Recruitment firm Hays delivered full year results that were ahead of expectations but the outlook for the UK continues to look bleak in KBC Peel Hunt's view, though the broker notes this is largely reflected in the price.

Panmure Gordon has cut its rating for bus and train group Go-Ahead Group despite Thursday's results from the group exceeding its expectations, as the broker has concerns over the potential lack of earnings growth in the coming years.

Recruitment firm Hays delivered full year results that were ahead of expectations but the outlook for the UK continues to look bleak in KBC Peel Hunt's view, though the broker notes this is largely reflected in the price.

Milicruit is, alas, not a recruitment site for future leaders of the Labour Party but a virtual career fair that puts together former members of the US military and potential employers in "an interactive 3-D virtual setting". The notion has one huge advantage for companies such as UBM that operate such "events": they are an awful lot cheaper than their real-world equivalent. UBM shares change hands on less than 12 times this year's earnings. A good play on economic recovery, says the Times.

Johnson Service Group's chairman John Talbot has splashed out around £445,000 in the dry cleaning business following strong first half results.

After a relatively quiet Wednesday, activity picks up again on Thursday with the likes of Go-Ahead Group, Hays, McBride and DSG International all set to give trading updates.

Mining stocks are going well with Fresnillo, Kazakhmys and Xstrata among the top risers after China's official purchasing managers' index rose to 51.7 in August from a 17-month low of 51.2 in July, causing an improvement in commodity prices and overall sentiment.

Inter-dealer broker ICAP is set to launch a new electronic platform for euro interest rate swaps (IRS) on 6 September, which suggests to ICAP fan Panmure Gordon that dealers are warming to the faceless alternative to telephonic transactions.

The flotation of loss-making grocery delivery outfit Ocado was a humbling experience for some of the City's biggest names and a wallet-damaging one for shareholders persuaded to support it.

Inter-dealer broker ICAP is set to launch a new electronic platform for euro interest rate swaps (IRS) on 6 September, which suggests to ICAP fan Panmure Gordon that dealers are warming to the faceless alternative to telephonic transactions.

Hurricane season is underway and a 120 miles per hour category four hurricane, 'hurricane Earl', could hit land in North America later this year. For once, it looks as if the Gulf of Mexico will not be affected but a number of Lloyd's syndicates will be monitoring its progress for fear it will hit the eastern seaboard of the USA.

Vodafone chief executive Vittorio Colao has taken about a billion of costs out of the group, which will generate free cashflow of £6.5bn over each of the next three years.

Vedanta chairman Anil Agarwal has tightened his grip on the Indian copper miner, buying £2.8m worth of shares.

It is looking like a relatively quiet day for company results on Wednesday, with only IQE, Johnson Service Group and Hargreaves Lansdowne officially scheduled to announce figures though, as ever, there are bound to be some unscheduled announcements.

Oil stocks are under pressure amid low crude prices, as global economic worries continue.

The winning streak has continued at EnCore Oil with another major North Sea find, offering Westhouse Securities an opportunity to reiterate its 'buy' recommendation and revise its target price to 84p.

Charles Stanley described in-line full-year results from drinks brands giant Diageo as 'resilient' and the broker thinks trading should continue to improve gradually in line with the recovery in the global economy.