’s consumer confidence data on Monday, US housing starts on Tuesday and EU and UK inflation numbers on Tuesday, US producer prices, Bank of England interest rate minutes and UK unemployment rate on Wednesday, US inflation and jobless claims number, Philly Fed index and UK mortgage approvals on Thursday and Germany’s producer price index on Friday.

The FTSE 100 is currently projected to add 0.2% on Monday to extend last week’s gains, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average is seen 0.1% higher.

Textile maintenance services provider Davis Service Group (LSE: DVSG) is set to release its final report on Monday.

Bank Close Brothers Group (LSE: CBG) will report on its interim results on Tuesday, while IP commercialisation company Amphion Innovations (AIM: AMP), security services group G4S (LSE: GFS) and oil and gas services company Wellstream Holdings (LSE: WSM) will release their finals.

On Wednesday, property company Derwent London (LSE: DLN), Hikma Pharmaceutical (LSE: HIK) and direct marketing software developer smartFOCUS (AIM: STF) will report on their final results. Housebuilder Taylor Wimpey (LSE: TW) will release its annual report.

Market research group Aegis (LSE: AGS), medical technology company Biocompatibles International (AIM: BII), bakery chain Greggs (LSE: GRG), electronic components distributor Premier Farnell (LSE: PFL) and oil and gas producer Salamander Energy (LSE: SMDR) will report on their final results on Thursday. Temporary power provider Aggreko (LSE: AGK) will release its annual report.

Next week’s economic updates will include Empire State Manufacturing Survey and US industrial production as well as Japan’s consumer confidence data on Monday, US housing starts on Tuesday and EU and UK inflation numbers on Tuesday, US producer prices, Bank of England interest rate minutes and UK unemployment rate on Wednesday, US inflation and jobless claims number, Philly Fed index and UK mortgage approvals on Thursday and Germany’s producer price index on Friday.

The FTSE 100 is currently projected to add 0.2% on Monday to extend last week’s gains, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average is seen 0.1% higher.

Textile maintenance services provider Davis Service Group (LSE: DVSG) is set to release its final report on Monday.

Bank Close Brothers Group (LSE: CBG) will report on its interim results on Tuesday, while IP commercialisation company Amphion Innovations (AIM: AMP), security services group G4S (LSE: GFS) and oil and gas services company Wellstream Holdings (LSE: WSM) will release their finals.

On Wednesday, property company Derwent London (LSE: DLN), Hikma Pharmaceutical (LSE: HIK) and direct marketing software developer smartFOCUS (AIM: STF) will report on their final results. Housebuilder Taylor Wimpey (LSE: TW) will release its annual report.

Market research group Aegis (LSE: AGS), medical technology company Biocompatibles International (AIM: BII), bakery chain Greggs (LSE: GRG), electronic components distributor Premier Farnell (LSE: PFL) and oil and gas producer Salamander Energy (LSE: SMDR) will report on their final results on Thursday. Temporary power provider Aggreko (LSE: AGK) will release its annual report.

Next week’s economic updates will include Empire State Manufacturing Survey and US industrial production as well as Japan’s consumer confidence data on Monday, US housing starts on Tuesday and EU and UK inflation numbers on Tuesday, US producer prices, Bank of England interest rate minutes and UK unemployment rate on Wednesday, US inflation and jobless claims number, Philly Fed index and UK mortgage approvals on Thursday and Germany’s producer price index on Friday.

The FTSE 100 is currently projected to add 0.2% on Monday to extend last week’s gains, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average is seen 0.1% higher.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has held talks with French President Nicolas Sarkozy during the latter’s visit to London at the end of this week with both leaders backing the idea of a global bank levy and claiming there was support in other countries as well. The two leaders, however, failed to reach common ground on the EU’s proposed rules to regulate hedge funds with Brown calling for protection for offshore-registered London-based hedge funds, though British Prime Minister said a solution would be reached within the next few days.

US defence contractor General Dynamics (NYSE: GD) has secured a £1 billion deal to build Scout armoured reconnaissance vehicles for the British army, delivering a huge blow to domestic defence and aerospace systems manufacturer and FTSE 100 constituent BAE Systems (LSE: BA), which also bid for the deal. According to the Sunday Sun, the loss could result in some 650 jobs lost at BAE’s Scotswood Road site in Newcastle.

The European Union is reportedly nearing a deal that would offer Greece a €20-25 billion bailout package, which will be discussed during a meeting of eurozone financial ministers that is set to kick off on Monday. The aid would have to come in the form of loan guarantees as EU regulations prohibit bailouts. Last week, Greece raised €5 billion in an oversubscribed bond issue to meet its near term commitments and introduced a fresh package of economic austerity measures to save it another €4.8 billion, aiming to meet the UE target of reducing its budget deficit by 4% this year.

It has been estimated that Greece will need to secure about €50 billion this year to avoid a default. The EU is currently trying to prevent the debt crisis from spreading into other countries of the 16-state eurozone.

British Airways’ (LSE: BAY) union has announced that cabin crew members will go on a three day strike starting March 20 and a four day walkout on March 27 after talks over cost cuts failed.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has held talks with French President Nicolas Sarkozy during the latter’s visit to London at the end of this week with both leaders backing the idea of a global bank levy and claiming there was support in other countries as well. The two leaders, however, failed to reach common ground on the EU’s proposed rules to regulate hedge funds with Brown calling for protection for offshore-registered London-based hedge funds, though British Prime Minister said a solution would be reached within the next few days.

US defence contractor General Dynamics (NYSE: GD) has secured a £1 billion deal to build Scout armoured reconnaissance vehicles for the British army, delivering a huge blow to domestic defence and aerospace systems manufacturer and FTSE 100 constituent BAE Systems (LSE: BA), which also bid for the deal. According to the Sunday Sun, the loss could result in some 650 jobs lost at BAE’s Scotswood Road site in Newcastle.

The European Union is reportedly nearing a deal that would offer Greece a €20-25 billion bailout package, which will be discussed during a meeting of eurozone financial ministers that is set to kick off on Monday. The aid would have to come in the form of loan guarantees as EU regulations prohibit bailouts. Last week, Greece raised €5 billion in an oversubscribed bond issue to meet its near term commitments and introduced a fresh package of economic austerity measures to save it another €4.8 billion, aiming to meet the UE target of reducing its budget deficit by 4% this year.

It has been estimated that Greece will need to secure about €50 billion this year to avoid a default. The EU is currently trying to prevent the debt crisis from spreading into other countries of the 16-state eurozone.

British Airways’ (LSE: BAY) union has announced that cabin crew members will go on a three day strike starting March 20 and a four day walkout on March 27 after talks over cost cuts failed.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has held talks with French President Nicolas Sarkozy during the latter’s visit to London at the end of this week with both leaders backing the idea of a global bank levy and claiming there was support in other countries as well. The two leaders, however, failed to reach common ground on the EU’s proposed rules to regulate hedge funds with Brown calling for protection for offshore-registered London-based hedge funds, though British Prime Minister said a solution would be reached within the next few days.

US defence contractor General Dynamics (NYSE: GD) has secured a £1 billion deal to build Scout armoured reconnaissance vehicles for the British army, delivering a huge blow to domestic defence and aerospace systems manufacturer and FTSE 100 constituent BAE Systems (LSE: BA), which also bid for the deal. According to the Sunday Sun, the loss could result in some 650 jobs lost at BAE’s Scotswood Road site in Newcastle.

The European Union is reportedly nearing a deal that would offer Greece a €20-25 billion bailout package, which will be discussed during a meeting of eurozone financial ministers that is set to kick off on Monday. The aid would have to come in the form of loan guarantees as EU regulations prohibit bailouts. Last week, Greece raised €5 billion in an oversubscribed bond issue to meet its near term commitments and introduced a fresh package of economic austerity measures to save it another €4.8 billion, aiming to meet the UE target of reducing its budget deficit by 4% this year.

It has been estimated that Greece will need to secure about €50 billion this year to avoid a default. The EU is currently trying to prevent the debt crisis from spreading into other countries of the 16-state eurozone.

British Airways’ (LSE: BAY) union has announced that cabin crew members will go on a three day strike starting March 20 and a four day walkout on March 27 after talks over cost cuts failed.

StatPro Group PLC (AIM: SOG) said it has performed extremely well in its financial full year, with a marked improvement in all key financial performance indicators. For the 12 months ended 31 December 2009, the company reported a 48% increase in adjusted pretax profits to £6.9m, adjusted earnings (EBITDA) grew by 28% to £8.63m and earnings per share (EPS) increased by 29% to 9p. Revenue rose 13% year-on-year to £31.56m.

In response to StatPro’s (AIM: SOG) strong full-year sresults, in which the software company reported a 48% increase in pre-tax profit, a number of analysts have upgraded their guidance for the current financial year. Both Edison Investment Research and Cenkos Securities provided a marginal upgrade for the FY2010, before considering the potential upside provided by the two new SaaS (Software as a Service) products StatPro Seven and StatPro Revolution.

Cinpart PLC (AIM: CINP) said it appointed Professor Michael Hughes to the board as a non-executive director with immediate effect.

Allocate Software (AIM: ALL) said it has advanced against all strategic objectives during the third quarter, highlighting its expansion into Australia and New Zealand and stronger presence in the Nordic region following the acquisition of Time Care AB.

Shares in Tanfield Group PLC (AIM: TAN) soared in morning trade after the engineering group announced it received a non-binding, conditional offer from Smith Electric Vehicles US Inc (SEVUS) for the company's Smith Electric Vehicle division.

Coloured gemstone producer Gemfields (AIM: GEM) reported revenues of US$12 million for the six months ended 31 December 2009 compared to just US$0.34 million in H1 2008 after two successful emerald auctions in July and November 2009 that raised the company US$11.5 million.

Security technology specialist Westminster Group (AIM: WSG) repoerted an 89% increase in online enquiries and a 62% increase in online sales since it launched its new ‘Generation 2’ website in April 2009. According to Westminster, the website has achieved nearly a threefold increase in the average visitor number compared to the previous website, based on record unique visitor numbers in January 2010.

In its full-year results statement, Telit Communications (AIM: TCM) said it has emerged from 2009 as a much stronger company. In the year ended 31 December 2009, the machine-to-machine (M2M) communication specialist reported revenues of €63.8m, up 10.7% compared with €57.6m in the previous year and gross profit grew by 11% to €30.6m.

In its first-half results, the Syntopix Group (AIM: SYN) said it is making progress as it continues to attract a number of commercial opportunities following last year’s completion of a Phase II clinical study and its evaluation agreement with a major consumer healthcare company. The company recently appointed a new chairman, and it is finalising plans for a proposed fundraising which will enable the company to progress these opportunities.

African focused investment company Lonrho (AIM: LONR) has been promoted into the FTSE AIM UK 50 Index and the FTSE AIM 100 Index, effective from the 22 March 2010. The company’s inclusion into the key indices reflects Lonrho’s growth and its position in London’s junior market, then group said in a statement.

Planet Payment (LSE: PPT and PPTR; OTC: PLPM) has completed and received certification from TSYS Acquiring Solutions (TSYS), a wholly-owned subsidiary of TSYS (NYSE: TSS), for the company’s iPAY payment gateway on the TSYS processing platform. TSYS currently offers a Planet Payment powered Multi-Currency Pricing service which allows merchants to reach international markets through price localization. Multi-Currency Pricing allows international customers to view prices, and pay for goods/services in their domestic currencies.

Daniel Stewart & Company (DS&C) issued a note on Planet Payment (LSE: PPT and PPTR; OTC: PLPM) today, reiterating its 'buy' rating after the data and payment processor received certification from its core existing client TSYS (NYSE: TSS).

Liberty PLC (LSE:LBE) jumped 7% in early deals this morning after the London retailer confirmed that it had received several approaches “that may or may not lead to an offer” for the company MWB Group (LSE:MWB) owns 68% of the equity in Liberty.

Specialist provider of lease asset finance to the SME sector 1pm PLC (AIM: OPM) has raised £1.15 million via a placing to help the company grow its lease portfolio further and enhance receivables and cash generation.

Henderson Morley (AIM: HML) (HML) and KMS Therapeutics have commenced a 9 week due-diligence period ahead of a potential license agreement. Following an earlier agreement on 19 February, the companies have signed a further letter of intent (LOI) in respect of the intellectual property rights of HML’s ionic contra-viral therapy (‘ICVT’) human portfolio.

Emissions trading exchange owner and operator Climate Exchange (AIM: CLE) reported a better than expected 2.4x increase in pre-tax profits to £6.8 million in the full year 2009 as revenues from core businesses soared 48% to £33.6 million.  In the year to end-December 2009 two of its three operated exchanges posted better performance with improved volumes and membership figures.

Ethanol and biorefining group Lignol Energy Corporation (TSX-V: LEC) announced an agreement with UK construction prodocts supplier Kingspan Group PLC (LSE: KGP) for the joint development of commercial applications incorporating Lignol's class of High-Purity Lignin and lignin derivatives (HP-L lignin) into various products.

Mobile gambling specialist Probability (AIM: PBTY) said it has partnered with Mobenga, a Swedish provider of betting software.  Probability will integrate into Mobenga's software platform and the groups will cooperate in marketing its games capability to Mobenga customers.

Navigation equipment maker Raymarine (AIM: RAY) noted the recent hike in its share price and confirmed it has received a further approach from a third party, which may or may not lead to an offer being made for the entire issued share capital of Raymarine at approximately 3.6 pence per share.

StatPro Group PLC (AIM: SOG) said it has performed extremely well in its financial full year, with a marked improvement in all key financial performance indicators. For the 12 months ended 31 December 2009, the company reported a 48% increase in adjusted pretax profits to £6.9m, adjusted earnings (EBITDA) grew by 28% to £8.63m and earnings per share (EPS) increased by 29% to 9p. Revenue rose 13% year-on-year to £31.56m.

In response to StatPro’s (AIM: SOG) strong full-year sresults, in which the software company reported a 48% increase in pre-tax profit, a number of analysts have upgraded their guidance for the current financial year. Both Edison Investment Research and Cenkos Securities provided a marginal upgrade for the FY2010, before considering the potential upside provided by the two new SaaS (Software as a Service) products StatPro Seven and StatPro Revolution.

Cinpart PLC (AIM: CINP) said it appointed Professor Michael Hughes to the board as a non-executive director with immediate effect.

Allocate Software (AIM: ALL) said it has advanced against all strategic objectives during the third quarter, highlighting its expansion into Australia and New Zealand and stronger presence in the Nordic region following the acquisition of Time Care AB.

Shares in Tanfield Group PLC (AIM: TAN) soared in morning trade after the engineering group announced it received a non-binding, conditional offer from Smith Electric Vehicles US Inc (SEVUS) for the company's Smith Electric Vehicle division.

Coloured gemstone producer Gemfields (AIM: GEM) reported revenues of US$12 million for the six months ended 31 December 2009 compared to just US$0.34 million in H1 2008 after two successful emerald auctions in July and November 2009 that raised the company US$11.5 million.

Security technology specialist Westminster Group (AIM: WSG) repoerted an 89% increase in online enquiries and a 62% increase in online sales since it launched its new ‘Generation 2’ website in April 2009. According to Westminster, the website has achieved nearly a threefold increase in the average visitor number compared to the previous website, based on record unique visitor numbers in January 2010.

In its full-year results statement, Telit Communications (AIM: TCM) said it has emerged from 2009 as a much stronger company. In the year ended 31 December 2009, the machine-to-machine (M2M) communication specialist reported revenues of €63.8m, up 10.7% compared with €57.6m in the previous year and gross profit grew by 11% to €30.6m.

In its first-half results, the Syntopix Group (AIM: SYN) said it is making progress as it continues to attract a number of commercial opportunities following last year’s completion of a Phase II clinical study and its evaluation agreement with a major consumer healthcare company. The company recently appointed a new chairman, and it is finalising plans for a proposed fundraising which will enable the company to progress these opportunities.

African focused investment company Lonrho (AIM: LONR) has been promoted into the FTSE AIM UK 50 Index and the FTSE AIM 100 Index, effective from the 22 March 2010. The company’s inclusion into the key indices reflects Lonrho’s growth and its position in London’s junior market, then group said in a statement.

Planet Payment (LSE: PPT and PPTR; OTC: PLPM) has completed and received certification from TSYS Acquiring Solutions (TSYS), a wholly-owned subsidiary of TSYS (NYSE: TSS), for the company’s iPAY payment gateway on the TSYS processing platform. TSYS currently offers a Planet Payment powered Multi-Currency Pricing service which allows merchants to reach international markets through price localization. Multi-Currency Pricing allows international customers to view prices, and pay for goods/services in their domestic currencies.

Daniel Stewart & Company (DS&C) issued a note on Planet Payment (LSE: PPT and PPTR; OTC: PLPM) today, reiterating its 'buy' rating after the data and payment processor received certification from its core existing client TSYS (NYSE: TSS).

Liberty PLC (LSE:LBE) jumped 7% in early deals this morning after the London retailer confirmed that it had received several approaches “that may or may not lead to an offer” for the company MWB Group (LSE:MWB) owns 68% of the equity in Liberty.

Specialist provider of lease asset finance to the SME sector 1pm PLC (AIM: OPM) has raised £1.15 million via a placing to help the company grow its lease portfolio further and enhance receivables and cash generation.

Henderson Morley (AIM: HML) (HML) and KMS Therapeutics have commenced a 9 week due-diligence period ahead of a potential license agreement. Following an earlier agreement on 19 February, the companies have signed a further letter of intent (LOI) in respect of the intellectual property rights of HML’s ionic contra-viral therapy (‘ICVT’) human portfolio.

Emissions trading exchange owner and operator Climate Exchange (AIM: CLE) reported a better than expected 2.4x increase in pre-tax profits to £6.8 million in the full year 2009 as revenues from core businesses soared 48% to £33.6 million.  In the year to end-December 2009 two of its three operated exchanges posted better performance with improved volumes and membership figures.

Ethanol and biorefining group Lignol Energy Corporation (TSX-V: LEC) announced an agreement with UK construction prodocts supplier Kingspan Group PLC (LSE: KGP) for the joint development of commercial applications incorporating Lignol's class of High-Purity Lignin and lignin derivatives (HP-L lignin) into various products.

Mobile gambling specialist Probability (AIM: PBTY) said it has partnered with Mobenga, a Swedish provider of betting software.  Probability will integrate into Mobenga's software platform and the groups will cooperate in marketing its games capability to Mobenga customers.

Navigation equipment maker Raymarine (AIM: RAY) noted the recent hike in its share price and confirmed it has received a further approach from a third party, which may or may not lead to an offer being made for the entire issued share capital of Raymarine at approximately 3.6 pence per share.

StatPro Group PLC (AIM: SOG) said it has performed extremely well in its financial full year, with a marked improvement in all key financial performance indicators. For the 12 months ended 31 December 2009, the company reported a 48% increase in adjusted pretax profits to £6.9m, adjusted earnings (EBITDA) grew by 28% to £8.63m and earnings per share (EPS) increased by 29% to 9p. Revenue rose 13% year-on-year to £31.56m.

