12:21GMT 31Oct2008-Seniorjumps on hopes for Boeing strike deal

Shares in FTSE 250-listed aerospace engineer Senior rise as much as 38 percent amid mounting hopes a strike at Boeing, one of its most important customers, will be resolved this weekend.
The dispute is costing Senior about 1.5 million pounds ($2.4 million) a month, says analyst James Tetley at Brewin Dolphin. The company's ability to weather it without earnings downgrade so far points to its strength, Tetley says, but it can only continue doing so until early November.
"We expect Boeing to resume production with all guns blazing," he says. "It bodes well (for Senior) for next year."
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12:12GMT 31Oct2008-Zurich, Swiss Re benefit from upgrades

Zurich Financial Services shares rise more than 5 percent in a weaker European insurance sector, helped by a rating upgrade by Merrill Lynch, traders say.
"First, we now expect to see a better non-life environment and this has boosted our estimates," Merrill analyst Brian Shea says in a note, raising his rating to "buy" from "neutral".
"Second, the shares have fallen sharply, pushing the valuation down to what we consider a very attractive level."
Reinsurer Swiss Re's shares gain nearly 4 percent, also boosted by a Merrill upgrade to "buy" from "neutral".

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11:40GMT 31Oct2008-Barclays falls on capital cost concerns

Shares in British bank Barclays fall 10 percent on concerns the group's plan to raise 7.3 billion pounds in fresh capital from private investors will cost it more than accepting a cash injection from the government under its bank recapitalisation programme.

"The capital ain't cheap. It's more expensive than the government's capital," says Hichens, Harrison analyst Magnus Mathewson.
"But they're doing everything possible to stay out of the government's hands. I think they're doing the right thing."
Up to 5.5 billion pounds of the capital being raised by Barclays is coming from investors in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
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11:47GMT 31Oct2008-Retailers slide on John Lewis woes, Tesco up

Shares in British retailer Marks & Spencer and Kingfisher, the owner of the B&Q home improvement chain, slide as much as 4.7 percent and 5.3 percent, respectively, after John Lewis reports a 9.8 percent fall in weekly sales at its department stores, led by slowing homeware sales.
However, shares in Tesco rise 2.6 percent with analysts predicting value conscious shoppers will trade down to the supermarket group for cheaper food and a growing range of non-food goods. Shares in rival Wm Morrison Supermarkets also rise over 2 percent.
"There's a definite shift towards consumers looking for value so I expect Tesco to perform better than M&S because it's generally cheaper and I suspect we'll see more people buying non-food items from Tesco too," says Howard Archer, an economist at IHS Global Insight.
"Homeware goods are also being hammered by the falling housing market ... if you're not moving house you're less likely to buy new furnishings or a new TV, which will impact Kingfisher." Home Retail, owner of DIY chain Homebase and homeware retailer Argos, is down 7.2 percent.
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