FTSE

Shares in Marks & Spencer were down on the FTSE 100 in morning trading despite the retailer reporting a rise in sales in the third quarter ended 1 January 2011.

Shares in Persimmon were flat on the FTSE 250 in afternoon trading after the housebuilder said it expected to see "a significant increase in underlying profit before tax, which will be at the top end of analysts' expectations".

Shares in Ocado were down on the FTSE 250 in morning trading after the online grocery store reported a rise in sales of nearly a third in the year ended 28 November 2010.

Shares in British banks were broadly down on the FTSE 100 in morning trading as concerns about sovereign debt in the eurozone continued to dog investors.

Shares in WM Morrisons were up on the FTSE 100 in morning trading after the supermarket chain reported a rise in sales in the six weeks to 2 January 2011.

Next week will see Britain's major supermarkets give trading updates on the peak Christmas trading period, with the effect of the snow likely to be of considerable interest.

Shares in Marshalls were up on the FTSE All Share after the paving construction company reported a rise in revenue in the full year to 31 December, despite the poor weather at the end of the year.

Shares in easyJet were up on the FTSE 250 in morning trading after the budget airline reported a rise in passenger numbers in December.

Shares in British banks were mixed on the FTSE 100 in morning trading as investor caution set in ahead of key data from the U.S.

Shares in Robert Walters were up on the FTSE All Share in morning trading after the recruitment firm reported strong profit growth in the fourth quarter ended 31 December.

Shares in McBride were down on the FTSE 250 after the provider of personal care products said that the full year outlook will be "towards the lower end of expectations".

Shares in Mothercare were down on the FTSE 250 in morning trading after the retailer reported a it had been impacted by the cold weather in the 12 weeks to 1 January 2011.

Shares in British banks were mixed on the FTSE 100 in morning trading following indications that the global economy may be stabilising somewhat.

Shares in Hays were down on the FTSE 250 in morning trading after the recruitment company reported net fee growth of over 20 per cent in the quarter ended 31 December.

Shares in Games Workshop were down on the FTSE after the fantasy game maker and retailer said it expected pre-tax profit in the full year to 29 May 2011to be below current market expectations.

Shares in HMV were down on the FTSE All Share in afternoon trading after the retailer reported falling sales over Christmas and said that it may breach its April covenant test under its banking facility.

Shares in Domino's Pizza were up on the FTSE 250 in morning trading after the group reported double digit sales growth in the fourth quarter ended 26 December 2010.

Shares in British banks were broadly down on the FTSE 100 in morning trading as retailers indicated that sales had been relatively poor in the run up to Christmas.

Shares in Next were up on the FTSE 100 in morning trading after the retailer predicted a rise in pre-tax profit for the year ending January 2011 of seven to ten per cent.

Shares in Next were up on the FTSE 100 in afternoon trading ahead of the retailer's fourth quarter statement, due tomorrow.

Shares in Blacks Leisure were up on the FTSE Fledgling in afternoon trading after the company issued a trading statement for the half year ended 30 December 2010.

Shares in BP were up on the FTSE 100 following reports that arch-rival Royal Dutch Shell had considered a takeover bid for the company.

Shares in easyJet were up on the FTSE 250 in morning trading after the budget airline said it had ordered 15 A320 aircraft from Airbus.

Shares in Mouchel were soaring on the FTSE All Share in morning trading after the outsourcing firm rejected a takeover offer from construction company Costain.

Shares in British banks were broadly up on the FTSE 100 in morning trading despite signs that the economy is not as strong as previously believed.

Shares in Northern Foods were up on the FTSE All Share in morning trading after the company confirmed that Boparan Holdings Limited is considering taking it over.

Shares in AstraZeneca were up on the FTSE 100 in afternoon trading after the drug-maker said it had ceased the development of motavizumab for the prophylaxis of serious respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) disease.

Shares in BskyB were down on the FTSE 100 in afternoon trading after the European Commission approved News Corporation's proposed takeover of BskyB.

Shares in Alexon plunged on the FTSE Fledgling in morning trading after the womenswear retailer said that its sales had been severely hit by the recent heavy snowfall.

Shares in British banks were up on the FTSE 100 in morning trading following what appeared to be positive comments on the euro by the vice premier of China.