In response to StatPro’s (AIM: SOG) strong full-year sresults, in which the software company reported a 48% increase in pre-tax profit, a number of analysts have upgraded their guidance for the current financial year. Both Edison Investment Research and Cenkos Securities provided a marginal upgrade for the FY2010, before considering the potential upside provided by the two new SaaS (Software as a Service) products StatPro Seven and StatPro Revolution.

Cinpart PLC (AIM: CINP) said it appointed Professor Michael Hughes to the board as a non-executive director with immediate effect.

Allocate Software (AIM: ALL) said it has advanced against all strategic objectives during the third quarter, highlighting its expansion into Australia and New Zealand and stronger presence in the Nordic region following the acquisition of Time Care AB.

Shares in Tanfield Group PLC (AIM: TAN) soared in morning trade after the engineering group announced it received a non-binding, conditional offer from Smith Electric Vehicles US Inc (SEVUS) for the company's Smith Electric Vehicle division.

Coloured gemstone producer Gemfields (AIM: GEM) reported revenues of US$12 million for the six months ended 31 December 2009 compared to just US$0.34 million in H1 2008 after two successful emerald auctions in July and November 2009 that raised the company US$11.5 million.

Security technology specialist Westminster Group (AIM: WSG) repoerted an 89% increase in online enquiries and a 62% increase in online sales since it launched its new ‘Generation 2’ website in April 2009. According to Westminster, the website has achieved nearly a threefold increase in the average visitor number compared to the previous website, based on record unique visitor numbers in January 2010.

In its full-year results statement, Telit Communications (AIM: TCM) said it has emerged from 2009 as a much stronger company. In the year ended 31 December 2009, the machine-to-machine (M2M) communication specialist reported revenues of €63.8m, up 10.7% compared with €57.6m in the previous year and gross profit grew by 11% to €30.6m.

In its first-half results, the Syntopix Group (AIM: SYN) said it is making progress as it continues to attract a number of commercial opportunities following last year’s completion of a Phase II clinical study and its evaluation agreement with a major consumer healthcare company. The company recently appointed a new chairman, and it is finalising plans for a proposed fundraising which will enable the company to progress these opportunities.

African focused investment company Lonrho (AIM: LONR) has been promoted into the FTSE AIM UK 50 Index and the FTSE AIM 100 Index, effective from the 22 March 2010. The company’s inclusion into the key indices reflects Lonrho’s growth and its position in London’s junior market, then group said in a statement.

Planet Payment (LSE: PPT and PPTR; OTC: PLPM) has completed and received certification from TSYS Acquiring Solutions (TSYS), a wholly-owned subsidiary of TSYS (NYSE: TSS), for the company’s iPAY payment gateway on the TSYS processing platform. TSYS currently offers a Planet Payment powered Multi-Currency Pricing service which allows merchants to reach international markets through price localization. Multi-Currency Pricing allows international customers to view prices, and pay for goods/services in their domestic currencies.

Daniel Stewart & Company (DS&C) issued a note on Planet Payment (LSE: PPT and PPTR; OTC: PLPM) today, reiterating its 'buy' rating after the data and payment processor received certification from its core existing client TSYS (NYSE: TSS).

Liberty PLC (LSE:LBE) jumped 7% in early deals this morning after the London retailer confirmed that it had received several approaches “that may or may not lead to an offer” for the company MWB Group (LSE:MWB) owns 68% of the equity in Liberty.

Specialist provider of lease asset finance to the SME sector 1pm PLC (AIM: OPM) has raised £1.15 million via a placing to help the company grow its lease portfolio further and enhance receivables and cash generation.

Henderson Morley (AIM: HML) (HML) and KMS Therapeutics have commenced a 9 week due-diligence period ahead of a potential license agreement. Following an earlier agreement on 19 February, the companies have signed a further letter of intent (LOI) in respect of the intellectual property rights of HML’s ionic contra-viral therapy (‘ICVT’) human portfolio.

Emissions trading exchange owner and operator Climate Exchange (AIM: CLE) reported a better than expected 2.4x increase in pre-tax profits to £6.8 million in the full year 2009 as revenues from core businesses soared 48% to £33.6 million.  In the year to end-December 2009 two of its three operated exchanges posted better performance with improved volumes and membership figures.

Ethanol and biorefining group Lignol Energy Corporation (TSX-V: LEC) announced an agreement with UK construction prodocts supplier Kingspan Group PLC (LSE: KGP) for the joint development of commercial applications incorporating Lignol's class of High-Purity Lignin and lignin derivatives (HP-L lignin) into various products.

Mobile gambling specialist Probability (AIM: PBTY) said it has partnered with Mobenga, a Swedish provider of betting software.  Probability will integrate into Mobenga's software platform and the groups will cooperate in marketing its games capability to Mobenga customers.

Navigation equipment maker Raymarine (AIM: RAY) noted the recent hike in its share price and confirmed it has received a further approach from a third party, which may or may not lead to an offer being made for the entire issued share capital of Raymarine at approximately 3.6 pence per share.

Dragon Oil (LSE: DGO) has completed the initial testing of two Dzheitune development wells, A/142 and 13/143, at its Cheleken operation in the Caspian Sea. The wells were drilled to 3,961m and 3,450m, and tested at combined rates of 2,103 barrels of oil per day (bopd) and 2,168bopd respectively.

Mobile operator Vodafone’s (LSE: VOD) communication managing business Vodafone Global Enterprise (VGE) has secured a five-year contract to provide Germany's logistics group Deutsche Post DHL (FSE: DPW) (DPDHL) with a fully managed MPLS network in 67 countries.

AstraZeneca (LSE: AZN) has agreed a license and supply deal with India's Torrent Pharmaceuticals, whereby Torrent will supply a portfolio of generic medicines to AstraZeneca. The generic medicines are already licensed in a range of countries, and the partnership intends to brand and market them in many where AstraZeneca already has a strong commercial footprint.

Supermarket chain Morrisons (LSE: MRW) said in its results statement for the year ended 31 January 2010 that it added a further 43 new stores in the period, increased turnover by 6% to £15.4bn and reported underlying profits by 21% to £767m from the previous year.

In it full-year results statement, Computacenter (LSE: CCC) said it made good progress in 2009 and it has entered 2010 with a lower cost base, having secured large services contracts. For the twelve months ended 31st December2009, the company reported a 25.8% increase adjusted pre-tax profit to £54.2m compared with £43.1m in the previous year, earnings per share (EPS) increased 31.9% to 27.7p.

Midcap oil and gas producer Premier Oil (LSE: PMO) achieved the primary exploration target of the 34/5-1 S wildcat well at production license 374 S in the Norwegian portion of the North Sea by making a petroleum discovery in the Cook formation, while the other formation Statfjord came up dry.

Gold Resource Corporation (OTC:GORO, ETR:GIH) confirmed this morning that Hochschild Mining (LON:HOC) has increased its holding to 28.7% after it subscribed for 600,000 shares in a private placement and acquired a further 440,500 shares in the market.

Waste manager Shanks Group (LSE: SKS) has ended its discussions with its private equity suitor, the Carlyle Group, saying the international private equity group’s final price indication of 120p per share does not properly reflect Shank’s value.

Insurer Prudential PLC (LSE: PRU) said that further to the announcement on 1 March 2010 regarding the reverse takeover of Prudential by AIA Group Ltd, it has made an application to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange for the listing of its shares. It is now aiming to have the listing effective prior to launch of the rights issue announced on 1 March 2010.

Arrow Energy (ASX:AOE) today announced that it has received a non-binding indicative and conditional proposal from a company jointly owned by Royal Dutch Shell (LSE:RDSB) and PetroChina.

House builder Bovis Homes Group (LSE: BVS) returned to profits in the 2009 full year , bagging £4.8 million pretax profit compared to last year’s loss of £78.7 million as private home reservations jumped 82% during the year. The group offered an upbeat outlook for the current year, intending to increase capacity to benefit from the ongoing recovery in the markets.

Petrofac (LSE: PFC) said that 2009 was another excellent year, and for the year to end-December 2009, the oil and gas company reported a 33% year-on-year increase in net profit to US$353.6m compared to US$265m in the previous year. Similarly earnings (EBITDA) were up 34% at US$559m and earnings per share also rose 34% to 103.19 cents.

Dragon Oil (LSE: DGO) has completed the initial testing of two Dzheitune development wells, A/142 and 13/143, at its Cheleken operation in the Caspian Sea. The wells were drilled to 3,961m and 3,450m, and tested at combined rates of 2,103 barrels of oil per day (bopd) and 2,168bopd respectively.

Mobile operator Vodafone’s (LSE: VOD) communication managing business Vodafone Global Enterprise (VGE) has secured a five-year contract to provide Germany's logistics group Deutsche Post DHL (FSE: DPW) (DPDHL) with a fully managed MPLS network in 67 countries.

AstraZeneca (LSE: AZN) has agreed a license and supply deal with India's Torrent Pharmaceuticals, whereby Torrent will supply a portfolio of generic medicines to AstraZeneca. The generic medicines are already licensed in a range of countries, and the partnership intends to brand and market them in many where AstraZeneca already has a strong commercial footprint.

Supermarket chain Morrisons (LSE: MRW) said in its results statement for the year ended 31 January 2010 that it added a further 43 new stores in the period, increased turnover by 6% to £15.4bn and reported underlying profits by 21% to £767m from the previous year.

In it full-year results statement, Computacenter (LSE: CCC) said it made good progress in 2009 and it has entered 2010 with a lower cost base, having secured large services contracts. For the twelve months ended 31st December2009, the company reported a 25.8% increase adjusted pre-tax profit to £54.2m compared with £43.1m in the previous year, earnings per share (EPS) increased 31.9% to 27.7p.

Midcap oil and gas producer Premier Oil (LSE: PMO) achieved the primary exploration target of the 34/5-1 S wildcat well at production license 374 S in the Norwegian portion of the North Sea by making a petroleum discovery in the Cook formation, while the other formation Statfjord came up dry.

Gold Resource Corporation (OTC:GORO, ETR:GIH) confirmed this morning that Hochschild Mining (LON:HOC) has increased its holding to 28.7% after it subscribed for 600,000 shares in a private placement and acquired a further 440,500 shares in the market.

Waste manager Shanks Group (LSE: SKS) has ended its discussions with its private equity suitor, the Carlyle Group, saying the international private equity group’s final price indication of 120p per share does not properly reflect Shank’s value.

Insurer Prudential PLC (LSE: PRU) said that further to the announcement on 1 March 2010 regarding the reverse takeover of Prudential by AIA Group Ltd, it has made an application to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange for the listing of its shares. It is now aiming to have the listing effective prior to launch of the rights issue announced on 1 March 2010.

Arrow Energy (ASX:AOE) today announced that it has received a non-binding indicative and conditional proposal from a company jointly owned by Royal Dutch Shell (LSE:RDSB) and PetroChina.

House builder Bovis Homes Group (LSE: BVS) returned to profits in the 2009 full year , bagging £4.8 million pretax profit compared to last year’s loss of £78.7 million as private home reservations jumped 82% during the year. The group offered an upbeat outlook for the current year, intending to increase capacity to benefit from the ongoing recovery in the markets.

Petrofac (LSE: PFC) said that 2009 was another excellent year, and for the year to end-December 2009, the oil and gas company reported a 33% year-on-year increase in net profit to US$353.6m compared to US$265m in the previous year. Similarly earnings (EBITDA) were up 34% at US$559m and earnings per share also rose 34% to 103.19 cents.

Crude’s rally was fuelled by this week’s inventories report from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), which came out on Wednesday showing a surprisingly low increase of 1.4 mmbbls (million barrels) in oil inventories a day after American Petroleum Institute (API) said crude stockpiles in the US added 6.5 million barrels, while a smaller increase was expected. The data also signalled a sixth straight week of expansion in oil inventories.

At the same time, EIA said that gasoline stockpiles and distillates, which include heating oil, were down fell 2.9 million barrels and 2.2 million barrels respectively to signal higher demand.

Chinese demand was once was a concern, curbing crude’s gains. An update, which came out middle through the week showed that inflation in the world’s second largest energy consumer increased to an annualised rate of 2.7% in February, triggering speculation of further monetary policy tightening after the country introduces a series of measures to curb lending in January to prevent the rapidly growing economy from overheating.

China later insisted that the rate was still within its annual target of 3%, though concerns persisted, but the pressure on crude was subdued closer to the end of the week when International Energy Agency (IEA), which revised its oil consumption forecast for 2010 upwards by 1.6 mmbbls/d to 86.6 mmbbls/d this year. The IEA also upped its global demand estimate for 2009 to 85 mmbbls/d.

The update came shortly after OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) upped its demand forecast for the current year yesterday, projecting the global consumption to grow by an additional 0.9 mmbbls/d (million barrels per day) to 85.24 mmbbls/d provided that the ongoing economic recovery firms.

Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) added to the sentiment, saying that higher oil demand could drive the prices to US$92-97/barrel within the next three to six months.

Other bullish factors included further gains in the stock markets, which extended last week’s gains, easing concerns over whether the ongoing rally could be sustained.

Currencies were a factor with a stronger US dollar weighing on oil prices. The American currency gained against the euro late in the week, making US dollar-denominated commodities such as oil more expensive for holders of other currencies to curb demand.

Brent Crude for May delivery slipped just below US$80/barrel, while US light, sweet crude fell to US$81.24/barrel after nearing US$83/barrel late in the week.

Blue chip energy stocks were on the rise this week. Supermajors BP (LSE: BP) and Shell (LSE: RDSB) gained, as did fellow FTSE 100 constituent BG Group (LSE: BG). Cairn Energy (LSE: CNE) was the top performer in the sector in the FTSE 100, while Tullow Oil (LSE: TLW) went against the tide, posting a weekly loss after releasing its full year results on Wednesday.

Large and Mid Cap News

Petrofac (LSE: PFC) said that 2009 was another excellent year, and for the year to end-December 2009, the oil and gas company reported a 33% year-on-year increase in net profit to US$353.6m compared to US$265m in the previous year. Similarly earnings (EBITDA) were up 34% at US$559m and earnings per share also rose 34% to 103.19 cents.

Midcap oil and gas producer Premier Oil (LSE: PMO) achieved the primary exploration target of the 34/5-1 S wildcat well at production license 374 S in the Norwegian portion of the North Sea by making a petroleum discovery in the Cook formation, while the other formation Statfjord came up dry.

BP (LSE: BP) said it is paying Devon Energy Corp (NYSE: DVN) US$7.0 billion in cash for assets in Brazil, Azerbaijan and the US deepwater Gulf of Mexico, giving the UK oil major a material exploration position in the deepwater offshore Brazil and significantly enhance its position in core strategic areas.

Dragon Oil (LSE: DGO) has completed the initial testing of two Dzheitune development wells, A/142 and 13/143, at its Cheleken operation in the Caspian Sea. The wells were drilled to 3,961m and 3,450m, and tested at combined rates of 2,103 barrels of oil per day (bopd) and 2,168bopd respectively.

small caps

Dual-listed Rheochem Plc (ASX: RHE, AIM:RHEP), the oil and gas business with oil services, production, development and exploration assets, has acquired the remaining 50% shareholding of Zeus Petroleum Limited in a cashless transaction.

Gulf Keystone Petroleum (AIM: GKP) is set to increase its interests in Kurdistan by assuming 100% control of its GKPI operating subsidiary, following a material default by the company’s investment partner in Kurdistan, ETAMIC. Subject to total expenditure of US$52m the company will increase its net interests in each of the four Kurdistan based oilfields - Shaikan, Sheikh Adi, Ber Bahr and Akri Bijeel.

Ascent Resources (AIM: AST) has tested and completed the PEN-101 well in the Peneszlek area of the Nyrsieg exploration permits in eastern Hungary, which will commence production to sales immediately following the departure of the rig during the week of 15 March.

Xcite Energy (AIM: XEL) has announced the terms of its equity-based fundraising announced on 8 February. The company will issue shares at £0.40 per share to investors in the UK and at C$0.62 per share to North American investors. Xcite expects to raise aggregate gross proceeds of approximately £24.9 million (C$38.4 million). The proceeds will be used in the development of the Bentley oilfield in the North Sea.

BPC (AIM: BPC) has placed 69.8 million new shares to raise £2.4 million to meet its working capital requirements and reiterated its intention to re-domicile from the Falkland islands to the Isle of Man.

Europa Oil & Gas (AIM: EOG) has updated investors on the testing of the Hykeham-1Z well, which was drilled on the PEDL150 license, a short distance from the Whisby Field in the UK. After conducting a casing pressure test yesterday, the company has confirmed that the original perforation charges failed to penetrate the well casing, and therefore there is currently no connection to the reservoir.

Crude’s rally was fuelled by this week’s inventories report from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), which came out on Wednesday showing a surprisingly low increase of 1.4 mmbbls (million barrels) in oil inventories a day after American Petroleum Institute (API) said crude stockpiles in the US added 6.5 million barrels, while a smaller increase was expected. The data also signalled a sixth straight week of expansion in oil inventories.

At the same time, EIA said that gasoline stockpiles and distillates, which include heating oil, were down fell 2.9 million barrels and 2.2 million barrels respectively to signal higher demand.

Chinese demand was once was a concern, curbing crude’s gains. An update, which came out middle through the week showed that inflation in the world’s second largest energy consumer increased to an annualised rate of 2.7% in February, triggering speculation of further monetary policy tightening after the country introduces a series of measures to curb lending in January to prevent the rapidly growing economy from overheating.

China later insisted that the rate was still within its annual target of 3%, though concerns persisted, but the pressure on crude was subdued closer to the end of the week when International Energy Agency (IEA), which revised its oil consumption forecast for 2010 upwards by 1.6 mmbbls/d to 86.6 mmbbls/d this year. The IEA also upped its global demand estimate for 2009 to 85 mmbbls/d.

The update came shortly after OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) upped its demand forecast for the current year yesterday, projecting the global consumption to grow by an additional 0.9 mmbbls/d (million barrels per day) to 85.24 mmbbls/d provided that the ongoing economic recovery firms.

Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) added to the sentiment, saying that higher oil demand could drive the prices to US$92-97/barrel within the next three to six months.

Other bullish factors included further gains in the stock markets, which extended last week’s gains, easing concerns over whether the ongoing rally could be sustained.

Currencies were a factor with a stronger US dollar weighing on oil prices. The American currency gained against the euro late in the week, making US dollar-denominated commodities such as oil more expensive for holders of other currencies to curb demand.

Brent Crude for May delivery slipped just below US$80/barrel, while US light, sweet crude fell to US$81.24/barrel after nearing US$83/barrel late in the week.

Blue chip energy stocks were on the rise this week. Supermajors BP (LSE: BP) and Shell (LSE: RDSB) gained, as did fellow FTSE 100 constituent BG Group (LSE: BG). Cairn Energy (LSE: CNE) was the top performer in the sector in the FTSE 100, while Tullow Oil (LSE: TLW) went against the tide, posting a weekly loss after releasing its full year results on Wednesday.

