Financial Markets January 2009

Stocks closed out their worst January ever with another slide on Friday after data showed the economy contracted at the fastest pace in nearly 27 years in the fourth quarter.

Uncertainty about the fate of a plan by the Obama administration to relieve banks of money-losing assets added to the bearish tone, with Citigroup (C.N) plunging 9 percent and Bank of America (BAC.N) dropping 3 percent.

Procter & Gamble Co (PG.N), the maker of Pampers diapers, Gillette razors and Tide laundry detergent, was the Dow's top drag, sliding 6.4 percent, after its quarterly profit missed expectations. P&G also added its name to a growing list of companies cutting outlooks.

"We're in for another tough year," said Dean Barber, president of investment firm Barber Financial Group in Kansas City.

"You have consumer sentiment at an all-time low, job losses that have exceeded the total number of job losses in the '81-'82 recession, we're 13 months into the latest recession, so people feel bad."

The Dow Jones industrial average .DJI fell 148.15 points, or 1.82 percent, to 8,000.86. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index .SPX slid 19.26 points, or 2.28 percent, to 825.88. The Nasdaq Composite Index .IXIC tumbled 31.42 points, or 2.08 percent, to 1,476.42.

DOW, S&P OFF OVER 8 PERCENT IN JANUARY

Both the Dow and the benchmark S&P 500 .SPX suffered their worst January ever, with the Dow down 8.8 percent and the S&P down 8.6 percent. The Nasdaq dropped 6.4 percent in January.

January performance traditionally serves as a harbinger for stocks for the rest of the year.

Analysts said the sharp declines in the shares of companies traditionally considered better positioned to ride out an economic downturn underscored the severity of the pessimism.

For the week, the Dow declined 0.95 percent, while the S&P 500 dropped 0.73 percent, and the Nasdaq edged down 0.06 percent.

Goldman Sachs' chief U.S. equity strategist David Kostin said in a research note the brokerage expected the S&P 500 to retest its bear market low of November during the first quarter, before rising to their 1,100 year-end target.

The S&P 500 is up about 10 percent from the November 21 intraday low after starting 2009 up more than 20 percent.

P&G, CITIGROUP AND APPLE FALL
http://www.reuters.com/article/hotStocksNews/idUSTRE50K4DA20090131