Large and Mid Cap News

Petrofac (LSE: PFC) said that 2009 was another excellent year, and for the year to end-December 2009, the oil and gas company reported a 33% year-on-year increase in net profit to US$353.6m compared to US$265m in the previous year. Similarly earnings (EBITDA) were up 34% at US$559m and earnings per share also rose 34% to 103.19 cents.

Midcap oil and gas producer Premier Oil (LSE: PMO) achieved the primary exploration target of the 34/5-1 S wildcat well at production license 374 S in the Norwegian portion of the North Sea by making a petroleum discovery in the Cook formation, while the other formation Statfjord came up dry.

BP (LSE: BP) said it is paying Devon Energy Corp (NYSE: DVN) US$7.0 billion in cash for assets in Brazil, Azerbaijan and the US deepwater Gulf of Mexico, giving the UK oil major a material exploration position in the deepwater offshore Brazil and significantly enhance its position in core strategic areas.

Dragon Oil (LSE: DGO) has completed the initial testing of two Dzheitune development wells, A/142 and 13/143, at its Cheleken operation in the Caspian Sea. The wells were drilled to 3,961m and 3,450m, and tested at combined rates of 2,103 barrels of oil per day (bopd) and 2,168bopd respectively.

small caps

Dual-listed Rheochem Plc (ASX: RHE, AIM:RHEP), the oil and gas business with oil services, production, development and exploration assets, has acquired the remaining 50% shareholding of Zeus Petroleum Limited in a cashless transaction.

Gulf Keystone Petroleum (AIM: GKP) is set to increase its interests in Kurdistan by assuming 100% control of its GKPI operating subsidiary, following a material default by the company’s investment partner in Kurdistan, ETAMIC. Subject to total expenditure of US$52m the company will increase its net interests in each of the four Kurdistan based oilfields - Shaikan, Sheikh Adi, Ber Bahr and Akri Bijeel.

Ascent Resources (AIM: AST) has tested and completed the PEN-101 well in the Peneszlek area of the Nyrsieg exploration permits in eastern Hungary, which will commence production to sales immediately following the departure of the rig during the week of 15 March.

Xcite Energy (AIM: XEL) has announced the terms of its equity-based fundraising announced on 8 February. The company will issue shares at £0.40 per share to investors in the UK and at C$0.62 per share to North American investors. Xcite expects to raise aggregate gross proceeds of approximately £24.9 million (C$38.4 million). The proceeds will be used in the development of the Bentley oilfield in the North Sea.

BPC (AIM: BPC) has placed 69.8 million new shares to raise £2.4 million to meet its working capital requirements and reiterated its intention to re-domicile from the Falkland islands to the Isle of Man.

Europa Oil & Gas (AIM: EOG) has updated investors on the testing of the Hykeham-1Z well, which was drilled on the PEDL150 license, a short distance from the Whisby Field in the UK. After conducting a casing pressure test yesterday, the company has confirmed that the original perforation charges failed to penetrate the well casing, and therefore there is currently no connection to the reservoir.

Crude’s rally was fuelled by this week’s inventories report from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), which came out on Wednesday showing a surprisingly low increase of 1.4 mmbbls (million barrels) in oil inventories a day after American Petroleum Institute (API) said crude stockpiles in the US added 6.5 million barrels, while a smaller increase was expected. The data also signalled a sixth straight week of expansion in oil inventories.

At the same time, EIA said that gasoline stockpiles and distillates, which include heating oil, were down fell 2.9 million barrels and 2.2 million barrels respectively to signal higher demand.

Chinese demand was once was a concern, curbing crude’s gains. An update, which came out middle through the week showed that inflation in the world’s second largest energy consumer increased to an annualised rate of 2.7% in February, triggering speculation of further monetary policy tightening after the country introduces a series of measures to curb lending in January to prevent the rapidly growing economy from overheating.

China later insisted that the rate was still within its annual target of 3%, though concerns persisted, but the pressure on crude was subdued closer to the end of the week when International Energy Agency (IEA), which revised its oil consumption forecast for 2010 upwards by 1.6 mmbbls/d to 86.6 mmbbls/d this year. The IEA also upped its global demand estimate for 2009 to 85 mmbbls/d.

The update came shortly after OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) upped its demand forecast for the current year yesterday, projecting the global consumption to grow by an additional 0.9 mmbbls/d (million barrels per day) to 85.24 mmbbls/d provided that the ongoing economic recovery firms.

Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) added to the sentiment, saying that higher oil demand could drive the prices to US$92-97/barrel within the next three to six months.

Other bullish factors included further gains in the stock markets, which extended last week’s gains, easing concerns over whether the ongoing rally could be sustained.

Currencies were a factor with a stronger US dollar weighing on oil prices. The American currency gained against the euro late in the week, making US dollar-denominated commodities such as oil more expensive for holders of other currencies to curb demand.

Brent Crude for May delivery slipped just below US$80/barrel, while US light, sweet crude fell to US$81.24/barrel after nearing US$83/barrel late in the week.

Blue chip energy stocks were on the rise this week. Supermajors BP (LSE: BP) and Shell (LSE: RDSB) gained, as did fellow FTSE 100 constituent BG Group (LSE: BG). Cairn Energy (LSE: CNE) was the top performer in the sector in the FTSE 100, while Tullow Oil (LSE: TLW) went against the tide, posting a weekly loss after releasing its full year results on Wednesday.

Large and Mid Cap News

Petrofac (LSE: PFC) said that 2009 was another excellent year, and for the year to end-December 2009, the oil and gas company reported a 33% year-on-year increase in net profit to US$353.6m compared to US$265m in the previous year. Similarly earnings (EBITDA) were up 34% at US$559m and earnings per share also rose 34% to 103.19 cents.

Midcap oil and gas producer Premier Oil (LSE: PMO) achieved the primary exploration target of the 34/5-1 S wildcat well at production license 374 S in the Norwegian portion of the North Sea by making a petroleum discovery in the Cook formation, while the other formation Statfjord came up dry.

BP (LSE: BP) said it is paying Devon Energy Corp (NYSE: DVN) US$7.0 billion in cash for assets in Brazil, Azerbaijan and the US deepwater Gulf of Mexico, giving the UK oil major a material exploration position in the deepwater offshore Brazil and significantly enhance its position in core strategic areas.

Dragon Oil (LSE: DGO) has completed the initial testing of two Dzheitune development wells, A/142 and 13/143, at its Cheleken operation in the Caspian Sea. The wells were drilled to 3,961m and 3,450m, and tested at combined rates of 2,103 barrels of oil per day (bopd) and 2,168bopd respectively.

small caps

Dual-listed Rheochem Plc (ASX: RHE, AIM:RHEP), the oil and gas business with oil services, production, development and exploration assets, has acquired the remaining 50% shareholding of Zeus Petroleum Limited in a cashless transaction.

Gulf Keystone Petroleum (AIM: GKP) is set to increase its interests in Kurdistan by assuming 100% control of its GKPI operating subsidiary, following a material default by the company’s investment partner in Kurdistan, ETAMIC. Subject to total expenditure of US$52m the company will increase its net interests in each of the four Kurdistan based oilfields - Shaikan, Sheikh Adi, Ber Bahr and Akri Bijeel.

Ascent Resources (AIM: AST) has tested and completed the PEN-101 well in the Peneszlek area of the Nyrsieg exploration permits in eastern Hungary, which will commence production to sales immediately following the departure of the rig during the week of 15 March.

Xcite Energy (AIM: XEL) has announced the terms of its equity-based fundraising announced on 8 February. The company will issue shares at £0.40 per share to investors in the UK and at C$0.62 per share to North American investors. Xcite expects to raise aggregate gross proceeds of approximately £24.9 million (C$38.4 million). The proceeds will be used in the development of the Bentley oilfield in the North Sea.

BPC (AIM: BPC) has placed 69.8 million new shares to raise £2.4 million to meet its working capital requirements and reiterated its intention to re-domicile from the Falkland islands to the Isle of Man.

Europa Oil & Gas (AIM: EOG) has updated investors on the testing of the Hykeham-1Z well, which was drilled on the PEDL150 license, a short distance from the Whisby Field in the UK. After conducting a casing pressure test yesterday, the company has confirmed that the original perforation charges failed to penetrate the well casing, and therefore there is currently no connection to the reservoir.

Crude’s rally was fuelled by this week’s inventories report from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), which came out on Wednesday showing a surprisingly low increase of 1.4 mmbbls (million barrels) in oil inventories a day after American Petroleum Institute (API) said crude stockpiles in the US added 6.5 million barrels, while a smaller increase was expected. The data also signalled a sixth straight week of expansion in oil inventories.

At the same time, EIA said that gasoline stockpiles and distillates, which include heating oil, were down fell 2.9 million barrels and 2.2 million barrels respectively to signal higher demand.

Chinese demand was once was a concern, curbing crude’s gains. An update, which came out middle through the week showed that inflation in the world’s second largest energy consumer increased to an annualised rate of 2.7% in February, triggering speculation of further monetary policy tightening after the country introduces a series of measures to curb lending in January to prevent the rapidly growing economy from overheating.

China later insisted that the rate was still within its annual target of 3%, though concerns persisted, but the pressure on crude was subdued closer to the end of the week when International Energy Agency (IEA), which revised its oil consumption forecast for 2010 upwards by 1.6 mmbbls/d to 86.6 mmbbls/d this year. The IEA also upped its global demand estimate for 2009 to 85 mmbbls/d.

The update came shortly after OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) upped its demand forecast for the current year yesterday, projecting the global consumption to grow by an additional 0.9 mmbbls/d (million barrels per day) to 85.24 mmbbls/d provided that the ongoing economic recovery firms.

Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) added to the sentiment, saying that higher oil demand could drive the prices to US$92-97/barrel within the next three to six months.

Other bullish factors included further gains in the stock markets, which extended last week’s gains, easing concerns over whether the ongoing rally could be sustained.

Currencies were a factor with a stronger US dollar weighing on oil prices. The American currency gained against the euro late in the week, making US dollar-denominated commodities such as oil more expensive for holders of other currencies to curb demand.

Brent Crude for May delivery slipped just below US$80/barrel, while US light, sweet crude fell to US$81.24/barrel after nearing US$83/barrel late in the week.

Blue chip energy stocks were on the rise this week. Supermajors BP (LSE: BP) and Shell (LSE: RDSB) gained, as did fellow FTSE 100 constituent BG Group (LSE: BG). Cairn Energy (LSE: CNE) was the top performer in the sector in the FTSE 100, while Tullow Oil (LSE: TLW) went against the tide, posting a weekly loss after releasing its full year results on Wednesday.

Large and Mid Cap News

Petrofac (LSE: PFC) said that 2009 was another excellent year, and for the year to end-December 2009, the oil and gas company reported a 33% year-on-year increase in net profit to US$353.6m compared to US$265m in the previous year. Similarly earnings (EBITDA) were up 34% at US$559m and earnings per share also rose 34% to 103.19 cents.

Midcap oil and gas producer Premier Oil (LSE: PMO) achieved the primary exploration target of the 34/5-1 S wildcat well at production license 374 S in the Norwegian portion of the North Sea by making a petroleum discovery in the Cook formation, while the other formation Statfjord came up dry.

BP (LSE: BP) said it is paying Devon Energy Corp (NYSE: DVN) US$7.0 billion in cash for assets in Brazil, Azerbaijan and the US deepwater Gulf of Mexico, giving the UK oil major a material exploration position in the deepwater offshore Brazil and significantly enhance its position in core strategic areas.

Dragon Oil (LSE: DGO) has completed the initial testing of two Dzheitune development wells, A/142 and 13/143, at its Cheleken operation in the Caspian Sea. The wells were drilled to 3,961m and 3,450m, and tested at combined rates of 2,103 barrels of oil per day (bopd) and 2,168bopd respectively.

small caps

Dual-listed Rheochem Plc (ASX: RHE, AIM:RHEP), the oil and gas business with oil services, production, development and exploration assets, has acquired the remaining 50% shareholding of Zeus Petroleum Limited in a cashless transaction.

Gulf Keystone Petroleum (AIM: GKP) is set to increase its interests in Kurdistan by assuming 100% control of its GKPI operating subsidiary, following a material default by the company’s investment partner in Kurdistan, ETAMIC. Subject to total expenditure of US$52m the company will increase its net interests in each of the four Kurdistan based oilfields - Shaikan, Sheikh Adi, Ber Bahr and Akri Bijeel.

Ascent Resources (AIM: AST) has tested and completed the PEN-101 well in the Peneszlek area of the Nyrsieg exploration permits in eastern Hungary, which will commence production to sales immediately following the departure of the rig during the week of 15 March.

Xcite Energy (AIM: XEL) has announced the terms of its equity-based fundraising announced on 8 February. The company will issue shares at £0.40 per share to investors in the UK and at C$0.62 per share to North American investors. Xcite expects to raise aggregate gross proceeds of approximately £24.9 million (C$38.4 million). The proceeds will be used in the development of the Bentley oilfield in the North Sea.

BPC (AIM: BPC) has placed 69.8 million new shares to raise £2.4 million to meet its working capital requirements and reiterated its intention to re-domicile from the Falkland islands to the Isle of Man.

Europa Oil & Gas (AIM: EOG) has updated investors on the testing of the Hykeham-1Z well, which was drilled on the PEDL150 license, a short distance from the Whisby Field in the UK. After conducting a casing pressure test yesterday, the company has confirmed that the original perforation charges failed to penetrate the well casing, and therefore there is currently no connection to the reservoir.

Crude’s rally was fuelled by this week’s inventories report from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), which came out on Wednesday showing a surprisingly low increase of 1.4 mmbbls (million barrels) in oil inventories a day after American Petroleum Institute (API) said crude stockpiles in the US added 6.5 million barrels, while a smaller increase was expected. The data also signalled a sixth straight week of expansion in oil inventories.

At the same time, EIA said that gasoline stockpiles and distillates, which include heating oil, were down fell 2.9 million barrels and 2.2 million barrels respectively to signal higher demand.

Chinese demand was once was a concern, curbing crude’s gains. An update, which came out middle through the week showed that inflation in the world’s second largest energy consumer increased to an annualised rate of 2.7% in February, triggering speculation of further monetary policy tightening after the country introduces a series of measures to curb lending in January to prevent the rapidly growing economy from overheating.

China later insisted that the rate was still within its annual target of 3%, though concerns persisted, but the pressure on crude was subdued closer to the end of the week when International Energy Agency (IEA), which revised its oil consumption forecast for 2010 upwards by 1.6 mmbbls/d to 86.6 mmbbls/d this year. The IEA also upped its global demand estimate for 2009 to 85 mmbbls/d.

The update came shortly after OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) upped its demand forecast for the current year yesterday, projecting the global consumption to grow by an additional 0.9 mmbbls/d (million barrels per day) to 85.24 mmbbls/d provided that the ongoing economic recovery firms.

Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) added to the sentiment, saying that higher oil demand could drive the prices to US$92-97/barrel within the next three to six months.

Other bullish factors included further gains in the stock markets, which extended last week’s gains, easing concerns over whether the ongoing rally could be sustained.

Currencies were a factor with a stronger US dollar weighing on oil prices. The American currency gained against the euro late in the week, making US dollar-denominated commodities such as oil more expensive for holders of other currencies to curb demand.

Brent Crude for May delivery slipped just below US$80/barrel, while US light, sweet crude fell to US$81.24/barrel after nearing US$83/barrel late in the week.

Blue chip energy stocks were on the rise this week. Supermajors BP (LSE: BP) and Shell (LSE: RDSB) gained, as did fellow FTSE 100 constituent BG Group (LSE: BG). Cairn Energy (LSE: CNE) was the top performer in the sector in the FTSE 100, while Tullow Oil (LSE: TLW) went against the tide, posting a weekly loss after releasing its full year results on Wednesday.

Large and Mid Cap News

Petrofac (LSE: PFC) said that 2009 was another excellent year, and for the year to end-December 2009, the oil and gas company reported a 33% year-on-year increase in net profit to US$353.6m compared to US$265m in the previous year. Similarly earnings (EBITDA) were up 34% at US$559m and earnings per share also rose 34% to 103.19 cents.

Midcap oil and gas producer Premier Oil (LSE: PMO) achieved the primary exploration target of the 34/5-1 S wildcat well at production license 374 S in the Norwegian portion of the North Sea by making a petroleum discovery in the Cook formation, while the other formation Statfjord came up dry.

BP (LSE: BP) said it is paying Devon Energy Corp (NYSE: DVN) US$7.0 billion in cash for assets in Brazil, Azerbaijan and the US deepwater Gulf of Mexico, giving the UK oil major a material exploration position in the deepwater offshore Brazil and significantly enhance its position in core strategic areas.

Dragon Oil (LSE: DGO) has completed the initial testing of two Dzheitune development wells, A/142 and 13/143, at its Cheleken operation in the Caspian Sea. The wells were drilled to 3,961m and 3,450m, and tested at combined rates of 2,103 barrels of oil per day (bopd) and 2,168bopd respectively.

small caps

Dual-listed Rheochem Plc (ASX: RHE, AIM:RHEP), the oil and gas business with oil services, production, development and exploration assets, has acquired the remaining 50% shareholding of Zeus Petroleum Limited in a cashless transaction.

Gulf Keystone Petroleum (AIM: GKP) is set to increase its interests in Kurdistan by assuming 100% control of its GKPI operating subsidiary, following a material default by the company’s investment partner in Kurdistan, ETAMIC. Subject to total expenditure of US$52m the company will increase its net interests in each of the four Kurdistan based oilfields - Shaikan, Sheikh Adi, Ber Bahr and Akri Bijeel.

Ascent Resources (AIM: AST) has tested and completed the PEN-101 well in the Peneszlek area of the Nyrsieg exploration permits in eastern Hungary, which will commence production to sales immediately following the departure of the rig during the week of 15 March.

Xcite Energy (AIM: XEL) has announced the terms of its equity-based fundraising announced on 8 February. The company will issue shares at £0.40 per share to investors in the UK and at C$0.62 per share to North American investors. Xcite expects to raise aggregate gross proceeds of approximately £24.9 million (C$38.4 million). The proceeds will be used in the development of the Bentley oilfield in the North Sea.

BPC (AIM: BPC) has placed 69.8 million new shares to raise £2.4 million to meet its working capital requirements and reiterated its intention to re-domicile from the Falkland islands to the Isle of Man.

Europa Oil & Gas (AIM: EOG) has updated investors on the testing of the Hykeham-1Z well, which was drilled on the PEDL150 license, a short distance from the Whisby Field in the UK. After conducting a casing pressure test yesterday, the company has confirmed that the original perforation charges failed to penetrate the well casing, and therefore there is currently no connection to the reservoir.

Later in the week China said that its inflation rate climbed to an annualised 2.7% in February, triggering fears of further monetary policy tightening to strengthen the US dollar and push down commodities, including gold.

China, which is the world’s largest producer and the second bigger consumer of gold behind only India, currently has US$2.4 trillion in foreign exchange reserves, including holdings of 1,054 tonnes of gold compared to holdings of 600 tonnes in 2003.

Movements in the currency markets usually set direction for precious metals, which are seen as a riskier alternative to the US dollar and normally move inversely to the American currency. Gains in the euro usually push gold higher, and Europe’s single currency’s strength was a key factor in gold’s rally to six week highs at above US$1,140/oz.

The euro performed well last week after debt laden Greece introduced a new round of economic austerity measures and conducted a successful €5 billion bond issue to meet its near term commitments to ease concerns over its ability to avoid a default. This week, however, Europe’s single currency fell under pressure after Fitch threatened to cut Portugal’s rating from the current AA if the ongoing fiscal consolidation continues at a slow pace and proves insufficient.

However, the euro gained later in the week after Portugal conducted a successful bond issue to raise US$1.34 billion and the Swiss National Bank led its interest rates unchanged to push the US dollar down to three week lows against the euro and the Swiss franc.

The yellow metal fell back to US$1,100/oz later in the week as the US dollar climbed after Friday's US economic data turned out mixed as retail sales showed an unexpected increase of 0.3% in February instead of an expected decline, while the University of Michigan consumer sentiment index fell.

Major mining stocks were mixed this week as some companies managed to perform well, while others fell to track declines in precious metals. Gold producer Randgold Resources (LSE: RRS) failed to recover from sharp falls earlier in the week, while peer from the FTSE 250 Petropavlovsk (LSE: POG) ended the week with strong gains amid speculation about a possible spin off of its iron ore assets.

Silver and gold miner Fresnillo (LSE: FRES) finished lower after a volatile week, while midcap silver producer Hochschild Mining (LSE: HOC) fell sharply. Blue chip platinum miner Lonmin (LSE: LMI) defied the trend, recovering from early declines to post weekly gains, while Aquarius Platinum (LSE: AQP) only managed to trim losses on Friday.

Gold traded at US$1,100/oz on Saturday, while silver and platinum slid to US$17.07/o and US$1,605/oz respectively.

Large and Mid Cap News

Gold Resource Corporation (OTC:GORO, ETR:GIH) confirmed this morning that Hochschild Mining (LON:HOC) has increased its holding to 28.7% after it subscribed for 600,000 shares in a private placement and acquired a further 440,500 shares in the market.

Small Cap News

At its Paguanta project in Northern Chile, Herencia Resources (AIM: HER) said it has discovered a new vein of visible mineralization which includes massive sulphides. The new discovery is the result of the first two drill holes of its 2010 drilling campaign, and the holes confirm the presence of a new, fifth vein at Paguanta approximately 75m south of the high grade Cathedral vein.

Coloured gemstone producer Gemfields (AIM: GEM) reported revenues of US$12 million for the six months ended 31 December 2009 compared to just US$0.34 million in H1 2008 after two successful emerald auctions in July and November 2009 that raised the company US$11.5 million.

Thor Mining (AIM, ASX: THR) said its half yearly pretax losses amounted to £534,000, which was about in line with a £500,000 loss in H1 2008 as the company reduced administrative expenses by more than 60% in response to lower molybdenum and tungsten prices.

In its first-half results statement, Discovery Metals Limited (ASX: DML, AIM: DME) said it has made significant progress and is on the cusp of moving from being an exploration company to becoming a mine development company. In the six months ended 31 December, it continued to focus its activities on the Boseto copper project in north-west Botswana. During the period, Discovery also signed a joint exploration agreement with the Japanese government agency, JOGMEC, to develop its Dikoloti nickel project in eastern Botswana.

Africa focused gold deposit developer Cluff Gold (AIM: CLF) outlined a 2010 drilling programme and updated the resource estimates for two of its major projects today, saying the reserves at Kalsaka were sufficient for a further three and a half years of production at the current plant capacity of 1.6 Mtpa (million tonnes per annum).

West Africa operating iron ore exploration and development company Bellzone Mining announced its intention to join the AIM market with a US$100 million fundraising. The company has already developed and defined a maiden inferred iron ore magnetite JORC resource of 2.4bn tonnes at its wholly owned Kalia project in Guinea.

Both Libertas and Westhouse Securities issues a note on Discovery Metals (AIM&ASX: DME) in anticipation of the upcoming release of the bankable feasibility study (BFS) for its flagship Boseto copper and silver project in Botswana that will follow a positive pre-feasibility study completed in 2008. Both firms have given the miner a 'buy' rating with Westhouse upping its price target, expecting the BFS along with rising copper prices to boost the share price in the near term.

Anglo Asian Mining (AIM: AAZ) has posted a monthly record by producing 4,007 oz (ounces) of gold in February, bringing the total production from Gedabek in Azerbaijan to 18,855 oz since its commencement in July and marking a substantial increase from January and December, when the output amounted to 3,483 oz and 2,863 oz respectively.

Edison Investment Research said that Red Rock Resources (AIM: RRR) associate Jupiter Mines (ASX: JMS) has been re-rated following its proposed transformational deal to acquire a 49.9% stake in the Tshipi manganese project in South Africa for A$245m. The analyst report noted that Jupiter’s share price has risen by approximate 29% since the deal was announced on 1 March 2010. Jupiter’s shares closed at AU$0.305 on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) on 8 March.

Medusa Mining (ASX/AIM: MML: TSX: MLL) has announced a one for ten bonus issue of shares to all shareholders of the company.

Landore Resources (AIM: LND) said drilling at the Junior Lake-Lamaune gold prospect in Ontario continued to intersect widespread gold mineralisation, including 0.6 metres at 118.66 g/t (grammes per tonne) gold, and announced  staking additional claims for 9,472 ha (hectares) in the Keezhnik Lake area 20 km (kilometres) from its Miminiska Lake property.

In response to speculation in the Daily Mail, UK COAL (LSE: UKC) said it is "not aware of any proposal from the group's major shareholder or any other source". Whilst refuting the media reports, the company informed investors that it has received a very early stage merger proposal from an unnamed party.

Stratex International (AIM: STI) reported on the progress made in the full year 2009 today, which included three alliances to fast-track its four major projects in Turkey, new targets defined at the Oksut project and expansion into Ethiopia.

London Mining (AIM, OSX: LOND) has expanded its JORC-compliant resource at the Isua project in Greenland to an Indicated Resource of 114Mt (million tonnes) and Inferred Resource of 837Mt respectively, grading 37% and 36% Fe respectively.

Discovery Metals (ASX/BSE: DML; AIM: DME) has awarded the Boseto copper concentrate sales contract to Transamine, a global nonferrous raw materials trading company.

Based on the results of 2009’s exploration season, Chaarat Gold (AIM: CGH) has increased the JORC compliant estimate tor the Chaarat project, by 670,000 ounces to 4.009m oz. The 2009 drilling results consisted of 25 new core drill holes totalling 5,357m and four cross-cuts totalling 307m, the drilling covered 11 project areas along a 6km strike length. The results were incorporated into the project’s resource database and SKR Consulting carried out the JORC-resource estimate.

Sunkar Resources (AIM:SKR), a Kazakhstan focused mining company developing the Chilisai Phosphate project, confirmed this morning that it had met its minimum requirement to produce 1 million tonnes of phosphate in 2009.

Norseman Gold (AIM, ASX: NGL) has revised its production guidance for the current year down to 65,000 from the previous targets of 75,000 to 80,000 oz as production from the  Bullen Decline continued to disappoint, though the production forecast for the next financial year was left unchanged at between 105,000 and 110,000 oz (ounces).

In an analyst note on Solomon Gold (AIM: SOLG), London-based stockbroker Fairfax said it is looking forward to steady news flow throughout the next six to twelve months, following the company’s reorganisation and refocusing.  The broker anticipates further growth through the realisation of the value created by the changes of the last year.

Finders Resources (AIM, ASX: FND) has received official approval to change its financial year-end from 30 June to 31 December to align the balance dates of companies in the group, which will be effective from 31 December 2009 with the first financial report for the six months ended 2009 set to be released on 16 March.

Altona Energy (AIM: ANR) has appointed Peter Fagiano as senior executive in charge of project technology to join the Arckaringa Joint Venture (JV) management committee, which is responsible for the JV’s operations and decision making on all key matters.

Australia operating exploration company Thor Mining (AIM, ASX: THR) has appointed Trevor Ireland as a non-executive director. The appointment is the second major initiative for the company this year under its new growth strategy, the group said. Ireland is a geologist with more than 40 years experience in minerals exploration and corporate management.

Firestone Diamonds (AIM: FDI) has been selected by De Beers’ joint venture with the Namibian government, Namdeb Diamond Corporation, as the preferred supplier and operator for the Dredge and Floating Treatment Plant (FTP) project at Namdeb's diamond mining operations in Namibia.

Kalahari Minerals’ (AIM: KAH) said it is highly encouraged by the news that its 40.41% owned associate Extract Resources (ASX, TSX: EXT) is on track with its Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) for the world-class Rossing South deposit at the Husab uranium project in Namibia.

African-focused Discovery Metals (ASX/BSE: DML; AIM: DME) has reported that latest drill results highlight continuation of Plutus‐Petra mineralisation for 15 km beyond the current 11 km strike length boundary of the existing mineral resources.

Later in the week China said that its inflation rate climbed to an annualised 2.7% in February, triggering fears of further monetary policy tightening to strengthen the US dollar and push down commodities, including gold.

China, which is the world’s largest producer and the second bigger consumer of gold behind only India, currently has US$2.4 trillion in foreign exchange reserves, including holdings of 1,054 tonnes of gold compared to holdings of 600 tonnes in 2003.

Movements in the currency markets usually set direction for precious metals, which are seen as a riskier alternative to the US dollar and normally move inversely to the American currency. Gains in the euro usually push gold higher, and Europe’s single currency’s strength was a key factor in gold’s rally to six week highs at above US$1,140/oz.

The euro performed well last week after debt laden Greece introduced a new round of economic austerity measures and conducted a successful €5 billion bond issue to meet its near term commitments to ease concerns over its ability to avoid a default. This week, however, Europe’s single currency fell under pressure after Fitch threatened to cut Portugal’s rating from the current AA if the ongoing fiscal consolidation continues at a slow pace and proves insufficient.

However, the euro gained later in the week after Portugal conducted a successful bond issue to raise US$1.34 billion and the Swiss National Bank led its interest rates unchanged to push the US dollar down to three week lows against the euro and the Swiss franc.

The yellow metal fell back to US$1,100/oz later in the week as the US dollar climbed after Friday's US economic data turned out mixed as retail sales showed an unexpected increase of 0.3% in February instead of an expected decline, while the University of Michigan consumer sentiment index fell.

Major mining stocks were mixed this week as some companies managed to perform well, while others fell to track declines in precious metals. Gold producer Randgold Resources (LSE: RRS) failed to recover from sharp falls earlier in the week, while peer from the FTSE 250 Petropavlovsk (LSE: POG) ended the week with strong gains amid speculation about a possible spin off of its iron ore assets.

Silver and gold miner Fresnillo (LSE: FRES) finished lower after a volatile week, while midcap silver producer Hochschild Mining (LSE: HOC) fell sharply. Blue chip platinum miner Lonmin (LSE: LMI) defied the trend, recovering from early declines to post weekly gains, while Aquarius Platinum (LSE: AQP) only managed to trim losses on Friday.

Gold traded at US$1,100/oz on Saturday, while silver and platinum slid to US$17.07/o and US$1,605/oz respectively.

Large and Mid Cap News

Gold Resource Corporation (OTC:GORO, ETR:GIH) confirmed this morning that Hochschild Mining (LON:HOC) has increased its holding to 28.7% after it subscribed for 600,000 shares in a private placement and acquired a further 440,500 shares in the market.

Small Cap News

At its Paguanta project in Northern Chile, Herencia Resources (AIM: HER) said it has discovered a new vein of visible mineralization which includes massive sulphides. The new discovery is the result of the first two drill holes of its 2010 drilling campaign, and the holes confirm the presence of a new, fifth vein at Paguanta approximately 75m south of the high grade Cathedral vein.

Coloured gemstone producer Gemfields (AIM: GEM) reported revenues of US$12 million for the six months ended 31 December 2009 compared to just US$0.34 million in H1 2008 after two successful emerald auctions in July and November 2009 that raised the company US$11.5 million.

Thor Mining (AIM, ASX: THR) said its half yearly pretax losses amounted to £534,000, which was about in line with a £500,000 loss in H1 2008 as the company reduced administrative expenses by more than 60% in response to lower molybdenum and tungsten prices.

In its first-half results statement, Discovery Metals Limited (ASX: DML, AIM: DME) said it has made significant progress and is on the cusp of moving from being an exploration company to becoming a mine development company. In the six months ended 31 December, it continued to focus its activities on the Boseto copper project in north-west Botswana. During the period, Discovery also signed a joint exploration agreement with the Japanese government agency, JOGMEC, to develop its Dikoloti nickel project in eastern Botswana.

Africa focused gold deposit developer Cluff Gold (AIM: CLF) outlined a 2010 drilling programme and updated the resource estimates for two of its major projects today, saying the reserves at Kalsaka were sufficient for a further three and a half years of production at the current plant capacity of 1.6 Mtpa (million tonnes per annum).

West Africa operating iron ore exploration and development company Bellzone Mining announced its intention to join the AIM market with a US$100 million fundraising. The company has already developed and defined a maiden inferred iron ore magnetite JORC resource of 2.4bn tonnes at its wholly owned Kalia project in Guinea.

Both Libertas and Westhouse Securities issues a note on Discovery Metals (AIM&ASX: DME) in anticipation of the upcoming release of the bankable feasibility study (BFS) for its flagship Boseto copper and silver project in Botswana that will follow a positive pre-feasibility study completed in 2008. Both firms have given the miner a 'buy' rating with Westhouse upping its price target, expecting the BFS along with rising copper prices to boost the share price in the near term.

Anglo Asian Mining (AIM: AAZ) has posted a monthly record by producing 4,007 oz (ounces) of gold in February, bringing the total production from Gedabek in Azerbaijan to 18,855 oz since its commencement in July and marking a substantial increase from January and December, when the output amounted to 3,483 oz and 2,863 oz respectively.

Edison Investment Research said that Red Rock Resources (AIM: RRR) associate Jupiter Mines (ASX: JMS) has been re-rated following its proposed transformational deal to acquire a 49.9% stake in the Tshipi manganese project in South Africa for A$245m. The analyst report noted that Jupiter’s share price has risen by approximate 29% since the deal was announced on 1 March 2010. Jupiter’s shares closed at AU$0.305 on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) on 8 March.

Medusa Mining (ASX/AIM: MML: TSX: MLL) has announced a one for ten bonus issue of shares to all shareholders of the company.

Landore Resources (AIM: LND) said drilling at the Junior Lake-Lamaune gold prospect in Ontario continued to intersect widespread gold mineralisation, including 0.6 metres at 118.66 g/t (grammes per tonne) gold, and announced  staking additional claims for 9,472 ha (hectares) in the Keezhnik Lake area 20 km (kilometres) from its Miminiska Lake property.

In response to speculation in the Daily Mail, UK COAL (LSE: UKC) said it is "not aware of any proposal from the group's major shareholder or any other source". Whilst refuting the media reports, the company informed investors that it has received a very early stage merger proposal from an unnamed party.

Stratex International (AIM: STI) reported on the progress made in the full year 2009 today, which included three alliances to fast-track its four major projects in Turkey, new targets defined at the Oksut project and expansion into Ethiopia.

London Mining (AIM, OSX: LOND) has expanded its JORC-compliant resource at the Isua project in Greenland to an Indicated Resource of 114Mt (million tonnes) and Inferred Resource of 837Mt respectively, grading 37% and 36% Fe respectively.

Discovery Metals (ASX/BSE: DML; AIM: DME) has awarded the Boseto copper concentrate sales contract to Transamine, a global nonferrous raw materials trading company.

Based on the results of 2009’s exploration season, Chaarat Gold (AIM: CGH) has increased the JORC compliant estimate tor the Chaarat project, by 670,000 ounces to 4.009m oz. The 2009 drilling results consisted of 25 new core drill holes totalling 5,357m and four cross-cuts totalling 307m, the drilling covered 11 project areas along a 6km strike length. The results were incorporated into the project’s resource database and SKR Consulting carried out the JORC-resource estimate.

Sunkar Resources (AIM:SKR), a Kazakhstan focused mining company developing the Chilisai Phosphate project, confirmed this morning that it had met its minimum requirement to produce 1 million tonnes of phosphate in 2009.

Norseman Gold (AIM, ASX: NGL) has revised its production guidance for the current year down to 65,000 from the previous targets of 75,000 to 80,000 oz as production from the  Bullen Decline continued to disappoint, though the production forecast for the next financial year was left unchanged at between 105,000 and 110,000 oz (ounces).

In an analyst note on Solomon Gold (AIM: SOLG), London-based stockbroker Fairfax said it is looking forward to steady news flow throughout the next six to twelve months, following the company’s reorganisation and refocusing.  The broker anticipates further growth through the realisation of the value created by the changes of the last year.

Finders Resources (AIM, ASX: FND) has received official approval to change its financial year-end from 30 June to 31 December to align the balance dates of companies in the group, which will be effective from 31 December 2009 with the first financial report for the six months ended 2009 set to be released on 16 March.

Altona Energy (AIM: ANR) has appointed Peter Fagiano as senior executive in charge of project technology to join the Arckaringa Joint Venture (JV) management committee, which is responsible for the JV’s operations and decision making on all key matters.

Australia operating exploration company Thor Mining (AIM, ASX: THR) has appointed Trevor Ireland as a non-executive director. The appointment is the second major initiative for the company this year under its new growth strategy, the group said. Ireland is a geologist with more than 40 years experience in minerals exploration and corporate management.

Firestone Diamonds (AIM: FDI) has been selected by De Beers’ joint venture with the Namibian government, Namdeb Diamond Corporation, as the preferred supplier and operator for the Dredge and Floating Treatment Plant (FTP) project at Namdeb's diamond mining operations in Namibia.

Kalahari Minerals’ (AIM: KAH) said it is highly encouraged by the news that its 40.41% owned associate Extract Resources (ASX, TSX: EXT) is on track with its Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) for the world-class Rossing South deposit at the Husab uranium project in Namibia.

African-focused Discovery Metals (ASX/BSE: DML; AIM: DME) has reported that latest drill results highlight continuation of Plutus‐Petra mineralisation for 15 km beyond the current 11 km strike length boundary of the existing mineral resources.

Later in the week China said that its inflation rate climbed to an annualised 2.7% in February, triggering fears of further monetary policy tightening to strengthen the US dollar and push down commodities, including gold.

China, which is the world’s largest producer and the second bigger consumer of gold behind only India, currently has US$2.4 trillion in foreign exchange reserves, including holdings of 1,054 tonnes of gold compared to holdings of 600 tonnes in 2003.

Movements in the currency markets usually set direction for precious metals, which are seen as a riskier alternative to the US dollar and normally move inversely to the American currency. Gains in the euro usually push gold higher, and Europe’s single currency’s strength was a key factor in gold’s rally to six week highs at above US$1,140/oz.

The euro performed well last week after debt laden Greece introduced a new round of economic austerity measures and conducted a successful €5 billion bond issue to meet its near term commitments to ease concerns over its ability to avoid a default. This week, however, Europe’s single currency fell under pressure after Fitch threatened to cut Portugal’s rating from the current AA if the ongoing fiscal consolidation continues at a slow pace and proves insufficient.