Mergers and Acquitions January 2009

MOST RECENT DEALS - Page 1 (Page 2)
Target Name Acquiror Name Deal Date $ Value of Deal (mil) Full Report
Rio Tinto Ltd-Potash Assets Cia Vale do Rio Doce SA (RIO) 01-30-2009 850.00
Rio Tinto PLC-Iron Assets Cia Vale do Rio Doce SA (RIO) 01-30-2009 750.00
Green Resources AS Phaunos Timber Fund Ltd 01-30-2009 2.20
Nyah Resources Inc-Agnew Lake Property,Sudbury,Ontario Cash Minerals Ltd 01-30-2009
Info Dynamic Telesystems Pvt Ltd IndiaCo Ventures Ltd 01-30-2009 n/a
Karveck Corp Vana Blue Inc 01-30-2009
Apollo RM Hospital Fortis Healthcare Ltd 01-30-2009
Drug Mamada Terashima Co Ltd 01-30-2009
Gartenhof Media GmbH Goldbach Media AG 01-30-2009 n/a
Citra Tubindo Tbk PT Kestrel Wave Investment Ltd 01-29-2009 82.40
APAC Customer Services Inc (APAC) Tresar Holdings LLC 01-29-2009 81.50
DME Corp Astronics Corp (ATRO) 01-29-2009 50.60
China Voice Holding Corp-Non- core US Business Flint Telecom Group Inc 01-29-2009
Eiken Chemical Co Ltd Eiken Chemical Co Ltd - Buyback 01-29-2009 15.60
Tianjin Communication Broadcasting Group Digital Communication Zoom Technologies Inc (ZOOM) 01-29-2009 13.20
Maruwn Co Ltd Shin Nihon Giken 01-29-2009 9.40
Liquidation World Inc Talon Merchant Capital 01-29-2009 6.30
Princeton National Bancorp Inc,Princeton,Illinois (PNBC) United States Department of the Treasury 01-29-2009 3.80
Kreido Biofuels Inc-Kreido STT Technology & Other Assets Four Rivers BioEnergy Inc 01-29-2009 3.20
West Coast Paper Mills Ltd Veer Enterprises Ltd 01-29-2009 2.80
Misawa Homes Kyushu Co Ltd Misawa Homes Co Ltd 01-29-2009 2.20
Komehyo Co Ltd Komehyo Co Ltd - Buyback 01-29-2009 1.50
Ausam Resources Pty Ltd Bounty Oil & Gas NL 01-29-2009 0.30
Australasia Gold Ltd Valleybrook Investments Pty Ltd 01-29-2009 0.20
ACCO Brands Corp- Commercial Print Finishing Business Cosmo Films Ltd 01-29-2009 n/a
VISA BAO Ltd Visa Steel Ltd 01-29-2009 n/a
Future Energy LLC-Uranium Project,Colorado International Ranger Corp 01-29-2009 n/a
Usinas Siderurgicas de Minas Gerais SA{Usiminas} Nippon Steel Corp 01-29-2009 n/a
Anne's Diary Inc Dolphin Digital Media Inc 01-29-2009 n/a
Newtech Stewing Engineering Ltd Goldstone Infratech Ltd 01-29-2009 n/a
Performance Communications Group Inc TeloVax Corp 01-29-2009 n/a
Palestinian Telecommunications Co Ltd Mobile Telecommunications Co 01-29-2009 n/a
Teleste Oyj EM Group Oy 01-29-2009 n/a
GETIN Bank SA Noble Bank SA 01-29-2009 n/a
Sumitomo Metal Industries Ltd Yokogawa Bridge Holdings Corp 01-29-2009 n/a
Shree Shree Telecom Pvt Ltd Goldstone Infratech Ltd 01-29-2009 n/a
Indra Sistemas SA Union Fenosa SA 01-29-2009 n/a
Edelman Financial Advisors LLC Sanders Morris Harris Group Inc (SMHG) 01-29-2009 n/a
Surya Pharmaceuticals Ltd Futuristics Garments Pvt Ltd 01-29-2009 n/a
Sun Plast O Met Ltd Goldstone Infratech Ltd 01-29-2009 n/a
PROGRESS Kirov Plant of Boiler Equipment LLC OAO Kirovskiy Zavod Mayak 01-29-2009
Satyam Computer Services Ltd (SAY) Spice Innovation 01-29-2009 n/a
CV Therapeutics Inc (CVTX) Astellas Pharma Inc 01-28-2009 981.20
Link Theory Holdings Co Ltd Fast Retailing Co Ltd 01-28-2009 234.50
Darma Henwa Tbk PT Bumi Resources Tbk PT 01-28-2009 212.10
Nutresa SA Grupo Nacional de Chocolates SA 01-28-2009 95.00
Hitachi Construction Machinery Co Ltd Hitachi Construction Machinery Co Ltd - Buyback 01-28-2009 92.10
Viacom 18 Media Pvt Ltd IBN18 Broadcast Ltd 01-28-2009 62.50

http://money.cnn.com/news/deals/mergers/dealchart.html

Britain Towergate Financial Acquisition

Towergate Financial announces tenth acquisition
Tracey Scott - 16-Jan-2009
Towergate Financial has acquired IFA and general insurance broker Smith Blamires.
The deal, Towergate Financial's tenth acquisition to date, brings the total number of advisers across the group to 100.
http://www.moneymarketing.co.uk/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=179290&d=340&h=341&f=342

Mergers and Acquisitions January-30 2009

Mergers and Acquisitions January-30 2009