However, the euro gained later in the week after Portugal conducted a successful bond issue to raise US$1.34 billion and the Swiss National Bank led its interest rates unchanged to push the US dollar down to three week lows against the euro and the Swiss franc.

The yellow metal fell back to US$1,100/oz later in the week as the US dollar climbed after Friday's US economic data turned out mixed as retail sales showed an unexpected increase of 0.3% in February instead of an expected decline, while the University of Michigan consumer sentiment index fell.

Major mining stocks were mixed this week as some companies managed to perform well, while others fell to track declines in precious metals. Gold producer Randgold Resources (LSE: RRS) failed to recover from sharp falls earlier in the week, while peer from the FTSE 250 Petropavlovsk (LSE: POG) ended the week with strong gains amid speculation about a possible spin off of its iron ore assets.

Silver and gold miner Fresnillo (LSE: FRES) finished lower after a volatile week, while midcap silver producer Hochschild Mining (LSE: HOC) fell sharply. Blue chip platinum miner Lonmin (LSE: LMI) defied the trend, recovering from early declines to post weekly gains, while Aquarius Platinum (LSE: AQP) only managed to trim losses on Friday.

Gold traded at US$1,100/oz on Saturday, while silver and platinum slid to US$17.07/o and US$1,605/oz respectively.

Large and Mid Cap News

Gold Resource Corporation (OTC:GORO, ETR:GIH) confirmed this morning that Hochschild Mining (LON:HOC) has increased its holding to 28.7% after it subscribed for 600,000 shares in a private placement and acquired a further 440,500 shares in the market.

Small Cap News

At its Paguanta project in Northern Chile, Herencia Resources (AIM: HER) said it has discovered a new vein of visible mineralization which includes massive sulphides. The new discovery is the result of the first two drill holes of its 2010 drilling campaign, and the holes confirm the presence of a new, fifth vein at Paguanta approximately 75m south of the high grade Cathedral vein.

Coloured gemstone producer Gemfields (AIM: GEM) reported revenues of US$12 million for the six months ended 31 December 2009 compared to just US$0.34 million in H1 2008 after two successful emerald auctions in July and November 2009 that raised the company US$11.5 million.

Thor Mining (AIM, ASX: THR) said its half yearly pretax losses amounted to £534,000, which was about in line with a £500,000 loss in H1 2008 as the company reduced administrative expenses by more than 60% in response to lower molybdenum and tungsten prices.

In its first-half results statement, Discovery Metals Limited (ASX: DML, AIM: DME) said it has made significant progress and is on the cusp of moving from being an exploration company to becoming a mine development company. In the six months ended 31 December, it continued to focus its activities on the Boseto copper project in north-west Botswana. During the period, Discovery also signed a joint exploration agreement with the Japanese government agency, JOGMEC, to develop its Dikoloti nickel project in eastern Botswana.

Africa focused gold deposit developer Cluff Gold (AIM: CLF) outlined a 2010 drilling programme and updated the resource estimates for two of its major projects today, saying the reserves at Kalsaka were sufficient for a further three and a half years of production at the current plant capacity of 1.6 Mtpa (million tonnes per annum).

West Africa operating iron ore exploration and development company Bellzone Mining announced its intention to join the AIM market with a US$100 million fundraising. The company has already developed and defined a maiden inferred iron ore magnetite JORC resource of 2.4bn tonnes at its wholly owned Kalia project in Guinea.

Both Libertas and Westhouse Securities issues a note on Discovery Metals (AIM&ASX: DME) in anticipation of the upcoming release of the bankable feasibility study (BFS) for its flagship Boseto copper and silver project in Botswana that will follow a positive pre-feasibility study completed in 2008. Both firms have given the miner a 'buy' rating with Westhouse upping its price target, expecting the BFS along with rising copper prices to boost the share price in the near term.

Anglo Asian Mining (AIM: AAZ) has posted a monthly record by producing 4,007 oz (ounces) of gold in February, bringing the total production from Gedabek in Azerbaijan to 18,855 oz since its commencement in July and marking a substantial increase from January and December, when the output amounted to 3,483 oz and 2,863 oz respectively.

Edison Investment Research said that Red Rock Resources (AIM: RRR) associate Jupiter Mines (ASX: JMS) has been re-rated following its proposed transformational deal to acquire a 49.9% stake in the Tshipi manganese project in South Africa for A$245m. The analyst report noted that Jupiter’s share price has risen by approximate 29% since the deal was announced on 1 March 2010. Jupiter’s shares closed at AU$0.305 on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) on 8 March.

Medusa Mining (ASX/AIM: MML: TSX: MLL) has announced a one for ten bonus issue of shares to all shareholders of the company.

Landore Resources (AIM: LND) said drilling at the Junior Lake-Lamaune gold prospect in Ontario continued to intersect widespread gold mineralisation, including 0.6 metres at 118.66 g/t (grammes per tonne) gold, and announced  staking additional claims for 9,472 ha (hectares) in the Keezhnik Lake area 20 km (kilometres) from its Miminiska Lake property.

In response to speculation in the Daily Mail, UK COAL (LSE: UKC) said it is "not aware of any proposal from the group's major shareholder or any other source". Whilst refuting the media reports, the company informed investors that it has received a very early stage merger proposal from an unnamed party.

Stratex International (AIM: STI) reported on the progress made in the full year 2009 today, which included three alliances to fast-track its four major projects in Turkey, new targets defined at the Oksut project and expansion into Ethiopia.

London Mining (AIM, OSX: LOND) has expanded its JORC-compliant resource at the Isua project in Greenland to an Indicated Resource of 114Mt (million tonnes) and Inferred Resource of 837Mt respectively, grading 37% and 36% Fe respectively.

Discovery Metals (ASX/BSE: DML; AIM: DME) has awarded the Boseto copper concentrate sales contract to Transamine, a global nonferrous raw materials trading company.

Based on the results of 2009’s exploration season, Chaarat Gold (AIM: CGH) has increased the JORC compliant estimate tor the Chaarat project, by 670,000 ounces to 4.009m oz. The 2009 drilling results consisted of 25 new core drill holes totalling 5,357m and four cross-cuts totalling 307m, the drilling covered 11 project areas along a 6km strike length. The results were incorporated into the project’s resource database and SKR Consulting carried out the JORC-resource estimate.

Sunkar Resources (AIM:SKR), a Kazakhstan focused mining company developing the Chilisai Phosphate project, confirmed this morning that it had met its minimum requirement to produce 1 million tonnes of phosphate in 2009.

Norseman Gold (AIM, ASX: NGL) has revised its production guidance for the current year down to 65,000 from the previous targets of 75,000 to 80,000 oz as production from the  Bullen Decline continued to disappoint, though the production forecast for the next financial year was left unchanged at between 105,000 and 110,000 oz (ounces).

In an analyst note on Solomon Gold (AIM: SOLG), London-based stockbroker Fairfax said it is looking forward to steady news flow throughout the next six to twelve months, following the company’s reorganisation and refocusing.  The broker anticipates further growth through the realisation of the value created by the changes of the last year.

Finders Resources (AIM, ASX: FND) has received official approval to change its financial year-end from 30 June to 31 December to align the balance dates of companies in the group, which will be effective from 31 December 2009 with the first financial report for the six months ended 2009 set to be released on 16 March.

Altona Energy (AIM: ANR) has appointed Peter Fagiano as senior executive in charge of project technology to join the Arckaringa Joint Venture (JV) management committee, which is responsible for the JV’s operations and decision making on all key matters.

Australia operating exploration company Thor Mining (AIM, ASX: THR) has appointed Trevor Ireland as a non-executive director. The appointment is the second major initiative for the company this year under its new growth strategy, the group said. Ireland is a geologist with more than 40 years experience in minerals exploration and corporate management.

Firestone Diamonds (AIM: FDI) has been selected by De Beers’ joint venture with the Namibian government, Namdeb Diamond Corporation, as the preferred supplier and operator for the Dredge and Floating Treatment Plant (FTP) project at Namdeb's diamond mining operations in Namibia.

Kalahari Minerals’ (AIM: KAH) said it is highly encouraged by the news that its 40.41% owned associate Extract Resources (ASX, TSX: EXT) is on track with its Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) for the world-class Rossing South deposit at the Husab uranium project in Namibia.

African-focused Discovery Metals (ASX/BSE: DML; AIM: DME) has reported that latest drill results highlight continuation of Plutus‐Petra mineralisation for 15 km beyond the current 11 km strike length boundary of the existing mineral resources.

Later in the week China said that its inflation rate climbed to an annualised 2.7% in February, triggering fears of further monetary policy tightening to strengthen the US dollar and push down commodities, including gold.

China, which is the world’s largest producer and the second bigger consumer of gold behind only India, currently has US$2.4 trillion in foreign exchange reserves, including holdings of 1,054 tonnes of gold compared to holdings of 600 tonnes in 2003.

Movements in the currency markets usually set direction for precious metals, which are seen as a riskier alternative to the US dollar and normally move inversely to the American currency. Gains in the euro usually push gold higher, and Europe’s single currency’s strength was a key factor in gold’s rally to six week highs at above US$1,140/oz.

The euro performed well last week after debt laden Greece introduced a new round of economic austerity measures and conducted a successful €5 billion bond issue to meet its near term commitments to ease concerns over its ability to avoid a default. This week, however, Europe’s single currency fell under pressure after Fitch threatened to cut Portugal’s rating from the current AA if the ongoing fiscal consolidation continues at a slow pace and proves insufficient.

However, the euro gained later in the week after Portugal conducted a successful bond issue to raise US$1.34 billion and the Swiss National Bank led its interest rates unchanged to push the US dollar down to three week lows against the euro and the Swiss franc.

The yellow metal fell back to US$1,100/oz later in the week as the US dollar climbed after Friday's US economic data turned out mixed as retail sales showed an unexpected increase of 0.3% in February instead of an expected decline, while the University of Michigan consumer sentiment index fell.

Major mining stocks were mixed this week as some companies managed to perform well, while others fell to track declines in precious metals. Gold producer Randgold Resources (LSE: RRS) failed to recover from sharp falls earlier in the week, while peer from the FTSE 250 Petropavlovsk (LSE: POG) ended the week with strong gains amid speculation about a possible spin off of its iron ore assets.

Silver and gold miner Fresnillo (LSE: FRES) finished lower after a volatile week, while midcap silver producer Hochschild Mining (LSE: HOC) fell sharply. Blue chip platinum miner Lonmin (LSE: LMI) defied the trend, recovering from early declines to post weekly gains, while Aquarius Platinum (LSE: AQP) only managed to trim losses on Friday.

Gold traded at US$1,100/oz on Saturday, while silver and platinum slid to US$17.07/o and US$1,605/oz respectively.

Large and Mid Cap News

Gold Resource Corporation (OTC:GORO, ETR:GIH) confirmed this morning that Hochschild Mining (LON:HOC) has increased its holding to 28.7% after it subscribed for 600,000 shares in a private placement and acquired a further 440,500 shares in the market.

Small Cap News

At its Paguanta project in Northern Chile, Herencia Resources (AIM: HER) said it has discovered a new vein of visible mineralization which includes massive sulphides. The new discovery is the result of the first two drill holes of its 2010 drilling campaign, and the holes confirm the presence of a new, fifth vein at Paguanta approximately 75m south of the high grade Cathedral vein.

Coloured gemstone producer Gemfields (AIM: GEM) reported revenues of US$12 million for the six months ended 31 December 2009 compared to just US$0.34 million in H1 2008 after two successful emerald auctions in July and November 2009 that raised the company US$11.5 million.

Thor Mining (AIM, ASX: THR) said its half yearly pretax losses amounted to £534,000, which was about in line with a £500,000 loss in H1 2008 as the company reduced administrative expenses by more than 60% in response to lower molybdenum and tungsten prices.

In its first-half results statement, Discovery Metals Limited (ASX: DML, AIM: DME) said it has made significant progress and is on the cusp of moving from being an exploration company to becoming a mine development company. In the six months ended 31 December, it continued to focus its activities on the Boseto copper project in north-west Botswana. During the period, Discovery also signed a joint exploration agreement with the Japanese government agency, JOGMEC, to develop its Dikoloti nickel project in eastern Botswana.

Africa focused gold deposit developer Cluff Gold (AIM: CLF) outlined a 2010 drilling programme and updated the resource estimates for two of its major projects today, saying the reserves at Kalsaka were sufficient for a further three and a half years of production at the current plant capacity of 1.6 Mtpa (million tonnes per annum).

West Africa operating iron ore exploration and development company Bellzone Mining announced its intention to join the AIM market with a US$100 million fundraising. The company has already developed and defined a maiden inferred iron ore magnetite JORC resource of 2.4bn tonnes at its wholly owned Kalia project in Guinea.

Both Libertas and Westhouse Securities issues a note on Discovery Metals (AIM&ASX: DME) in anticipation of the upcoming release of the bankable feasibility study (BFS) for its flagship Boseto copper and silver project in Botswana that will follow a positive pre-feasibility study completed in 2008. Both firms have given the miner a 'buy' rating with Westhouse upping its price target, expecting the BFS along with rising copper prices to boost the share price in the near term.

Anglo Asian Mining (AIM: AAZ) has posted a monthly record by producing 4,007 oz (ounces) of gold in February, bringing the total production from Gedabek in Azerbaijan to 18,855 oz since its commencement in July and marking a substantial increase from January and December, when the output amounted to 3,483 oz and 2,863 oz respectively.

Edison Investment Research said that Red Rock Resources (AIM: RRR) associate Jupiter Mines (ASX: JMS) has been re-rated following its proposed transformational deal to acquire a 49.9% stake in the Tshipi manganese project in South Africa for A$245m. The analyst report noted that Jupiter’s share price has risen by approximate 29% since the deal was announced on 1 March 2010. Jupiter’s shares closed at AU$0.305 on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) on 8 March.

Medusa Mining (ASX/AIM: MML: TSX: MLL) has announced a one for ten bonus issue of shares to all shareholders of the company.

Landore Resources (AIM: LND) said drilling at the Junior Lake-Lamaune gold prospect in Ontario continued to intersect widespread gold mineralisation, including 0.6 metres at 118.66 g/t (grammes per tonne) gold, and announced  staking additional claims for 9,472 ha (hectares) in the Keezhnik Lake area 20 km (kilometres) from its Miminiska Lake property.

In response to speculation in the Daily Mail, UK COAL (LSE: UKC) said it is "not aware of any proposal from the group's major shareholder or any other source". Whilst refuting the media reports, the company informed investors that it has received a very early stage merger proposal from an unnamed party.

Stratex International (AIM: STI) reported on the progress made in the full year 2009 today, which included three alliances to fast-track its four major projects in Turkey, new targets defined at the Oksut project and expansion into Ethiopia.

London Mining (AIM, OSX: LOND) has expanded its JORC-compliant resource at the Isua project in Greenland to an Indicated Resource of 114Mt (million tonnes) and Inferred Resource of 837Mt respectively, grading 37% and 36% Fe respectively.

Discovery Metals (ASX/BSE: DML; AIM: DME) has awarded the Boseto copper concentrate sales contract to Transamine, a global nonferrous raw materials trading company.

Based on the results of 2009’s exploration season, Chaarat Gold (AIM: CGH) has increased the JORC compliant estimate tor the Chaarat project, by 670,000 ounces to 4.009m oz. The 2009 drilling results consisted of 25 new core drill holes totalling 5,357m and four cross-cuts totalling 307m, the drilling covered 11 project areas along a 6km strike length. The results were incorporated into the project’s resource database and SKR Consulting carried out the JORC-resource estimate.

Sunkar Resources (AIM:SKR), a Kazakhstan focused mining company developing the Chilisai Phosphate project, confirmed this morning that it had met its minimum requirement to produce 1 million tonnes of phosphate in 2009.

Norseman Gold (AIM, ASX: NGL) has revised its production guidance for the current year down to 65,000 from the previous targets of 75,000 to 80,000 oz as production from the  Bullen Decline continued to disappoint, though the production forecast for the next financial year was left unchanged at between 105,000 and 110,000 oz (ounces).

In an analyst note on Solomon Gold (AIM: SOLG), London-based stockbroker Fairfax said it is looking forward to steady news flow throughout the next six to twelve months, following the company’s reorganisation and refocusing.  The broker anticipates further growth through the realisation of the value created by the changes of the last year.

Finders Resources (AIM, ASX: FND) has received official approval to change its financial year-end from 30 June to 31 December to align the balance dates of companies in the group, which will be effective from 31 December 2009 with the first financial report for the six months ended 2009 set to be released on 16 March.

Altona Energy (AIM: ANR) has appointed Peter Fagiano as senior executive in charge of project technology to join the Arckaringa Joint Venture (JV) management committee, which is responsible for the JV’s operations and decision making on all key matters.

Australia operating exploration company Thor Mining (AIM, ASX: THR) has appointed Trevor Ireland as a non-executive director. The appointment is the second major initiative for the company this year under its new growth strategy, the group said. Ireland is a geologist with more than 40 years experience in minerals exploration and corporate management.

Firestone Diamonds (AIM: FDI) has been selected by De Beers’ joint venture with the Namibian government, Namdeb Diamond Corporation, as the preferred supplier and operator for the Dredge and Floating Treatment Plant (FTP) project at Namdeb's diamond mining operations in Namibia.

Kalahari Minerals’ (AIM: KAH) said it is highly encouraged by the news that its 40.41% owned associate Extract Resources (ASX, TSX: EXT) is on track with its Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) for the world-class Rossing South deposit at the Husab uranium project in Namibia.

African-focused Discovery Metals (ASX/BSE: DML; AIM: DME) has reported that latest drill results highlight continuation of Plutus‐Petra mineralisation for 15 km beyond the current 11 km strike length boundary of the existing mineral resources.

Investors were also encouraged by improvements in the outlook for the European debt crisis after Greece conducted a successful bond issue in the previous week, which was oversubscribed, helping the debt laden country raise €5 billion to cover its near term commitments on top of a fresh package of economic austerity package introduced earlier that week, targeting savings of €4.8 billion.

However, rating agency Fitch said it could cut its current AA stance on another troubled euro zone country Portugal if its fiscal consolidation keeps progressing slowly and proves insufficient. Jitters eased on Wednesday, when Portugal managed to raise US$1.34 billion via a bond issue, which also was oversubscribed.

On Saturday it was reported that the European Union is close to putting together a €9 billion bailout package for Greece to help it finance its deficit. Other economic data that had an impact on stock market movements included Tuesday’s consumer confidence update from Investor’s Business Daily, which said that its Economic Optimism Index fell to its lowest in a year.

Stocks were looking for a direction for the better part of the week amid the lack of major economic data, and were more responsive than usual to movements in the currency and commodity markets. Crude and metals were pushed down by China’s apparent intention to tone down buying gold and another update, which said that inflation increased to an annualised rate of 2.7% in February despite a series of measures to curb lending and slow down the currently rapid economic growth that were introduced in January. This sparked speculation of further monetary policy tightening in the world’s second largest energy consumer, which would subsequently lead to lower demand for oil and metals.

However, the bearish news was balanced out by OPEC (Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries) and IEA (International Energy Agency), which both upped their respective oil consumption forecasts for this year to bolster oil prices.

Investors were looking to Friday’s key updates on US consumer sentiment and retail sales for further direction. The data was mixed as while retail sales unexpectedly rose 0.3% instead of an expected decline, yet the University of Michigan consumer sentiment index dropped from 73.6 to 72.5 during the month of February to dent sentiment.

The FTSE 100 closed with a modest 0.15% gain on Friday, while US stocks were mixed as while the Dow Jones Industrial Average added just 0.1%, the broader S&P 500 index and the technology heavy NASDAQ composite posted marginal losses.

The FTSE 100 is currently projected to add nearly 0.3% on Monday, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average is seen 0.1% higher.

Investors were also encouraged by improvements in the outlook for the European debt crisis after Greece conducted a successful bond issue in the previous week, which was oversubscribed, helping the debt laden country raise €5 billion to cover its near term commitments on top of a fresh package of economic austerity package introduced earlier that week, targeting savings of €4.8 billion.

However, rating agency Fitch said it could cut its current AA stance on another troubled euro zone country Portugal if its fiscal consolidation keeps progressing slowly and proves insufficient. Jitters eased on Wednesday, when Portugal managed to raise US$1.34 billion via a bond issue, which also was oversubscribed.

On Saturday it was reported that the European Union is close to putting together a €9 billion bailout package for Greece to help it finance its deficit. Other economic data that had an impact on stock market movements included Tuesday’s consumer confidence update from Investor’s Business Daily, which said that its Economic Optimism Index fell to its lowest in a year.

Stocks were looking for a direction for the better part of the week amid the lack of major economic data, and were more responsive than usual to movements in the currency and commodity markets. Crude and metals were pushed down by China’s apparent intention to tone down buying gold and another update, which said that inflation increased to an annualised rate of 2.7% in February despite a series of measures to curb lending and slow down the currently rapid economic growth that were introduced in January. This sparked speculation of further monetary policy tightening in the world’s second largest energy consumer, which would subsequently lead to lower demand for oil and metals.

However, the bearish news was balanced out by OPEC (Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries) and IEA (International Energy Agency), which both upped their respective oil consumption forecasts for this year to bolster oil prices.

Investors were looking to Friday’s key updates on US consumer sentiment and retail sales for further direction. The data was mixed as while retail sales unexpectedly rose 0.3% instead of an expected decline, yet the University of Michigan consumer sentiment index dropped from 73.6 to 72.5 during the month of February to dent sentiment.

The FTSE 100 closed with a modest 0.15% gain on Friday, while US stocks were mixed as while the Dow Jones Industrial Average added just 0.1%, the broader S&P 500 index and the technology heavy NASDAQ composite posted marginal losses.

The FTSE 100 is currently projected to add nearly 0.3% on Monday, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average is seen 0.1% higher.

Investors were also encouraged by improvements in the outlook for the European debt crisis after Greece conducted a successful bond issue in the previous week, which was oversubscribed, helping the debt laden country raise €5 billion to cover its near term commitments on top of a fresh package of economic austerity package introduced earlier that week, targeting savings of €4.8 billion.

However, rating agency Fitch said it could cut its current AA stance on another troubled euro zone country Portugal if its fiscal consolidation keeps progressing slowly and proves insufficient. Jitters eased on Wednesday, when Portugal managed to raise US$1.34 billion via a bond issue, which also was oversubscribed.

On Saturday it was reported that the European Union is close to putting together a €9 billion bailout package for Greece to help it finance its deficit. Other economic data that had an impact on stock market movements included Tuesday’s consumer confidence update from Investor’s Business Daily, which said that its Economic Optimism Index fell to its lowest in a year.

Stocks were looking for a direction for the better part of the week amid the lack of major economic data, and were more responsive than usual to movements in the currency and commodity markets. Crude and metals were pushed down by China’s apparent intention to tone down buying gold and another update, which said that inflation increased to an annualised rate of 2.7% in February despite a series of measures to curb lending and slow down the currently rapid economic growth that were introduced in January. This sparked speculation of further monetary policy tightening in the world’s second largest energy consumer, which would subsequently lead to lower demand for oil and metals.

However, the bearish news was balanced out by OPEC (Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries) and IEA (International Energy Agency), which both upped their respective oil consumption forecasts for this year to bolster oil prices.

Investors were looking to Friday’s key updates on US consumer sentiment and retail sales for further direction. The data was mixed as while retail sales unexpectedly rose 0.3% instead of an expected decline, yet the University of Michigan consumer sentiment index dropped from 73.6 to 72.5 during the month of February to dent sentiment.

The FTSE 100 closed with a modest 0.15% gain on Friday, while US stocks were mixed as while the Dow Jones Industrial Average added just 0.1%, the broader S&P 500 index and the technology heavy NASDAQ composite posted marginal losses.

The FTSE 100 is currently projected to add nearly 0.3% on Monday, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average is seen 0.1% higher.

Investors were also encouraged by improvements in the outlook for the European debt crisis after Greece conducted a successful bond issue in the previous week, which was oversubscribed, helping the debt laden country raise €5 billion to cover its near term commitments on top of a fresh package of economic austerity package introduced earlier that week, targeting savings of €4.8 billion.

However, rating agency Fitch said it could cut its current AA stance on another troubled euro zone country Portugal if its fiscal consolidation keeps progressing slowly and proves insufficient. Jitters eased on Wednesday, when Portugal managed to raise US$1.34 billion via a bond issue, which also was oversubscribed.

On Saturday it was reported that the European Union is close to putting together a €9 billion bailout package for Greece to help it finance its deficit. Other economic data that had an impact on stock market movements included Tuesday’s consumer confidence update from Investor’s Business Daily, which said that its Economic Optimism Index fell to its lowest in a year.

Stocks were looking for a direction for the better part of the week amid the lack of major economic data, and were more responsive than usual to movements in the currency and commodity markets. Crude and metals were pushed down by China’s apparent intention to tone down buying gold and another update, which said that inflation increased to an annualised rate of 2.7% in February despite a series of measures to curb lending and slow down the currently rapid economic growth that were introduced in January. This sparked speculation of further monetary policy tightening in the world’s second largest energy consumer, which would subsequently lead to lower demand for oil and metals.

However, the bearish news was balanced out by OPEC (Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries) and IEA (International Energy Agency), which both upped their respective oil consumption forecasts for this year to bolster oil prices.

Investors were looking to Friday’s key updates on US consumer sentiment and retail sales for further direction. The data was mixed as while retail sales unexpectedly rose 0.3% instead of an expected decline, yet the University of Michigan consumer sentiment index dropped from 73.6 to 72.5 during the month of February to dent sentiment.

The FTSE 100 closed with a modest 0.15% gain on Friday, while US stocks were mixed as while the Dow Jones Industrial Average added just 0.1%, the broader S&P 500 index and the technology heavy NASDAQ composite posted marginal losses.

The FTSE 100 is currently projected to add nearly 0.3% on Monday, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average is seen 0.1% higher.

Royal Bank of Scotland (LSE: RBS) led the blue chips with a 5% advance, while base metal miner Eurasian Natural Resources (LSE: ENRC) and satellite telecommunications company Inmarsat (LSE: ISAT) followed with gains of 4.5% and 4% respectively. Other notable risers included broadcaster BSkyB (LSE: BSY) and tour operator Thomas Cook (LSE: TCG), which were up 4% and 3%, as well as airline British Airways (LSE: BAY), hedge fund manager Man Group (LSE: EMG) and plumbing and heating materials manufacturer Wolseley (LSE: WOS), which all tacked on 2.8%.

Just five FTSE 100 constituents lost more than 1%. Bank HSBC (LSE: HSBA) was down 1.6%, while insurance focused investor Resolution (LSE: RSL), insurer Standard Life (LSE: SL), Imperial Tobacco Group (LSE: IMT) and Scottish & Southern Energy (LSE: SSE) all lost slightly more than 1%.

In the US, the Dow Jones Industrial Average started flat, the broader S&P 500 index was down 0.15% and the technology heavy NASDAQ composite lost 0.25%.

Commodities

Crude advanced today, nearly reaching US$83/barrel after recent demand growth projection from OPEC (Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries) was supported by international energy watchdog International Energy Agency (IEA), which today said it expected global oil demand to rise by 1.6 mmbbls/d to 86.6 mmbbls/d this year. The IEA also revised its global demand estimate for 2009 to 85 mmbbls/d.

Meanwhile, Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) said that higher oil demand could drive the prices to US$92-97/barrel within the next three to six months.

Oil also benefitted from this week’s inventory update from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), which reported a surprisingly low increase of 1.4 mmbbls (million barrels) in oil inventories a day after API (American Petroleum Institute) said crude stockpiles in the US added 6.5 million barrels, while a smaller increase was expected.

Oil got further support in late afternoon after the US Commerce Department said that retail sales unexpectedly increased 0.3% in February, while a decline was expected, improving the outlook for crude demand.

Brent Crude for May advanced to US%81.57/barrel, while US light, sweet crude climbed to US$82.79/barrel.

Shell (LSE: RDSB) gained 1%, while fellow supermajor BP (LSE: BP) posted a small loss. BG Group (LSE: BG) and Tullow Oil (LSE: TLW) rose marginally, while Cairn Energy (LSE: CNE) outperformed fellow blue chips, advancing 1.3%.

Oil and gas engineering firms Petrofac (LSE: PFC) and Amec (LSE: AMEC) added 2% and 1.2% respectively.

Salamander Energy (LSE: SMDR) led the midcaps with a 3.5% gain. JKX Oil & Gas (LSE: JKX) rose 2.8%, while Soco International (LSE: SIA) was up 1.5%. Dana Petroleum (LSE: DNX) and Melrose Resources (LSE: MRS) posted marginal gains and Heritage Oil (LSE: HOIL) tacked on nearly 1%. Dragon Oil (LSE: DGO) was flat and Premier Oil (LSE: PMO) lost just less than 1%.

Services companies Wood Group (LSE: WG) and Wellstream Holdings (LSE: WSM) added 1.6% and 1%.

Mongolia-focused Petro Matad Ltd (AIM: MATD) led the juniors with a 7% advance. Africa focused energy company Dominion Petroleum (AIM: DPL) and North America focused oil & gas junior Pantheon Resources (AIM: PANR) advanced 4.3%.

Miners climb as gold and silver rise

Gold prices improved today after the US dollar showed weakness ahead of key economic data, including the University of Michigan consumer sentiment index and US retail sales update.

Gold is seen as a riskier alternative to the safe-haven US dollar and usually moves inversely to the greenback.

The American currency rose this week amid uncertainly in global stock markets and due to weakness in the euro, which was under pressure from renewed worries over the Greek debt crisis and Fitch’s comments on another European debt laden country Portugal early in the week. The rating agency said it would cut Portugal’s AA rating if the ongoing fiscal consolidation keeps progressing at a slow pace. Jitters eased on Wednesday, when Portugal conducted a successful bond issue to raise US$1.34 billion to improve the outlook for its debt situation.

Gold was under pressure from yesterday’s update from China, whose consumer price index increased to an annualised rate of 2.7% in February to spark speculation about further monetary policy tightening in the country.

The yellow metal climbed to US$1,115/oz, while silver and platinum advanced to US$17.28/oz and US$1,620/oz respectively.

Blue chip mining stocks were on the rise today. Silver and gold producer Fresnillo (SLE: FRES) climbed 1.6% to take the lead, while platinum miner Lonmin (LSE: LMI) added 1.4% and Randgold Resources (LSE: RRS) was up 1.4%.

Specialty chemicals firm Johnson Matthey (LSE JMAT) advanced 1.8%.

Midcaps were mixed as while Aquarius Platinum (LSE: AQP) and gold producer Petropavlovsk (LSE: POG) gained 1.2% and 2.3% respectively, silver producer Hochschild Mining (LSE: HOC) posted a small loss.

Africa focused gold miner Pan African Resources (AIM: PAF) led the juniors with a 7% rally. Western Australia operating Norseman Gold (AIM: NGL) and Turkey and Ethiopia operating gold miner Stratex International (AIM: STI) followed with gains of nearly 4%.

Turkey and Saudi Arabia operating gold explorer KEFI Minerals (AIM: KEF) slipped 7.5%.

Miners advance as nickel rallies, copper steady

Base metals were mixed. Copper held steady at US$3.36/lb, while nickel rallied to US$9.80/lb and zinc declined to US$1.05/lb.

All major miners posted gains with the exception of BHP Billiton (LSE: BLT) and Xstrata (LSE: XTA), which were flat.

Eurasian Natural Resources (LSE: ENRC) was in the lead with a 4% gain, while Vedata Resources (LSE: VED) followed, climbing 1.6%. Kazakhmys (LSE: KAZ) and Anglo American (LSE: AAL) moved up 1.5% and 1% respectively, while Antofagasta (LSE: ANTO) rose marginally.

London's only listed pure iron ore producer and FTSE 250 constituent, Ferrexpo (LSE: FXPO) climbed 1.6%.

Russia focused copper and nickel miner Amur Minerals (AIM: AMC) and iron ore focused investor Red Rock Resources (AIM: RRR) were the top performers among the juniors, rallying 8.5% and 7% respectively. Australia focused coking coal producer Caledon Resources (AIM: CDN) also did well, tacking on 4%.

Tunisia focused metal miner Maghreb Minerals (AIM: MMS) and Kazakhstan operating gold producer and copper developer Frontier Mining (AIM: FML) headed in the opposite direction, shedding more than 6%.

Banks, insurance, private equity

Banking stocks were in demand today with the exception of HSBC (LSE: HSBA), which slid 1.4%.

Part-nationalised Royal Bank of Scotland (LSE: RBS) and Lloyds (LSE: LLOY) were the top performers with gains of 4.9% and 3.2%. Barclays (LSE: BARC) added 2.2% and Standard Chartered (LSE: STAN) rose marginally.

Old Mutual (LSE: OML) and Legal & General (LSE: LGEN) led the pack with gains of 2% and 1.6% respectively. RSA Insurance Group (LSE: RSA) added 1.1%, while Aviva (LSE: AV) and Prudential (LSE: PRU) rose marginally.

Admiral Group (LSE: ADM) posted a small loss, while Standard Life (LSE: SL) slid 1.5%.

Private equity group 3i (LSE: III) added 1.3%.

Small Cap Movers

Other notable movers among the small caps included vision based human machine interfaces focused technology company Seeing Machines (LSE: SEE) and mobile email and data synchronisation group Synchronica PLC (AIM: SYNC), which rallied 16% and 10.5% respectively.

Large Cap News

Dragon Oil (LSE: DGO) has completed the initial testing of two Dzheitune development wells, A/142 and 13/143, at its Cheleken operation in the Caspian Sea. The wells were drilled to 3,961m and 3,450m, and tested at combined rates of 2,103 barrels of oil per day (bopd) and 2,168bopd respectively.

Mobile operator Vodafone’s (LSE: VOD) communication managing business Vodafone Global Enterprise (VGE) has secured a five-year contract to provide Germany's logistics group Deutsche Post DHL (FSE: DPW) (DPDHL) with a fully managed MPLS network in 67 countries.

Small Cap News

African-focused Discovery Metals (ASX/BSE: DML; AIM: DME) has reported that latest drill results highlight continuation of Plutus‐Petra mineralisation for 15 km beyond the current 11 km strike length boundary of the existing mineral resources.

In its first-half results, the Syntopix Group (AIM: SYN) said it is making progress as it continues to attract a number of commercial opportunities following last year’s completion of a Phase II clinical study and its evaluation agreement with a major consumer healthcare company. The company recently appointed a new chairman, and it is finalising plans for a proposed fundraising which will enable the company to progress these opportunities.

Kalahari Minerals’ (AIM: KAH) said it is highly encouraged by the news that its 40.41% owned associate Extract Resources (ASX, TSX: EXT) is on track with its Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) for the world-class Rossing South deposit at the Husab uranium project in Namibia.

African focused investment company Lonrho (AIM: LONR) has been promoted into the FTSE AIM UK 50 Index and the FTSE AIM 100 Index, effective from the 22 March 2010. The company’s inclusion into the key indices reflects Lonrho’s growth and its position in London’s junior market, then group said in a statement.

Specialty chemicals producer Yule Catto & Co PLC (YULC) announced that its joint venture subsidiary Revertex (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd has exchanged conditional contracts with  HB Fuller Co for the sale of Revertex Finewaters Sdn Bhd, and Yule Catto will use the money to reduce debt.

Firestone Diamonds (AIM: FDI) has been selected by De Beers’ joint venture with the Namibian government, Namdeb Diamond Corporation, as the preferred supplier and operator for the Dredge and Floating Treatment Plant (FTP) project at Namdeb's diamond mining operations in Namibia.

Planet Payment (LSE: PPT and PPTR; OTC: PLPM) has completed and received certification from TSYS Acquiring Solutions (TSYS), a wholly-owned subsidiary of TSYS (NYSE: TSS), for the company’s iPAY payment gateway on the TSYS processing platform. TSYS currently offers a Planet Payment powered Multi-Currency Pricing service which allows merchants to reach international markets through price localization. Multi-Currency Pricing allows international customers to view prices, and pay for goods/services in their domestic currencies.

Daniel Stewart & Company (DS&C) issued a note on Planet Payment (LSE: PPT and PPTR; OTC: PLPM) today, reiterating its 'buy' rating after the data and payment processor received certification from its core existing client TSYS (NYSE: TSS).

Liberty PLC (LSE:LBE) jumped 7% in early deals this morning after the London retailer confirmed that it had received several approaches “that may or may not lead to an offer” for the company MWB Group (LSE:MWB) owns 68% of the equity in Liberty.

Specialist provider of lease asset finance to the SME sector 1pm PLC (AIM: OPM) has raised £1.15 million via a placing to help the company grow its lease portfolio further and enhance receivables and cash generation.

Henderson Morley (AIM: HML) (HML) and KMS Therapeutics have commenced a 9 week due-diligence period ahead of a potential license agreement. Following an earlier agreement on 19 February, the companies have signed a further letter of intent (LOI) in respect of the intellectual property rights of HML’s ionic contra-viral therapy (‘ICVT’) human portfolio.

Emissions trading exchange owner and operator Climate Exchange (AIM: CLE) reported a better than expected 2.4x increase in pre-tax profits to £6.8 million in the full year 2009 as revenues from core businesses soared 48% to £33.6 million.  In the year to end-December 2009 two of its three operated exchanges posted better performance with improved volumes and membership figures.

Royal Bank of Scotland (LSE: RBS) led the blue chips with a 5% advance, while base metal miner Eurasian Natural Resources (LSE: ENRC) and satellite telecommunications company Inmarsat (LSE: ISAT) followed with gains of 4.5% and 4% respectively. Other notable risers included broadcaster BSkyB (LSE: BSY) and tour operator Thomas Cook (LSE: TCG), which were up 4% and 3%, as well as airline British Airways (LSE: BAY), hedge fund manager Man Group (LSE: EMG) and plumbing and heating materials manufacturer Wolseley (LSE: WOS), which all tacked on 2.8%.

Just five FTSE 100 constituents lost more than 1%. Bank HSBC (LSE: HSBA) was down 1.6%, while insurance focused investor Resolution (LSE: RSL), insurer Standard Life (LSE: SL), Imperial Tobacco Group (LSE: IMT) and Scottish & Southern Energy (LSE: SSE) all lost slightly more than 1%.

In the US, the Dow Jones Industrial Average started flat, the broader S&P 500 index was down 0.15% and the technology heavy NASDAQ composite lost 0.25%.

Commodities

Crude advanced today, nearly reaching US$83/barrel after recent demand growth projection from OPEC (Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries) was supported by international energy watchdog International Energy Agency (IEA), which today said it expected global oil demand to rise by 1.6 mmbbls/d to 86.6 mmbbls/d this year. The IEA also revised its global demand estimate for 2009 to 85 mmbbls/d.

Meanwhile, Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) said that higher oil demand could drive the prices to US$92-97/barrel within the next three to six months.

Oil also benefitted from this week’s inventory update from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), which reported a surprisingly low increase of 1.4 mmbbls (million barrels) in oil inventories a day after API (American Petroleum Institute) said crude stockpiles in the US added 6.5 million barrels, while a smaller increase was expected.

Oil got further support in late afternoon after the US Commerce Department said that retail sales unexpectedly increased 0.3% in February, while a decline was expected, improving the outlook for crude demand.

Brent Crude for May advanced to US%81.57/barrel, while US light, sweet crude climbed to US$82.79/barrel.

Shell (LSE: RDSB) gained 1%, while fellow supermajor BP (LSE: BP) posted a small loss. BG Group (LSE: BG) and Tullow Oil (LSE: TLW) rose marginally, while Cairn Energy (LSE: CNE) outperformed fellow blue chips, advancing 1.3%.

Oil and gas engineering firms Petrofac (LSE: PFC) and Amec (LSE: AMEC) added 2% and 1.2% respectively.

Salamander Energy (LSE: SMDR) led the midcaps with a 3.5% gain. JKX Oil & Gas (LSE: JKX) rose 2.8%, while Soco International (LSE: SIA) was up 1.5%. Dana Petroleum (LSE: DNX) and Melrose Resources (LSE: MRS) posted marginal gains and Heritage Oil (LSE: HOIL) tacked on nearly 1%. Dragon Oil (LSE: DGO) was flat and Premier Oil (LSE: PMO) lost just less than 1%.

Services companies Wood Group (LSE: WG) and Wellstream Holdings (LSE: WSM) added 1.6% and 1%.

Mongolia-focused Petro Matad Ltd (AIM: MATD) led the juniors with a 7% advance. Africa focused energy company Dominion Petroleum (AIM: DPL) and North America focused oil & gas junior Pantheon Resources (AIM: PANR) advanced 4.3%.

Miners climb as gold and silver rise

Gold prices improved today after the US dollar showed weakness ahead of key economic data, including the University of Michigan consumer sentiment index and US retail sales update.

Gold is seen as a riskier alternative to the safe-haven US dollar and usually moves inversely to the greenback.

The American currency rose this week amid uncertainly in global stock markets and due to weakness in the euro, which was under pressure from renewed worries over the Greek debt crisis and Fitch’s comments on another European debt laden country Portugal early in the week. The rating agency said it would cut Portugal’s AA rating if the ongoing fiscal consolidation keeps progressing at a slow pace. Jitters eased on Wednesday, when Portugal conducted a successful bond issue to raise US$1.34 billion to improve the outlook for its debt situation.

Gold was under pressure from yesterday’s update from China, whose consumer price index increased to an annualised rate of 2.7% in February to spark speculation about further monetary policy tightening in the country.

The yellow metal climbed to US$1,115/oz, while silver and platinum advanced to US$17.28/oz and US$1,620/oz respectively.

Blue chip mining stocks were on the rise today. Silver and gold producer Fresnillo (SLE: FRES) climbed 1.6% to take the lead, while platinum miner Lonmin (LSE: LMI) added 1.4% and Randgold Resources (LSE: RRS) was up 1.4%.

Specialty chemicals firm Johnson Matthey (LSE JMAT) advanced 1.8%.

Midcaps were mixed as while Aquarius Platinum (LSE: AQP) and gold producer Petropavlovsk (LSE: POG) gained 1.2% and 2.3% respectively, silver producer Hochschild Mining (LSE: HOC) posted a small loss.

Africa focused gold miner Pan African Resources (AIM: PAF) led the juniors with a 7% rally. Western Australia operating Norseman Gold (AIM: NGL) and Turkey and Ethiopia operating gold miner Stratex International (AIM: STI) followed with gains of nearly 4%.

Turkey and Saudi Arabia operating gold explorer KEFI Minerals (AIM: KEF) slipped 7.5%.

Miners advance as nickel rallies, copper steady

Base metals were mixed. Copper held steady at US$3.36/lb, while nickel rallied to US$9.80/lb and zinc declined to US$1.05/lb.

All major miners posted gains with the exception of BHP Billiton (LSE: BLT) and Xstrata (LSE: XTA), which were flat.

Eurasian Natural Resources (LSE: ENRC) was in the lead with a 4% gain, while Vedata Resources (LSE: VED) followed, climbing 1.6%. Kazakhmys (LSE: KAZ) and Anglo American (LSE: AAL) moved up 1.5% and 1% respectively, while Antofagasta (LSE: ANTO) rose marginally.

London's only listed pure iron ore producer and FTSE 250 constituent, Ferrexpo (LSE: FXPO) climbed 1.6%.

Russia focused copper and nickel miner Amur Minerals (AIM: AMC) and iron ore focused investor Red Rock Resources (AIM: RRR) were the top performers among the juniors, rallying 8.5% and 7% respectively. Australia focused coking coal producer Caledon Resources (AIM: CDN) also did well, tacking on 4%.

Tunisia focused metal miner Maghreb Minerals (AIM: MMS) and Kazakhstan operating gold producer and copper developer Frontier Mining (AIM: FML) headed in the opposite direction, shedding more than 6%.

Banks, insurance, private equity

Banking stocks were in demand today with the exception of HSBC (LSE: HSBA), which slid 1.4%.

Part-nationalised Royal Bank of Scotland (LSE: RBS) and Lloyds (LSE: LLOY) were the top performers with gains of 4.9% and 3.2%. Barclays (LSE: BARC) added 2.2% and Standard Chartered (LSE: STAN) rose marginally.

Old Mutual (LSE: OML) and Legal & General (LSE: LGEN) led the pack with gains of 2% and 1.6% respectively. RSA Insurance Group (LSE: RSA) added 1.1%, while Aviva (LSE: AV) and Prudential (LSE: PRU) rose marginally.

Admiral Group (LSE: ADM) posted a small loss, while Standard Life (LSE: SL) slid 1.5%.

Private equity group 3i (LSE: III) added 1.3%.

Small Cap Movers

Other notable movers among the small caps included vision based human machine interfaces focused technology company Seeing Machines (LSE: SEE) and mobile email and data synchronisation group Synchronica PLC (AIM: SYNC), which rallied 16% and 10.5% respectively.

Large Cap News

Dragon Oil (LSE: DGO) has completed the initial testing of two Dzheitune development wells, A/142 and 13/143, at its Cheleken operation in the Caspian Sea. The wells were drilled to 3,961m and 3,450m, and tested at combined rates of 2,103 barrels of oil per day (bopd) and 2,168bopd respectively.

Mobile operator Vodafone’s (LSE: VOD) communication managing business Vodafone Global Enterprise (VGE) has secured a five-year contract to provide Germany's logistics group Deutsche Post DHL (FSE: DPW) (DPDHL) with a fully managed MPLS network in 67 countries.

Small Cap News

African-focused Discovery Metals (ASX/BSE: DML; AIM: DME) has reported that latest drill results highlight continuation of Plutus‐Petra mineralisation for 15 km beyond the current 11 km strike length boundary of the existing mineral resources.

In its first-half results, the Syntopix Group (AIM: SYN) said it is making progress as it continues to attract a number of commercial opportunities following last year’s completion of a Phase II clinical study and its evaluation agreement with a major consumer healthcare company. The company recently appointed a new chairman, and it is finalising plans for a proposed fundraising which will enable the company to progress these opportunities.

Kalahari Minerals’ (AIM: KAH) said it is highly encouraged by the news that its 40.41% owned associate Extract Resources (ASX, TSX: EXT) is on track with its Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) for the world-class Rossing South deposit at the Husab uranium project in Namibia.

African focused investment company Lonrho (AIM: LONR) has been promoted into the FTSE AIM UK 50 Index and the FTSE AIM 100 Index, effective from the 22 March 2010. The company’s inclusion into the key indices reflects Lonrho’s growth and its position in London’s junior market, then group said in a statement.

Specialty chemicals producer Yule Catto & Co PLC (YULC) announced that its joint venture subsidiary Revertex (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd has exchanged conditional contracts with  HB Fuller Co for the sale of Revertex Finewaters Sdn Bhd, and Yule Catto will use the money to reduce debt.

Firestone Diamonds (AIM: FDI) has been selected by De Beers’ joint venture with the Namibian government, Namdeb Diamond Corporation, as the preferred supplier and operator for the Dredge and Floating Treatment Plant (FTP) project at Namdeb's diamond mining operations in Namibia.

Planet Payment (LSE: PPT and PPTR; OTC: PLPM) has completed and received certification from TSYS Acquiring Solutions (TSYS), a wholly-owned subsidiary of TSYS (NYSE: TSS), for the company’s iPAY payment gateway on the TSYS processing platform. TSYS currently offers a Planet Payment powered Multi-Currency Pricing service which allows merchants to reach international markets through price localization. Multi-Currency Pricing allows international customers to view prices, and pay for goods/services in their domestic currencies.

Daniel Stewart & Company (DS&C) issued a note on Planet Payment (LSE: PPT and PPTR; OTC: PLPM) today, reiterating its 'buy' rating after the data and payment processor received certification from its core existing client TSYS (NYSE: TSS).

Liberty PLC (LSE:LBE) jumped 7% in early deals this morning after the London retailer confirmed that it had received several approaches “that may or may not lead to an offer” for the company MWB Group (LSE:MWB) owns 68% of the equity in Liberty.

Specialist provider of lease asset finance to the SME sector 1pm PLC (AIM: OPM) has raised £1.15 million via a placing to help the company grow its lease portfolio further and enhance receivables and cash generation.

Henderson Morley (AIM: HML) (HML) and KMS Therapeutics have commenced a 9 week due-diligence period ahead of a potential license agreement. Following an earlier agreement on 19 February, the companies have signed a further letter of intent (LOI) in respect of the intellectual property rights of HML’s ionic contra-viral therapy (‘ICVT’) human portfolio.

Emissions trading exchange owner and operator Climate Exchange (AIM: CLE) reported a better than expected 2.4x increase in pre-tax profits to £6.8 million in the full year 2009 as revenues from core businesses soared 48% to £33.6 million.  In the year to end-December 2009 two of its three operated exchanges posted better performance with improved volumes and membership figures.

Royal Bank of Scotland (LSE: RBS) led the blue chips with a 5% advance, while base metal miner Eurasian Natural Resources (LSE: ENRC) and satellite telecommunications company Inmarsat (LSE: ISAT) followed with gains of 4.5% and 4% respectively. Other notable risers included broadcaster BSkyB (LSE: BSY) and tour operator Thomas Cook (LSE: TCG), which were up 4% and 3%, as well as airline British Airways (LSE: BAY), hedge fund manager Man Group (LSE: EMG) and plumbing and heating materials manufacturer Wolseley (LSE: WOS), which all tacked on 2.8%.

Just five FTSE 100 constituents lost more than 1%. Bank HSBC (LSE: HSBA) was down 1.6%, while insurance focused investor Resolution (LSE: RSL), insurer Standard Life (LSE: SL), Imperial Tobacco Group (LSE: IMT) and Scottish & Southern Energy (LSE: SSE) all lost slightly more than 1%.

In the US, the Dow Jones Industrial Average started flat, the broader S&P 500 index was down 0.15% and the technology heavy NASDAQ composite lost 0.25%.

Commodities

Crude advanced today, nearly reaching US$83/barrel after recent demand growth projection from OPEC (Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries) was supported by international energy watchdog International Energy Agency (IEA), which today said it expected global oil demand to rise by 1.6 mmbbls/d to 86.6 mmbbls/d this year. The IEA also revised its global demand estimate for 2009 to 85 mmbbls/d.

Meanwhile, Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) said that higher oil demand could drive the prices to US$92-97/barrel within the next three to six months.

Oil also benefitted from this week’s inventory update from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), which reported a surprisingly low increase of 1.4 mmbbls (million barrels) in oil inventories a day after API (American Petroleum Institute) said crude stockpiles in the US added 6.5 million barrels, while a smaller increase was expected.

Oil got further support in late afternoon after the US Commerce Department said that retail sales unexpectedly increased 0.3% in February, while a decline was expected, improving the outlook for crude demand.

Brent Crude for May advanced to US%81.57/barrel, while US light, sweet crude climbed to US$82.79/barrel.

Shell (LSE: RDSB) gained 1%, while fellow supermajor BP (LSE: BP) posted a small loss. BG Group (LSE: BG) and Tullow Oil (LSE: TLW) rose marginally, while Cairn Energy (LSE: CNE) outperformed fellow blue chips, advancing 1.3%.

Oil and gas engineering firms Petrofac (LSE: PFC) and Amec (LSE: AMEC) added 2% and 1.2% respectively.

Salamander Energy (LSE: SMDR) led the midcaps with a 3.5% gain. JKX Oil & Gas (LSE: JKX) rose 2.8%, while Soco International (LSE: SIA) was up 1.5%. Dana Petroleum (LSE: DNX) and Melrose Resources (LSE: MRS) posted marginal gains and Heritage Oil (LSE: HOIL) tacked on nearly 1%. Dragon Oil (LSE: DGO) was flat and Premier Oil (LSE: PMO) lost just less than 1%.

Services companies Wood Group (LSE: WG) and Wellstream Holdings (LSE: WSM) added 1.6% and 1%.

Mongolia-focused Petro Matad Ltd (AIM: MATD) led the juniors with a 7% advance. Africa focused energy company Dominion Petroleum (AIM: DPL) and North America focused oil & gas junior Pantheon Resources (AIM: PANR) advanced 4.3%.

Miners climb as gold and silver rise

Gold prices improved today after the US dollar showed weakness ahead of key economic data, including the University of Michigan consumer sentiment index and US retail sales update.

Gold is seen as a riskier alternative to the safe-haven US dollar and usually moves inversely to the greenback.

The American currency rose this week amid uncertainly in global stock markets and due to weakness in the euro, which was under pressure from renewed worries over the Greek debt crisis and Fitch’s comments on another European debt laden country Portugal early in the week. The rating agency said it would cut Portugal’s AA rating if the ongoing fiscal consolidation keeps progressing at a slow pace. Jitters eased on Wednesday, when Portugal conducted a successful bond issue to raise US$1.34 billion to improve the outlook for its debt situation.

Gold was under pressure from yesterday’s update from China, whose consumer price index increased to an annualised rate of 2.7% in February to spark speculation about further monetary policy tightening in the country.

The yellow metal climbed to US$1,115/oz, while silver and platinum advanced to US$17.28/oz and US$1,620/oz respectively.

Blue chip mining stocks were on the rise today. Silver and gold producer Fresnillo (SLE: FRES) climbed 1.6% to take the lead, while platinum miner Lonmin (LSE: LMI) added 1.4% and Randgold Resources (LSE: RRS) was up 1.4%.

Specialty chemicals firm Johnson Matthey (LSE JMAT) advanced 1.8%.

Midcaps were mixed as while Aquarius Platinum (LSE: AQP) and gold producer Petropavlovsk (LSE: POG) gained 1.2% and 2.3% respectively, silver producer Hochschild Mining (LSE: HOC) posted a small loss.

Africa focused gold miner Pan African Resources (AIM: PAF) led the juniors with a 7% rally. Western Australia operating Norseman Gold (AIM: NGL) and Turkey and Ethiopia operating gold miner Stratex International (AIM: STI) followed with gains of nearly 4%.

Turkey and Saudi Arabia operating gold explorer KEFI Minerals (AIM: KEF) slipped 7.5%.

Miners advance as nickel rallies, copper steady

Base metals were mixed. Copper held steady at US$3.36/lb, while nickel rallied to US$9.80/lb and zinc declined to US$1.05/lb.

All major miners posted gains with the exception of BHP Billiton (LSE: BLT) and Xstrata (LSE: XTA), which were flat.

Eurasian Natural Resources (LSE: ENRC) was in the lead with a 4% gain, while Vedata Resources (LSE: VED) followed, climbing 1.6%. Kazakhmys (LSE: KAZ) and Anglo American (LSE: AAL) moved up 1.5% and 1% respectively, while Antofagasta (LSE: ANTO) rose marginally.

London's only listed pure iron ore producer and FTSE 250 constituent, Ferrexpo (LSE: FXPO) climbed 1.6%.

Russia focused copper and nickel miner Amur Minerals (AIM: AMC) and iron ore focused investor Red Rock Resources (AIM: RRR) were the top performers among the juniors, rallying 8.5% and 7% respectively. Australia focused coking coal producer Caledon Resources (AIM: CDN) also did well, tacking on 4%.

Tunisia focused metal miner Maghreb Minerals (AIM: MMS) and Kazakhstan operating gold producer and copper developer Frontier Mining (AIM: FML) headed in the opposite direction, shedding more than 6%.

Banks, insurance, private equity

Banking stocks were in demand today with the exception of HSBC (LSE: HSBA), which slid 1.4%.

Part-nationalised Royal Bank of Scotland (LSE: RBS) and Lloyds (LSE: LLOY) were the top performers with gains of 4.9% and 3.2%. Barclays (LSE: BARC) added 2.2% and Standard Chartered (LSE: STAN) rose marginally.

Old Mutual (LSE: OML) and Legal & General (LSE: LGEN) led the pack with gains of 2% and 1.6% respectively. RSA Insurance Group (LSE: RSA) added 1.1%, while Aviva (LSE: AV) and Prudential (LSE: PRU) rose marginally.

Admiral Group (LSE: ADM) posted a small loss, while Standard Life (LSE: SL) slid 1.5%.

Private equity group 3i (LSE: III) added 1.3%.

Small Cap Movers

Other notable movers among the small caps included vision based human machine interfaces focused technology company Seeing Machines (LSE: SEE) and mobile email and data synchronisation group Synchronica PLC (AIM: SYNC), which rallied 16% and 10.5% respectively.

Large Cap News

Dragon Oil (LSE: DGO) has completed the initial testing of two Dzheitune development wells, A/142 and 13/143, at its Cheleken operation in the Caspian Sea. The wells were drilled to 3,961m and 3,450m, and tested at combined rates of 2,103 barrels of oil per day (bopd) and 2,168bopd respectively.

Mobile operator Vodafone’s (LSE: VOD) communication managing business Vodafone Global Enterprise (VGE) has secured a five-year contract to provide Germany's logistics group Deutsche Post DHL (FSE: DPW) (DPDHL) with a fully managed MPLS network in 67 countries.

Small Cap News

African-focused Discovery Metals (ASX/BSE: DML; AIM: DME) has reported that latest drill results highlight continuation of Plutus‐Petra mineralisation for 15 km beyond the current 11 km strike length boundary of the existing mineral resources.

In its first-half results, the Syntopix Group (AIM: SYN) said it is making progress as it continues to attract a number of commercial opportunities following last year’s completion of a Phase II clinical study and its evaluation agreement with a major consumer healthcare company. The company recently appointed a new chairman, and it is finalising plans for a proposed fundraising which will enable the company to progress these opportunities.

Kalahari Minerals’ (AIM: KAH) said it is highly encouraged by the news that its 40.41% owned associate Extract Resources (ASX, TSX: EXT) is on track with its Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) for the world-class Rossing South deposit at the Husab uranium project in Namibia.

African focused investment company Lonrho (AIM: LONR) has been promoted into the FTSE AIM UK 50 Index and the FTSE AIM 100 Index, effective from the 22 March 2010. The company’s inclusion into the key indices reflects Lonrho’s growth and its position in London’s junior market, then group said in a statement.

Specialty chemicals producer Yule Catto & Co PLC (YULC) announced that its joint venture subsidiary Revertex (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd has exchanged conditional contracts with  HB Fuller Co for the sale of Revertex Finewaters Sdn Bhd, and Yule Catto will use the money to reduce debt.

Firestone Diamonds (AIM: FDI) has been selected by De Beers’ joint venture with the Namibian government, Namdeb Diamond Corporation, as the preferred supplier and operator for the Dredge and Floating Treatment Plant (FTP) project at Namdeb's diamond mining operations in Namibia.

Planet Payment (LSE: PPT and PPTR; OTC: PLPM) has completed and received certification from TSYS Acquiring Solutions (TSYS), a wholly-owned subsidiary of TSYS (NYSE: TSS), for the company’s iPAY payment gateway on the TSYS processing platform. TSYS currently offers a Planet Payment powered Multi-Currency Pricing service which allows merchants to reach international markets through price localization. Multi-Currency Pricing allows international customers to view prices, and pay for goods/services in their domestic currencies.

Daniel Stewart & Company (DS&C) issued a note on Planet Payment (LSE: PPT and PPTR; OTC: PLPM) today, reiterating its 'buy' rating after the data and payment processor received certification from its core existing client TSYS (NYSE: TSS).

Liberty PLC (LSE:LBE) jumped 7% in early deals this morning after the London retailer confirmed that it had received several approaches “that may or may not lead to an offer” for the company MWB Group (LSE:MWB) owns 68% of the equity in Liberty.

Specialist provider of lease asset finance to the SME sector 1pm PLC (AIM: OPM) has raised £1.15 million via a placing to help the company grow its lease portfolio further and enhance receivables and cash generation.

Henderson Morley (AIM: HML) (HML) and KMS Therapeutics have commenced a 9 week due-diligence period ahead of a potential license agreement. Following an earlier agreement on 19 February, the companies have signed a further letter of intent (LOI) in respect of the intellectual property rights of HML’s ionic contra-viral therapy (‘ICVT’) human portfolio.

Emissions trading exchange owner and operator Climate Exchange (AIM: CLE) reported a better than expected 2.4x increase in pre-tax profits to £6.8 million in the full year 2009 as revenues from core businesses soared 48% to £33.6 million.  In the year to end-December 2009 two of its three operated exchanges posted better performance with improved volumes and membership figures.

Meanwhile, Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) said that higher oil demand could drive the prices to US$92-97/barrel within the next three to six months.

Oil also benefitted from this week’s inventory update from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), which reported a surprisingly low increase of 1.4 mmbbls (million barrels) in oil inventories a day after API (American Petroleum Institute) said crude stockpiles in the US added 6.5 million barrels, while a smaller increase was expected.

Oil got further support in late afternoon after the US Commerce Department said that retail sales unexpectedly increased 0.3% in February, while a decline was expected, improving the outlook for crude demand.

Brent Crude for May advanced to US%81.57/barrel, while US light, sweet crude climbed to US$82.79/barrel.

Shell (LSE: RDSB) gained 1%, while fellow supermajor BP (LSE: BP) posted a small loss. BG Group (LSE: BG) and Tullow Oil (LSE: TLW) rose marginally, while Cairn Energy (LSE: CNE) outperformed fellow blue chips, advancing 1.3%.

Oil and gas engineering firms Petrofac (LSE: PFC) and Amec (LSE: AMEC) added 2% and 1.2% respectively.

Salamander Energy (LSE: SMDR) led the midcaps with a 3.5% gain. JKX Oil & Gas (LSE: JKX) rose 2.8%, while Soco International (LSE: SIA) was up 1.5%. Dana Petroleum (LSE: DNX) and Melrose Resources (LSE: MRS) posted marginal gains and Heritage Oil (LSE: HOIL) tacked on nearly 1%. Dragon Oil (LSE: DGO) was flat and Premier Oil (LSE: PMO) lost just less than 1%.

Services companies Wood Group (LSE: WG) and Wellstream Holdings (LSE: WSM) added 1.6% and 1%.

Mongolia-focused Petro Matad Ltd (AIM: MATD) led the juniors with a 7% advance. Africa focused energy company Dominion Petroleum (AIM: DPL) and North America focused oil & gas junior Pantheon Resources (AIM: PANR) advanced 4.3%.

Meanwhile, Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) said that higher oil demand could drive the prices to US$92-97/barrel within the next three to six months.

Oil also benefitted from this week’s inventory update from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), which reported a surprisingly low increase of 1.4 mmbbls (million barrels) in oil inventories a day after API (American Petroleum Institute) said crude stockpiles in the US added 6.5 million barrels, while a smaller increase was expected.

Oil got further support in late afternoon after the US Commerce Department said that retail sales unexpectedly increased 0.3% in February, while a decline was expected, improving the outlook for crude demand.

Brent Crude for May advanced to US%81.57/barrel, while US light, sweet crude climbed to US$82.79/barrel.

Shell (LSE: RDSB) gained 1%, while fellow supermajor BP (LSE: BP) posted a small loss. BG Group (LSE: BG) and Tullow Oil (LSE: TLW) rose marginally, while Cairn Energy (LSE: CNE) outperformed fellow blue chips, advancing 1.3%.

Oil and gas engineering firms Petrofac (LSE: PFC) and Amec (LSE: AMEC) added 2% and 1.2% respectively.

Salamander Energy (LSE: SMDR) led the midcaps with a 3.5% gain. JKX Oil & Gas (LSE: JKX) rose 2.8%, while Soco International (LSE: SIA) was up 1.5%. Dana Petroleum (LSE: DNX) and Melrose Resources (LSE: MRS) posted marginal gains and Heritage Oil (LSE: HOIL) tacked on nearly 1%. Dragon Oil (LSE: DGO) was flat and Premier Oil (LSE: PMO) lost just less than 1%.

Services companies Wood Group (LSE: WG) and Wellstream Holdings (LSE: WSM) added 1.6% and 1%.

Mongolia-focused Petro Matad Ltd (AIM: MATD) led the juniors with a 7% advance. Africa focused energy company Dominion Petroleum (AIM: DPL) and North America focused oil & gas junior Pantheon Resources (AIM: PANR) advanced 4.3%.

Gold is seen as a riskier alternative to the safe-haven US dollar and usually moves inversely to the greenback.

The American currency rose this week amid uncertainly in global stock markets and due to weakness in the euro, which was under pressure from renewed worries over the Greek debt crisis and Fitch’s comments on another European debt laden country Portugal early in the week. The rating agency said it would cut Portugal’s AA rating if the ongoing fiscal consolidation keeps progressing at a slow pace. Jitters eased on Wednesday, when Portugal conducted a successful bond issue to raise US$1.34 billion to improve the outlook for its debt situation.

Gold was under pressure from yesterday’s update from China, whose consumer price index increased to an annualised rate of 2.7% in February to spark speculation about further monetary policy tightening in the country.

The yellow metal climbed to US$1,115/oz, while silver and platinum advanced to US$17.28/oz and US$1,620/oz respectively.

Blue chip mining stocks were on the rise today. Silver and gold producer Fresnillo (SLE: FRES) climbed 1.6% to take the lead, while platinum miner Lonmin (LSE: LMI) added 1.4% and Randgold Resources (LSE: RRS) was up 1.4%.

Specialty chemicals firm Johnson Matthey (LSE JMAT) advanced 1.8%.

Midcaps were mixed as while Aquarius Platinum (LSE: AQP) and gold producer Petropavlovsk (LSE: POG) gained 1.2% and 2.3% respectively, silver producer Hochschild Mining (LSE: HOC) posted a small loss.

Africa focused gold miner Pan African Resources (AIM: PAF) led the juniors with a 7% rally. Western Australia operating Norseman Gold (AIM: NGL) and Turkey and Ethiopia operating gold miner Stratex International (AIM: STI) followed with gains of nearly 4%.

Turkey and Saudi Arabia operating gold explorer KEFI Minerals (AIM: KEF) slipped 7.5%.

Gold is seen as a riskier alternative to the safe-haven US dollar and usually moves inversely to the greenback.

The American currency rose this week amid uncertainly in global stock markets and due to weakness in the euro, which was under pressure from renewed worries over the Greek debt crisis and Fitch’s comments on another European debt laden country Portugal early in the week. The rating agency said it would cut Portugal’s AA rating if the ongoing fiscal consolidation keeps progressing at a slow pace. Jitters eased on Wednesday, when Portugal conducted a successful bond issue to raise US$1.34 billion to improve the outlook for its debt situation.

Gold was under pressure from yesterday’s update from China, whose consumer price index increased to an annualised rate of 2.7% in February to spark speculation about further monetary policy tightening in the country.

The yellow metal climbed to US$1,115/oz, while silver and platinum advanced to US$17.28/oz and US$1,620/oz respectively.

Blue chip mining stocks were on the rise today. Silver and gold producer Fresnillo (SLE: FRES) climbed 1.6% to take the lead, while platinum miner Lonmin (LSE: LMI) added 1.4% and Randgold Resources (LSE: RRS) was up 1.4%.

Specialty chemicals firm Johnson Matthey (LSE JMAT) advanced 1.8%.

Midcaps were mixed as while Aquarius Platinum (LSE: AQP) and gold producer Petropavlovsk (LSE: POG) gained 1.2% and 2.3% respectively, silver producer Hochschild Mining (LSE: HOC) posted a small loss.

Africa focused gold miner Pan African Resources (AIM: PAF) led the juniors with a 7% rally. Western Australia operating Norseman Gold (AIM: NGL) and Turkey and Ethiopia operating gold miner Stratex International (AIM: STI) followed with gains of nearly 4%.

Turkey and Saudi Arabia operating gold explorer KEFI Minerals (AIM: KEF) slipped 7.5%.

Extract updated investors stating that the DFS, which is expected to confirm the project's potential as one of the world's largest uranium mines, is progressing well. Extract aims to announce an updated Rossing South resource in Q3 2010 and it said that capital costs for the processing plant and annual operating costs are currently expected to remain in line with the preliminary cost estimates.

"Extract is making strong progress towards publishing the Rossing South Definitive Feasibility Study, and in turn, attributing additional value to its world-class Husab Uranium project”,  Kalahari chairman Mark Hohnen commented. “In particular, it should be noted that the operating costs are unlikely to be significantly different to those stated in the scoping study announced in August 2009, indicating that the Rossing South project is still set to be a profitable, low risk, bulk tonnage, open pit mine with a mine life in excess of 20 years”.

According to Extract the size of the Rossing South mineralized system continues to grow with strong drilling results continuing from Zones 1 and 2. Furthermore, the company said there are encouraging indications of significant mineralization on the western limb of the Rossing South antiform and high grade mineralisation in both zones. Extract aims to announce an updated Rossing South resource in Q3, 2010.

The revised resource estimate will incorporate infill and extensional drilling that has been completed since July 2009. Extract expects the updated estimate to increase the overall size and confidence levels of the Rossing South resource.

“The resource continues to grow in size, which increases the time required by Extract to better define the ore body, and in particular to identify the high grade resource. This approach by Extract will ensure that an optimum development plan can be determined in order to maximise the true potential of this outstanding uranium project", Hohnen added.

Liberty’s primary business is the Liberty department store on Regent Street in London, which the company said had witnessed a 16% increase in revenues in 12 month period ended December 31 2009.  Overall, the group reported a 20% increase in revenues for 2009. “Trading has continued to benefit from the Renaissance of the Regent Street flagship store which drove footfall and market share over the remainder of the year and has continued during 2010 to date,” Liberty added.

The company has been undertaking a strategic review, which according to recent press speculation, includes the potential sale and leaseback of its flagship store.

Liberty noted the recent speculation in the press, stating that it would update investors “as appropriate”.

“At this stage, it is too early for the Board to determine whether or not these discussions will result in any formal offer being made for the Company,” Liberty cautioned.

The directors of smartFOCUS Group (STF), Amphion Innovations (AMP) and National Milk Records (NMRP) will be presenting Thursday, 18th March 2010 at the Chesterfield Mayfair Hotel, 35 Charles Street, Mayfair, W1J 5EB.

The presentations will start at 6:00pm and finish at approx 7:30pm. After the presentations are complete the directors will also be available to take questions during a free canapé and wine reception. Details on the presenting companies can be found below.

This event is suitable for the following:

Sophisticated & private investors, private client brokers, fund managers, financial institutions, hedge funds, buy & sell side analysts and journalists.

The event is not suitable for people pursuing commercial opportunities.

Register Here.

If you have any problems registering or queries please email action@proactiveinvestors.com

For more information on the Chesterfield Mayfair Hotel and to take advantage of Proactive’s special negotiated rates click here

smartFOCUS Group (AIM:STF)
smartFOCUS is a leading international provider of high performance multi-channel marketing software. Combining intelligence and speed the software drives high performance multi-channel campaigns to generate more valuable customer relationships. Its marketing solutions integrate offline and online data, analysis, campaign and performance management to deliver better targeted, more timely and relevant communications that improve customer insight. smartFOCUS has a customer base of over 700 businesses and partners worldwide using its marketing software including ASOS, Center Parcs, EasyJet, Epson Europe, Harrods, Hilton International, Manchester United FC, Rabobank, Sony Europe, Société Générale, Eurocamp, RCI-GVN, Landal Green Park, and QVC. smartFOCUS is headquartered in the UK, with offices in the US, Europe and Asia Pacific.

Amphion Innovations (AIM:AMP)
Amphion builds shareholder value in high growth companies in the medical and technology sectors, by using a focused, hands-on company building approach, based on decades of experience in both the US and UK. Amphion has a significant shareholding in 8 Partner Companies developing proven technologies targeting substantial commercial marketplaces, each in excess of $1 billion. Each Partner Company is chosen with the goal of achieving an exit valuation in excess of $100 million.

National Milk Records (PLUS:NMRP)
National Milk Records roots are in the Milk Marketing Board, providing analysis of the individual cow’s milk to dairy farmers, enabling decisions on herd management that maximise efficiency. Complementary subsidiaries, National Milk Laboratories and National Livestock Records analyse most of the liquid milk produced in the UK for the milk buyers, and  provide information to the red meat industry. Current turnover £15m; the group invests in developing new services and is well placed to meet the demand from government, retailers and consumers for produce that can be traced to producers with the highest welfare standards from animals free of disease.

The aim of the survey was to define any bedrock conductors associated with sulphide mineralisation.

Interestingly, Mithril Resources (ASX: MTH) recently reported significant copper and nickel Cu-Ni mineralisation in its adjoining tenements, immediately to the east of the Limbla Project.

Recent work by the Northern Territory Geological Survey had shown the tenement area is prospective for shear zone hosted gold-copper mineralisation.  Grab samples from one prospect returned assays of 35.4% Cu and 0.12% Au.

A field trip will be undertaken in March to take grab samples from each of the targets to evaluate where there is any indication of bedrock conductors.

Norm Gardner, managing director of WDR said drilling could be undertaken if initial results were encouraging.

The shallow depth and generally unconsolidated sediments overlaying the seam makes the deposit potentially amenable to large scale open pit mining methods.

The Company have planned an infill drilling campaign for the Zanthus project. The permit of work has been lodged with the Department of Mines and Petroleum and heritage surveys are being organised to allow for a drill program to take place in the near future.

Blackham currently controls a combined lignite resource of 1.2 billion tonnes estimated in accordance with the JORC Code. Blackham’s attributable resource, taking into account the 70% interest in the Scaddan lignite deposit and the 100% owned Zanthus deposit is 950 million tonnes of lignite.

The Scaddan and Zanthus Projects contain 1.2 billion tonnes of lignite containing over 9,200 PJ of energy on and potential for 600 million barrels of oil products mostly in the form of ultra clean diesel.

There is also additional production potential from the existing coal inventory which is estimated at 0.82 to 1.22 billion tonnes of lignite at Scaddan and Zanthus projects.

The scoping study completed in November 2008 was based upon a 15,000 barrel per day operation producing 4.8 million barrels per annum.

The Scaddan measured and indicated resource equates to 50 years worth of potential feedstock for a 15,000 barrel per day CTL facility. Infill drilling of the Scaddan and Zanthus inferred resources may allow for the CTL facility to increase in scale.

It was found to be comparable in terms of safety and tolerability with its matched placebo when administered vaginally, twice daily for 14 days in sexually active women involved in the trial.

Starpharma CEO, Dr Jackie Fairley, said, the data from the study provided further evidence of the safety and tolerability of the VivaGel® active ingredient, SPL7013, and will support its development as both a stand-alone gel (bacterial vaginosis, genital herpes and HIV), and as a condom coating.

The study enrolled 61 healthy women who vaginally applied VivaGel®, a matched placebo gel without the SPL7013 active ingredient, or an alternative experimental placebo based on hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC).

Starpharma plans to commence further clinical studies of VivaGel®, including a phase 2 efficacy study in bacterial vaginosis, during 2010.

The clinical study was funded by the Division of AIDS (DAIDS), National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Guodian is a part of the China Guodian Group, one of the leading integrated players in the Chinese coal mining and power generation sector with 70,250 MW of installed thermal power and a controllable coal resource of 15 billion tons with annual coal production of 25 million tonnes.

The group is one of the five largest power producers in China.

The JV agreement is for White Energy and Guodian to form a joint venture company to build and operate a coal upgrading facility with an initial capacity of 1 million tonnes per annum.

Following the successful commissioning of the first 1 million tonne per annum plant, development would increase the capacity of the project to 5 million tonnes per annum.

White Energy China would hold a minority stake (35%) in the joint venture company, contributing  its intellectual property and technical ‘know-how’ for each coal upgrading plant built by the joint venture company. 

Guodian will be the majority shareholder in the venture (65%) and would be responsible for funding all of the capital costs associated with each coal upgrading plant built by the joint venture.

White Energy has the exclusive worldwide license for the Binderless Coal Briquetting process that upgrades lower rank coal to significantly increase its energy efficiency and lower emissions.